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American trucking industry urges lawmakers to act as online cargo theft surges
Online cargo theft affecting freight trucking industry
The American trucking industry moves nearly three-fourths of freight across the U.S. Unfortunately, thieves and frauds are wiggling their way into the supply chain. Creating an $19 million dollar hit to the industry, every single day.
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas – As the holiday season kicks off, freight trucking experts say cargo theft will once again surge as more products hit the road.
The July Q2 report from Verisk CargoNet, a national information-sharing system that tracks cargo theft, shows a 13% increase in cargo theft compared to the same time in 2024.
Old-fashioned cargo theft is still happening, and one San Antonio-based freight business has some experience with it.
“Before 2020 it was more just straight thefts,” said Adam Blanchard, co-founder of Double Diamond Transport and Tanager Logistics. “They would come in, cut the seals and take cargo out of it.”
NINTENDO SWITCH 2 STOLEN IN $1.4M CARGO HEIST
While this freight truck is stopped, the driver is unaware criminals are stealing the load in his truck. (Verisk CargoNet)
Online cargo theft has skyrocketed since the pandemic, rising 1,500% over the past four years, according to Trucking.org.
Keith Lewis, CargoNet’s Vice President of Operations, said he noticed the jump in online theft just after 2020, “and the bad guys realized they could work from anywhere in the world and control freight.”
These fraudsters are now digging deep into all facets of the trucking industry.
“They stole my identity as a freight broker in order to get cargo from other companies and tender it to legitimate motor carriers and I started having legitimate trucking companies reaching out to me asking for payment for freight that wasn’t mine,” Blanchard said.
Blanchard traced the fraudsters back to Eastern Europe and found they stole a load of energy drinks. His business partner got the fake logistics company on the phone, but they were never hit with legal action.
The heist by the fraudsters hurt Blanchard’s reputation, and due to the rise in theft claims, his business insurance rates doubled this year.
CARGO THEFT HITS RECORD HIGH IN 2024
Adam Blanchard, a freight business owner, said many stolen goods are sent to fake warehouses. (FOX News)
American Trucking Associations (ATA) CEO Chris Spear told FOX, “This is much more tech-driven by transnational organizations operating out of Eastern Europe, Russia. They’re actually going into the bill of laden, they’re looking for the expensive type of freight.”
But what happens once a truckload of product is stolen by a fraudster across the world?
“They’ll steal that freight, put it in containers as best we can tell, a lot of it is going to the LA area, and transport it to other countries,” Blanchard said.
CargoNet’s Lewis said sometimes freight companies do not know a load of goods is stolen until weeks, months or even a year later.
“The problem is, is we don’t have mandatory reporting, so a lot of these go unreported,” he said.
So far this year, California, Texas, and Illinois rank in the top three for cargo theft, representing 53% of all cargo theft nationwide. The top items targeted are food and beverages, and household goods.
The ATA says cargo theft is a $19 million-a-day hit to the trucking industry.
DEMOCRAT CRITICIZES TRUMP IN DIVERTING RESOURCES FROM FIGHTING ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT
California, Texas and Illinois are the top three states for cargo theft in the U.S., according to CargoNet. (FOX News)
The freight trucking industry is urging lawmakers to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA). The ATA said the bill “would provide law enforcement and industry with a unified framework to fight back. Not only would it create a long-overdue task force to pursue these criminal rings, but it would also establish a badly needed national cargo theft database.”
Blanchard testified to Congress in February, along with other industry leaders.
“Here is the crux of the issue. There is no law enforcement agency that is focused on this,” Blanchard said. “Until we get legislation passed on the federal level that establishes a federal law enforcement coalition that begins to investigate these crimes, and begins to actually conduct arrests and prosecutions, this [is] only going to continue to get worse.”
Blanchard said theft will affect every part of the business, which means he may have to increase prices – ultimately leading to higher prices for shoppers.
“When they’re seeing products not arriving on the shelves, there’s a shortage of that,” Spear said. “The cost goes up. There’s a reflection in what you, I and what everyone pays for the things we want and need.”
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Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks because of continued irritation in his left knee, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced Friday.
Ohtani left a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to irritation in his left knee, which underwent surgery in 2019 to correct a congenital condition called bipartite patella.
According to ESPN, he has been managing the issue since.
Due to the injury, Ohtani will also not travel to Philadelphia or participate in the 2026 All‑Star Game.
The two-way star will serve as the designated hitter through the weekend, and after the series, “he will have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season,” according to the Dodgers.
A woman injured during the chaotic Fourth of July beach takeover in Newport Beach is speaking out as authorities prepare for a similar event that could target nearby Huntington Beach this weekend, as well as an Orange County theme park.
The July 4 gathering in Newport Beach devolved into violence, with fires set, businesses looted and law enforcement officers targeted with explosives.
More than 400 people were arrested in connection with the unrest. Authorities later said many of those taken into custody had traveled from Arizona and Nevada.
Among the dozens of people injured was Cassandra Torres, a longtime Orange County resident who said she never expected to become a victim while celebrating the holiday in a city she has visited for years.
“It’s horrible. It’s disgusting behavior, and now we’re paying for it,” Torres told KTLA.
Torres said she was riding her e-bike when a large crowd of young people suddenly rushed toward her.
“The next thing I know, I’m waking up with strangers around me, which I’m grateful for all of them, and all I hear is, ‘She got pushed off her bike,’” she recalled.
She was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for multiple injuries, including serious cuts, bruising and a concussion.
“I’ve never seen a hospital that busy in my life,” Torres said. “It was supposed to be a safe, fun day, and it turned into a nightmare.”
As victims continue to recover and investigators sort through the aftermath, law enforcement agencies are now focused on preventing another large-scale disturbance after social media posts promoted a so-called “Beach Bash” in Huntington Beach.
The Huntington Beach Police Department acknowledged the online flyer in a social media post Thursday, writing:
“Dear ‘Beach Bash’ organizers… Thanks for the flyer. We’ve seen it too. We have no intention of allowing that to happen here.”
In a statement to KTLA, the department said it has implemented a comprehensive public safety plan.
“Our comprehensive public safety plan includes increased staffing, proactive enforcement and the deployment of specialized resources throughout the city,” police said. “We are coordinating closely with our regional law enforcement partners and are prepared to respond quickly to any criminal activity.”
Officials also warned that anyone who organizes, promotes, encourages or participates in criminal acts associated with a takeover event could face arrest and prosecution.
Officials at Knott’s Berry Farm said they were also aware of a social media post promoting a teen takeover of the park over the weekend. Buena Park police officials said they plan to have an increased presence at the park.
As for Torres, a GoFundMe has been organized to cover her medical expenses as she continues to recover and follow up with specialists.
Police in Palm Springs deployed a drone to track and assist in the arrest of a teen e-bike rider who had reportedly been trying to bait officers into a high-speed chase.
In footage released on social media Wednesday by the Palm Springs Police Department, the teen can be seen doing wheelies and donuts while stopped at a traffic light. He is also seen performing similar stunts in an intersection.
“Instead of giving the suspect the pursuit he seemed to be looking for, officers used drone technology and coordinated tactics to safely monitor his movements into Cathedral City,” police said in an Instagram post.
Video shows the rider traveling through grass at a nearby park before getting off the e-bike in the shade of a pavilion.
Police quickly moved into the park and took the teen into custody. Video appears to show a physical struggle before he was eventually placed into a patrol vehicle.
“While seated in a PSPD patrol vehicle, the suspect apparently wasn’t thrilled with the accommodations and shattered a window, adding felony vandalism to his list of charges,” police said.
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Police in Palm Springs deployed a drone to track and assist in the arrest of a teen e-bike rider who had reportedly been trying to bait officers into a high-speed chase. (Palm Springs PD) -
Police in Palm Springs deployed a drone to track and assist in the arrest of a teen e-bike rider who had reportedly been trying to bait officers into a high-speed chase. (Palm Springs PD) -
Police in Palm Springs deployed a drone to track and assist in the arrest of a teen e-bike rider who had reportedly been trying to bait officers into a high-speed chase. (Palm Springs PD) -
Police in Palm Springs deployed a drone to track and assist in the arrest of a teen e-bike rider who had reportedly been trying to bait officers into a high-speed chase. (Palm Springs PD)
The teen, who has not been identified, was booked on suspicion of reckless driving, resisting arrest and felony vandalism.
E-bikes and e-motorcycles have been a growing concern for law enforcement across Southern California.
Data released in Riverside County shows e-bike crashes surged from 224 in 2023 to 494 in 2024, then nearly doubled again to 958 in 2025, according to county officials, who added that at least 416 incidents have already been reported this year.
Cities in Orange County have enacted new laws that include stricter penalties for violations.
On June 7, shoppers at an Orange County Walmart were left shaken after a group of teens was captured on video riding electric bikes through the store, narrowly missing customers and creating a dangerous scene.
Video obtained by KTLA shows several riders weaving through aisles at a Foothill Ranch store while customers scrambled to get out of the way.
In April, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced felony charges against the mother of a 14-year-old boy accused of fatally striking an 81-year-old man while riding an e-bike in Lake Forest. Prosecutors allege the mother knew her son had repeatedly engaged in reckless riding behavior before the crash.
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