Look, we’re not here to sugar-coat things. If you’re running freight, logistics, shipping, or any part of the supply chain, you’re looking at a season where your risks are cranking up — and if you’re not paying attention, your losses might too.
Because here’s the big reality: companies across North America are losing an estimated $18 million every single day to cargo theft and related supply-chain fraud. That’s not just a number — that’s a wake-up call.
🎯 Seasonal Risk: It’s Real — and It’s Hot
As the calendar slides toward the holiday build-up, shipping volumes surge. More trucks on the road, more staging yards, more hurried hand-offs, more “just drop it here for a few minutes” stops. And guess who’s watching all that? Organized cargo thieves.
Overhaul, the Texas-based cargo-theft tracking and recovery outfit, says this window (late Q3 into Q4) is historically the most critical period for supply-chain risk. And the numbers support that. For example: in Q2 2025, Overhaul recorded 525 cargo thefts in the US, a 33% increase over the same period in 2024.
So if you think your holiday rush is only about meeting deadlines — think again. It’s also about defending your freight like your bottom line depends on it. Because it does.
🎮 Why Electronics Are the “Big Score” — and Why That Matters
Let’s get specific: what are thieves stealing, and why does it matter?
Overhaul found that in Q2 2025, electronics and food & drinks each accounted for 16% of theft incidents. In plain English: laptops, gaming consoles, mobile devices — “move-fast” goods that thieves can flip quickly — are top targets.
Now layer on the holiday surge. Everyone’s buying electronics, shipping electronics, staging pallets of electronics. That means more visibility, more risk, and yes — more temptation for criminals.
And here’s the key point: many thefts don’t happen in the dead of night with ski-masks. They happen because someone left a truck unattended, or a yard got quiet, or the chain of custody got weak. That five-minute coffee stop? That’s all it takes to turn what you thought was a secured load into someone else’s profit.
🚚 Hijacking, Pilferage & The Last-Mile Problem
The “last mile” used to be a logistics buzz term. Now it’s also a theft hotspot.
Picture this: a courier truck making deliveries in a city, stuck in traffic, driver jumps out for one quick hand-off. Or a suburban distribution yard with minimal security during a holiday staffing lull. That’s not just busy — that’s vulnerable.
Data backs it up. The third-party intelligence shows cargo theft isn’t just increasing; the tactics are changing. Thieves are going after trucks on city routes, trucks stopped or staged — and warehouses with fewer bodies watching. For instance, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says thefts are shifting toward organized, tech-enabled operations using fake identities, hacked systems, and forged documentation.
So no — you can’t rely on the same playbook you used five years ago. The game has changed.
📍 Hot Spots & Commodity Focus: Know Where and What
Not all geographies are equal, and not all loads are equal either.
The NICB notes that three states — California, Texas and Florida — accounted for 54% of all reported cargo thefts in the U.S. and Canada last year. Why those states? High-volume freight hubs, major ports, long transit routes, big staging yards — criminals know where the vulnerabilities are.
Commodity-wise: it’s not just electronics. Raw materials and metals are showing up in the data too. According to the Verisk CargoNet data – over 3,625 incidents in 2024 (that’s a 27% increase year-over-year), with average value per theft jumping to more than $202,000. And one especially pointed example: copper shipments are now “emerging targeted commodity”-level.
Your takeaway: if you’re moving freight through major corridors, ports, interstates — and especially if you’re handling electronics, metals, high-demand consumer goods — you’re on the radar.
💰 Let’s Return to That $18 Million Every Day Number
You’ve seen the pieces. Now here’s the full cost.
The ATRI (American Transportation Research Institute) estimated losses of around $18 million per day due to cargo theft. While estimates vary, other reports say the annual losses could be $35 billion or more.
Think about it for a moment: that’s more than just stolen freight. It’s broken supply chains, delayed deliveries, insurance hikes, customer headaches, reputational damage, and, yes, payrolls for compliance and security staff that shouldn’t be optional.
And let’s pump that up: this isn’t just “could happen someday.” The volume is increasing, the tactics are evolving, and the window you’re in (holiday build-up) is prime time.
🛠 Leadership Moves: How to Stay Ahead Rather Than Play Catch-Up
Here’s where the tone shifts from “warning” to “here’s what you do.” Because being informed means nothing if you’re not acting.
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Audit your security systems and staffing now. Don’t wait for a near-miss to wake up. Check cameras (are they working and capturing the right angles?), lighting (are shadows hiding access points?), alarms, locks, gates, badge-access, identity verification. If your facility or yard hasn’t had a full check-up since last year — make it priority.
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Tighten delivery and staging protocols. Know who’s coming, when, who’s allowed in, and what the hand-off process is. If your load goes “unattended” (by your definition) for more than a minute, you may already be behind. Synchronize with receivers and pre-approve staging windows — especially in holiday rush mode.
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Train your team like their job depends on it — because it does. Drivers, dock workers, dispatchers — they all matter in the security chain. Teach them to spot “something’s off” moments, give them a clear escalation process, reward vigilance, and make reporting easy and fast. You want awareness, not apathy.
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Create a holiday-rush security playbook. Less staff, more volume, tighter deadlines — this combo is a vector for theft. Before long weekends or major holidays, pre-plan: secure yard access, limit on-site idling, stage loads in secure zones only, verify temporary labor, restrict unsupervised zones.
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Use tech as a force-multiplier — not an afterthought. GPS tracking, real-time alerts, remote locks, load-tracking apps — if you’re still thinking of these as “nice to have,” you’re already at a disadvantage. Integrate the tech and make sure everyone knows how to use it and how it connects to your people and processes.
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Lead with mindset, not just mechanics. It’s easy to treat security as a checklist item (“Yep, cameras installed”) instead of a culture. You want operations where EVERYONE knows security is part of the job. Where saying “I’ll leave it for tomorrow” isn’t allowed. Where complacency gets noticed before it gets you fired.
⚙️ How EclipseDOT Can Plug the Gaps
At EclipseDOT, we’ve built our value proposition around not reacting. Because let’s face it: reacting costs more than preparation ever will.
Our Effortless Compliance Framework™ helps you integrate security, training, audits, documentation, and risk monitoring — under one roof. With our platform (DOTDocs) you don’t just “check the box” for compliance; you build systems that lead your business into the future.
You can’t protect what you don’t monitor. You can’t monitor what you don’t organize. And you can’t organize what you don’t lead. That’s where our experience steps in — aligning your compliance, your cargo-security posture, and your workforce so everything clicks.
So when the holiday rush hits, you’re not scrambling. You’re executing. You’re secure. You’re ahead.
🧭 Final Takeaway: Lead the Way or Pay the Price
Let’s end on this: Cargo theft isn’t slowing down. It’s not a seasonal blip. It’s a strategic problem for the modern supply chain.
And you have a choice:
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You can react when your load is gone, your customer is upset, and your insurance premium jumps.
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You can lead proactively: tighten systems, train your team, secure your process, and make sure your next two months don’t end up as someone else’s payday.
In the game of freight, preparation beats hope every single time.
So ask yourself:
Are you leading your security … or just hoping for the best?
Because when thieves are making $18 million in losses per day, “hope” is not a strategy — vigilance is.
Gain exclusive access to our CDL & DOT Compliance articles with a trial at DOTDocs.com. And don’t forget to claim your FREE micro audit at THE ECLIPSE DOT MICRO AUDIT. Ready for seamless operations? Discover the difference today!
🔗 Sources
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Overhaul Q2 2025 report: “525 cargo thefts… 33% increase vs. Q2 2024.”
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Verisk CargoNet 2025 Q2: “884 theft incidents … 13% increase year-over-year.”
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Verisk CargoNet 2024 annual: “3,625 incidents, +27% vs. 2023; average value > $202,000.”
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ATRI / Other industry sources: “Up to $35 billion annually lost to cargo theft.”