Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Cargo Thefts Total $18 Million in Final Quarter of Last Year

During the three-month period the cargo recovery service recorded 181 thefts, with 81 in October, 60 in November, and 40 in December.

by Staff
January 13, 2015
Cargo Thefts Total $18 Million in Final Quarter of Last Year

 

2 min to read


More than $18 million of cargo was stolen in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to new figures from CargoNet.

During the three-month period the cargo recovery service recorded 181 thefts, with 81 in October, 60 in November, and 40 in December. Fifty-five percent of the thefts occurred during Friday through Sunday.

Ad Loading...

Food and beverage items were the most stolen commodity and accounted for 24% of cargo thefts. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages were the chief targets in that commodity category, but cargo thieves frequently stole sensitive items such as produce, meat products, seafood, and frozen food.

The end of the year brings increased demand for consumer electronics, said CargoNet, and not surprisingly, electronics constituted the bulk of the loss value. Although there were only 25 cargo thefts of electronic items, each theft averaged about $417,250. Televisions were the most targeted electronic theft.

California had the most thefts of any state, 39, followed by Texas with 31, Florida had 26, Georgia recorded 14 and Illinois had 12, rounding out the top five. New Jersey was number six with 10 cargo thefts, followed closely with Pennsylvania with nine.

Ad Loading...

“It’s unusual to see Pennsylvania on the list of states with the most cargo theft, but between October and December, crime groups based in states as far away as Florida aggressively targeted freight in Pennsylvania,” said CargoNet. “Pennsylvania serves as a shipping hub for the northeastern United States, and thus a considerable amount of desirable freight travels through it. More than $1.6 million in cargo was stolen in Pennsylvania in those three months. In some cases, the cargo sold before it was ever reported stolen.”

More Fleet Management

Red Kodiak-branded autonomous tractor with Charger-branded trailer backed up to warehouse
Fleet Management•October 30, 2026

Kodiak Lines Up Fleets for Driverless Trucking

An agreement for 75 trucks, a new Texas freight lane, and progress on safety validation move Kodiak closer to its planned driverless highway launch.

Read More →
Illustration with Star of David and EEOC logo
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 28, 2026

ITS Logistics Settles Religious Harassment Case

The Nevada-based logistics firm agreed to pay more than $396,000 to settle a religious harassment charge involving an employee's Jewish identity.

Read More →
Truck on divided interstate highway driving toward sunrise
Fleet Management•October 27, 2026

Your Trucks Are Busy. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Winning.

High utilization doesn’t always mean strong margins. Looking beyond the current load can help fleets make better dispatch decisions and get more value from each truck’s time.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
ATA economist Bob Costello speaking beside a graph showing truckload operating costs rising as freight revenue per mile declined after 2022.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 22, 2026

Why This Trucking Recovery Is Different

Freight demand remains sluggish, but rising costs and tougher enforcement have taken enough capacity out of the market to change the outlook for motor carriers.

Read More →
PS Coach tablet interface showing a driver’s coaching inbox, safety event video and coaching advice for a harsh-braking event.
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools

Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.

Read More →
Screen capture showing PrePass Intelligence data on tolls
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

PrePass Intelligence Mines Fleet Bypass, Toll and Safety Data

PrePass Intelligence helps fleets measure bypass savings, flag potential toll overcharges, and spot suspicious transactions by combining data from separate systems.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Computer screen showing examples of what fleets could ask Motive AI Agents to do
Fleet Management•by Staff•October 20, 2026

Motive Adds AI Agents for Fleet Operations

New tools automate follow-up on fleet data, from maintenance work orders to driver alerts, with two-way voice conversations planned for later this year.

Read More →
Graphic art with a heavy-duty tractor trailer and a work truck with the words "trivia lunch"
Fleet Management•by Lauren Fletcher•October 19, 2026

Can You Beat Our Trucking Trivia Challenge?

Test your truck knowledge with 19 trivia questions from Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange. Can you keep up with the fleet pros?

Read More →
Four horizontal and two vertical video screens show different aspects of BeyondTruck's new compatibility engine
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

BeyondTrucks Adds Rules Checks to Dispatch

New Compatibility Engine checks driver qualifications, equipment requirements and fleet policies before loads are dispatched.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Gloved hand fueling a truck beside a graphic listing ATRI’s top three trucking concerns for 2026: fuel prices, lawsuit abuse reform and CSA.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

Diesel Prices Hijack Trucking’s Worry List

ATRI’s annual survey finds cautious optimism about freight, but diesel costs, litigation, and insurance continue to squeeze fleets. Drivers have different priorities on several issues.

Read More →