In the 2nd quarter of 2014 (Between April and June), there were 179 incidents of cargo thefts reported in the U.S., which was a slight decline from the year prior. However, according to FreightWatch International, the value of the stolen loads have continued to creep higher.
The average loss per incident was $174,415, 4.9% higher than last year. Freightwatch attributes the increase value of loss to a higher level of sophistication and organization in theft rings.
Among the top targeted types of loads were Food/drinks making up over 20% of stolen shipments, Home Supplies, and Electronics.
The states with the largest amount of thefts were Florida (45 thefts), Texas (29 thefts), and California (28 thefts).
The most common type of freight theft was theft of the entire trailer, which accounted for 76% of total incidents. Deceptive pickups due to identity theft were 8% of total incidents.
Although Pharmaceutical thefts only made up 2% of all incidents last year, the value of those loads lead to by far the greatest amount of finanical loss, with an average of $2.8 million per load. Electronics came in at second at an average of $304,000.
