I was reminded last year by one of my brokers to protect my load over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was loaded over the long weekend and parked to spend time with my family. I decided to do a little research and he was right. Thanksgiving and Christmas are prime times for cargo theft. Thieves ramp up activity over long weekends knowing lots of cargo will sit idle for several days and the value of the cargo increases during the high-demand holiday season.
59% of all incidents occurred in these Top 5 States:
- Texas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- New Jersey
The Top 10 U.S. Counties for cargo theft:
- Los Angeles County, CA
- Dallas County, TX
- San Bernardino County, CA
- Cook County (Chicago), IL
- Miami-Dade County, FL
- Harris County (Houston), TX
- Tarrant County (Arlington/Fort Worth), TX
- Middlesex County (Edison), NJ
- Will County (Bolingbrook), IL
- Riverside County, CA
CargoNet statistics indicate that Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest times for thieves. The best way to avoid a theft? Don’t leave freight in your trailer. Or, if you must, don’t leave it unattended. Warehouses, parking lots and truck stops are the top three areas criminals target, so be aware of your surroundings.
Other simple tips to ensure your load’s safety include:
- Only park loaded trailers in secure lots that have barrier to entry, access control, lighting, surveillance and monitoring.
- If you must park in an unsecured area or have to drop trailer, make sure you install a kingpin lock, lock trailer doors and back up against a wall or other trailers so entry is impossible.
- Check on the load periodically over the long weekend.