Cargo thieves are evolving their tactics, targeting containers with food and beverages to high-end electronics, basically anything they can easily sell on the black market. It’s important to understand these tactics so that shippers, carriers, and businesses, in general, can potentially prevent cargo theft.

While cargo crimes aren’t anything new to the shipping industry, they have been running rampant across the United States this year in particular and are costing shippers, brokers, and trucking companies millions of dollars and making them rethink their supply chains and basic business procedures.

Below we will discuss the most common forms of cargo theft and a few steps you or your carrier can take to possibly prevent them from happening.

Straight Theft

The first type of cargo theft is opportunistically based, what many call “straight cargo theft”. This type of theft involves a person or persons physically stealing cargo from where it sits. This could be containers parked outside of a closed or full warehouse or even in a container yard. Particularly criminals might look for refrigerated containers in hopes of cargo such as pharmaceuticals or food that is easily sold. Obviously, trailers with little to no security features are easier and more likely targets.

The best way for truckers to prevent this type of cargo theft is to never leave a container or loaded trailer unattended, which may not be possible unless the are two drivers in a truck. For shippers, it’s important that you ensure the trucker you choose uses high-security rear door locks and air cuff locks and if it is unavoidable, avoid any drop loads and consider installing landing gear locks.

Strategic Theft

This type of theft is planned-out and well-organized and is the most common type of cargo crime out there. This type of theft is almost always carried out by some sort of organized crime ring, and their methods are always evolving.

Strategic cargo thefts can involve unconventional methods, including the use of fraud and deceptive information intended to trick shippers, brokers, and carriers to give them loads instead of legitimate carriers. These criminals do this by using identity theft, fake pick-ups, double brokering scams, and creating fake carrier companies. They might also use a hybrid strategy involving some or all of these tactics. The goal is to create as much confusion as possible and to overwhelm the shipper, broker, or terminals into releasing the containers to them.

Cargo thieves often look for loads being brokered in the late afternoon on Fridays in hopes of time constraints and deadlines will lead to mistakes and more relaxed vetting of the “carrier”. Organized crime rings might even create fake loads and post them on various cargo sites in order to get bids to obtain certain information they need to steal a company’s identity.

The easiest thing your freight forwarder can do to help you avoid this type of theft is to research any new carrier or broker thoroughly through FMSCA, various search engines, or a third-party vetting company. Another way your forwarder can help you is to get confirmation of the driver’s identification, get info on the truck and trailer, and use secure pick-up numbers.

Technology Theft

More often the shipping industry is seeing thieves use devices called “sniffers” that help them detect GPS tech, even if it’s embedded with a trailer. Once this device detects a signal, they jam it so law enforcement won’t be able to locate stolen trailers or containers. Thieves using this technology will often park stolen loads at a parking lot and wait in a nearby car to ensure the jamming worked and no law enforcement is coming to look for it.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to prevent “sniffers” or GPS jammers, however as long as the container or trailer isn’t left unattended then the thieves won’t be able to take the cargo and utilize the jamming software.

Cyber Theft

Criminals are using common cyber-attacks to aid in committing cargo theft. These criminals use phishing emails with attachments and hope someone will open the attachment and inadvertently install trojan horse malware that can infect the entire company’s system and give them access to sensitive data. The data the criminals are looking for is pick-up and delivery info so they can create fake pick-ups.

The best way your freight forwarder can help you avoid this type of theft is to have a sturdy system security infrastructure and for their I.T. team to train the employees to look out for suspicious emails and conduct regular training to ensure no one opens sketchy attachments.

Pilferage

Thanks to technological advancements within the industry, better reporting has been done and led to a greater acknowledgment of pilfering issues. Basically, this tactic involves thieves following trucks along their various stops, such as rest areas, diners, and gas stations. When the driver leaves the truck, the thief breaks the seal of the container or the lock on the trailer and steals as much of the cargo as they can before the driver gets back.

Many times, there is a lag in detection that there has even been a theft because many drivers don’t do a complete walk around their rigs unless they see something wrong like container or trailer doors open. By the time the driver realizes there’s been a theft they’ve already made multiple stops and can’t tell the police where the theft occurred.

The best way to avoid this type of theft is to use carriers that require walkarounds at every stop and/or use high-security doors and high-quality padlocks.

Importance of insurance

While it isn’t possible for you or your freight forwarder to prevent theft 100% of the time, it’s important to be proactive and always remember to get cargo insurance. Why risk not being covered if your cargo is damaged or stolen, give yourself peace of mind and add insurance to all your shipments. If you have questions about cargo insurance or want to get a quote, feel free to call us, and rest assured that ClearFreight is ready to help, as we have been for the past 50 years putting customers forward and building lasting relationships.