News / Alert to shippers, with cargo theft threat 'high, and on the rise'

Despite a year-on-year decline in overall US cargo theft – for the first time since 2021 – supply chain security specialists are warning that organised criminal groups are becoming more sophisticated, with fraud-based schemes and high-value targeting continuing to drive risk higher. 

Overhaul’s Q1 26 US Cargo Theft Report notes 574 cargo thefts – an average of 6.4 incidents a day over the first three months of the year, and a 6% decrease year on year. 

However, the company cautioned that the apparent improvement masked a more troubling shift in criminal tactics. 

“Cargo theft usually goes down at the start of the year, but the drop in 2026 was smaller than expected, and risk levels did not go down as much as in previous years,” the report noted. 

Compared with Q4 25, incidents fell 25%, significantly below the 34% seasonal decline recorded during the same period a year earlier. 

Overhaul said it continued to consider the cargo theft threat in the US to be “high, and on the rise”, due to the “continued increase in the level of organisation and sophistication” of criminal groups focusing on high-value cargo.  

One of the clearest signs was the growth in ‘deceptive pick-up’ thefts, which rose 31% year on year. These involve criminals using fake identities, forged credentials and carrier impersonation to fraudulently collect freight. 

It accounted for 10% of all incidents in Q1, with California the site of nearly half the reported cases, and Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey notable hotspots. 

“The growth in deceptive pick-up schemes tells us that organised networks are investing in fraud infrastructure,” said Overhaul chief executive Barry Conlon. “When criminals are forging identities and impersonating carriers, a padlock on a trailer isn’t going to stop them.”

The report warned shippers to strengthen verification processes across all shipment-related activity, particularly when working with new carriers or drivers, and recommended detailed documentation at origin points, including photographs of drivers, licences, trailer seals, and vehicle markings, alongside checks for warning signs such as temporary placards, altered logos, or missing licence plates. 

“Driver and business verification, prior to releasing any shipment, is paramount,” Overhaul said. 

Electronics remained the most frequently targeted cargo, accounting for 17% of all thefts, although theft involving automotive cargo rose 142% compared with Q4 25 and 51% year on year, making it the only category to increase across both comparison periods. 

Meanwhile, cargo theft  also spread beyond the traditional hotspots. California accounted for 36% of all reported thefts, followed by Texas at 17%, but Illinois surged from 6% to 13% this Q1, with electronics accounting for 45% of those thefts. 

And Memphis has emerged as an area of growing concern, the city recording a 27% increase in incidents, driven largely by pilferage from unattended shipments overnight. 

Overhaul added that cargo theft patterns were becoming more evenly distributed throughout the day, suggesting criminals were adapting beyond traditional low-visibility operating windows. 

“Driver and business verification, prior to releasing any shipment, is paramount,” it said. Overhaul recommends shippers be extremely diligent in vetting all carriers and drivers, particularly those operating out of Southern California, and those handling highly targeted products such as electronics. 

“Additionally, tracking technology should be used to its fullest extent on the conveyance power unit, cargo area when separate, and the cargo itself, maintaining visibility of the shipment to identify suspicious route deviations, unauthorized stops, and separation of the cargo from the conveyance.”