×

Cargo theft losses have more than doubled ahead of the holiday rush

Saint Cloud, MN, USA / KNSI
Diana Lord for Videoloft
Oct 13, 2026 | 10:30 AM
HenadziPechan // Shutterstock

The FBI defines cargo theft as, “The criminal taking of any cargo including, but not limited to, goods, chattels, money or baggage that constitutes, in whole, or in part, a commercial shipment of freight moving in commerce.” That covers goods stolen from warehouses or trailers, as well as shipments collected or redirected through fraud.

Cargo theft losses across the United States and Canada reached an estimated $304.6 million in the second quarter of 2026, which is more than double the $135.7 million that was recorded during the same period in 2025, Videoloft reports.

Despite an increase in the value of losses, the actual number of incidents was down. Verisk CargoNet recorded 677 incidents between April and June, which is down 26% year over year. This could suggest that criminals are choosing their targets more carefully. Metals, enterprise computers and networking equipment have been among some of the commodities stolen during 2026.

Businesses are now preparing for the period when holiday stock moves through warehouses and distribution centers, leaving valuable items vulnerable to theft. The FBI has also warned that criminals are hacking business accounts, impersonating carriers and persuading companies to release shipments to the wrong people.

Thieves are looking for valuable loads

Metal theft rose from 54 incidents in the second quarter of 2025 to 80 in the same period of 2026, according to CargoNet’s quarterly analysis. Almost 7 in 10 metal thefts targeted copper — as a key element in transportation, power and clean energy copper demand, prices have increased over the last few years, inspiring thieves to take action.

Other metals, enterprise grade computers, networking equipment and cryptocurrency mining hardware have also been targeted.

CargoNet states that losses from cargo theft across the United States and Canada reached nearly $725 million in 2025, 60% higher than in 2024.

A legitimate delivery driver can still be sent to the wrong place

Most cargo thefts are committed by sophisticated organized crime groups, who are using intelligent tactics to try and impersonate legitimate carriers and redirect valuable shipments.

The FBI has issued a warning about a new type of scheme where a shipment is collected by a real driver, and then taken to a destination controlled by criminals. Hackers have been able to gain access to the carrier’s computer systems — usually with a phishing email to an unsuspecting employee — to get information about current loads and shipments, and then they’re able to divert these shipments to different addresses where criminals are waiting to transfer the load onto another vehicle.

Because of tactics like this, the FBI has advised businesses to confirm any changes through a second method. For instance, when collection details or destinations change, staff should contact the carrier or broker to double check the changes are legitimate.

Companies also should educate their employees on common hacking techniques to prevent themselves being put at risk in the first place.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are cargo theft hotspots

Unsurprisingly, Christmas and Thanksgiving are the times of year when cargo theft is most prevalent. During the holiday season, warehouses may close while loaded trailers remain onsite and skeleton staff might mean some areas aren’t supervised as often as they should.

The figures back this up. CargoNet recorded 353 thefts, attempted thefts and fraud events between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2 over five years, with almost 7 in 10 happening during the week ending Dec. 29, with Dec. 23 the busiest day.

The items that get stolen also follow holiday demand and include things like vehicle parts, alcohol, televisions, computers, tools, footwear and appliances, which all appear regularly in CargoNet’s year-end figures.

Reduced staffing over the holidays may make it harder to check an unfamiliar driver or confirm an unexpected change to a collection. Businesses also need to decide where loaded trailers will be kept if they cannot be moved before a site closes.

What businesses should check before the holidays

The FBI recommends documenting things such as the driver’s name, license plate, cab number, trailer number, Department of Transportation number and motor carrier number to make sure every collection has a clear record.

It’s a good idea to use cameras to cover critical areas — for example, where vehicles arrive, drivers report, loading bays and where goods change hands. Video surveillance recordings from the site entrance, loading bay and exit can also help establish who collected a shipment and which direction the vehicle traveled.

Cameras should be regularly checked to show that they’re recording and that footage is accessible. A quick and simple test could include asking someone to retrieve footage of a vehicle entering and leaving the site. The same test can then be repeated across other locations if the company operates over several warehouses.

Holiday plans should cover the following:

  • How carriers and changed instructions will be verified
  • Where loaded trailers can be left securely
  • Who can retrieve and preserve recordings
  • How footage and shipment records will be given to police and insurers

Businesses should also check how long video is retained. A recording may have been captured successfully and still be missing by the time a delayed shipment is reported.

Missing cargo can leave records in several places

The information that needs to be given to the police after a theft can often be divided between several different departments. For example, warehouse staff may hold the driver’s details, the transport team might have the vehicle details and the IT department might need to investigate a suspicious email. Similarly, any camera footage might be stored at the warehouse itself, and if the location uses a different system from the rest of the business, only a small number of employees may know how to retrieve it.

That’s a lot of loose ends when you need to find out what’s happened. The first few hours after a load goes missing should be spent tracing it, not finding passwords, waiting for someone to visit a recorder or discovering that a camera stopped recording.

A written plan can set out who will contact the carrier, access the camera footage and report the incident. It can also identify where emails, access records and vehicle details are kept.

Before the holiday season kicks in, businesses should run through the process using a recent delivery. Pick one load, verify the driver and vehicle details, then find the footage showing it arriving and leaving. Any gaps will be easier to fix while the goods are still where they should be.

Reviewing these arrangements in October leaves time to fix any gaps before Thanksgiving shipments begin arriving and holiday staffing changes take effect.

This story was produced by Videoloft and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.