The average value of each cargo theft event in the second quarter of 2017 was $202,774, according to a new report from CargoNet.  Photo: Truckinginfo.com

The average value of each cargo theft event in the second quarter of 2017 was $202,774, according to a new report from CargoNet. Photo: Truckinginfo.com

California remains the nation’s hotspot for cargo theft with Texas in second place – but overall, incidents of hijacked loads are down, compared to the same period last year.

That’s the word on national cargo theft activity in the second quarter of 2017 from a new CargoNet report based on supply chain intelligence from its nationwide cargo-tracking and anti-theft network.  

According to the report, CargoNet logged 296 incidents of cargo theft, trucking vehicle theft, fraud, and other supply chain disruptions in the second quarter of this year. Almost half of the incidents involved theft of cargo, while 58% of the incidents involved theft of a trucking vehicle such as a tractor or semi-trailer. Another 9% of reported incidents were classified as fraud— often involving identity theft, wire fraud, and sometimes cargo theft.

California theft events were down 53% compared to the same period in 2016. Texas also saw a drop of cargo crime reports, which were down 51% year over year. In total, $17.2 million in cargo was stolen from the United States and Canada in the second quarter of this year, down from $35.1 million last year. The average value of each cargo theft event in the second quarter of 2017 was $202,774.

CargoNet’s report noted that food and beverage products were the most stolen commodity, but only by a slight margin; household thefts were quite close. A bulk of the household thefts recorded by CargoNet were major appliances. Other major targets were household cleaning supplies, tools, and mixed household goods.

Warehouses were the most common target for cargo theft, but losses in this category dropped 54% compared with last year. Unsecured truck yards followed warehouses, with 22 cargo thefts in Q2 2017.

In other good news, CargoNet said 110 tractors and 109 trailers were stolen across the United States and Canada in the second quarter of this year. Compared to the second quarter of 2016, tractor thefts were down 17%, and thefts of trailers were down 29%. Thefts of intermodal chassis and containers increased slightly from 21 stolen units to 25 stolen units year over year.

Related: Six Steps to Thwart Cargo Theft

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