Cargo Theft is 40% Higher on Holiday Weekends

With Memorial Day weekend coming up, FreightWatch International and CargoNet have issued bulletins offering recommendations on cargo security

Organized cargo-theft rings are often more active on holiday weekends with theft levels being elevated by as much as 40% compared to non-holiday weekends, according to FWI. The reason for the increased activity is that more shipments are left unattended for extended periods of time.

Last year’s Memorial Day weekend recorded a record-high 15 cargo theft incidents averaging in excess of $600,000. Cargo theft was most often committed while cargo sat in warehouses, truck stops and carrier lots, according to CargoNet.

FreightWatch recommends that logistics and security professionals make sure that security protocols are up to date and in line with best practices for in-transit and warehouse operations.

They also suggest confirming that a receiver’s hours of operation for the holiday weekend are consistent with scheduled delivery times.

Any GPS tracking or active monitoring of high-value shipments are a good idea as they have proven to be effective in mitigating in-transit theft as well as in the recovery of a stolen product.

CargoNet also offers some free stats and recommendations for Memorial Day weekend cargo security, which are available here.