According to a recent report, cargo theft trends for the third quarter of 2025 show that thieves have become “more strategic in selecting targets.”
Jersey City-based freight security firm CargoNet recently released its 2025 Third Quarter Supply Chain Risk Trends Analysis, which breaks down cargo theft activity over the previous three months. While the report noted some positive movement in overall cargo theft incidents reported – with theft numbers declining 10% from the previous quarter – the total value of stolen loads surged.
Data from CargoNet shows that the average value per stolen shipment doubled in the third quarter of 2025 to $336,787, up from $168,448 reported during the third quarter of 2024. The company said this was “clear evidence” that crooks have gotten better at selecting high-value targets.
According to CargoNet, much of that increase has been driven by “organized crime groups targeting high-value shipments of enterprise computer hardware, cryptocurrency mining equipment, and copper products.”
It’s not just crooks in the U.S. that truckers need to be concerned with. Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at CargoNet, told Land Line these groups operate worldwide, with his company tracking crime rings to over 40 countries.
“We’re not just looking at a threat within our borders, we’re looking at a global threat,” Lewis said.
Compounding the issue is the simple fact that bad guys are good at what they do. Lewis said that not only are cargo thieves adept at targeting commodities that can be quickly and easily resold, they are also good at adapting to counter-measures. He said it’s like the industry is playing checkers and the criminals are playing chess.
“Every time we come up with a different technique to slow them down, they do an end-around on us and come up with a new technique,” Lewis said. “Every time I think I’ve seen it all – I have not seen it all.”
As far as what those tactics are, Lewis wouldn’t expand on that, saying he’s not trying to give bad actors the “secret sauce.”
However, in its report, CargoNet noted that criminal groups are employing social engineering techniques to obtain shipment details. The groups then use that information to facilitate fraudulent pickups and deliveries. The company said it expects these types of tactics to “become more prevalent” in the final three months of the year.
“As the industry enters the final quarter of 2025, CargoNet anticipates that organized crime groups will continue refining their tactics to stay ahead of security measures and evade detection,” the company said. “The trajectory observed throughout Q3 suggests that criminal networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach, with a particular focus on targeted information harvesting.”
For small-business truckers, the risk of cargo theft via double-brokering and identity theft can be particularly high. In October, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association told the U.S. DOT that this type of theft was the “most significant” theft risk for small carriers.
“As shippers have become less likely to work directly with small carriers, reliance on load boards has increased dramatically over the years among owner-operators,” OOIDA said in comments signed by President Todd Spencer. “Unfortunately, these platforms have simultaneously become fertile ground for nefarious actors.”
The comments came in response to the department’s request for feedback from the trucking industry regarding cargo theft risks, current best practices to safeguard against theft, and recommendations for how the federal government can better support the industry.
One of the Association’s recommendations was the need to establish a federal repository for reporting theft and fraud incidents, something OOIDA said could help to improve communication between federal agencies, law enforcement jurisdictions and industry stakeholders.
The Association also suggested increasing truck parking, as well as strengthening the screening process and raising the bar for new entrants, as possible solutions to the cargo theft problem. LL
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