During the first half of 2024, Mexico reported 5,140 cargo thefts, averaging about 57 a day, according to supply chain visibility firm Overhaul. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)
Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Truck cargo theft up as thieves grow more violent, savvy; Chinese manufacturer to build $100M factory near Houston, create 100 jobs; 236,000-square-foot transload facility planned for Laredo, Texas; and Continental begins construction of $90M plant in Mexico.
Truck cargo theft up as thieves grow more violent, savvy
Cargo theft continued to plague the trucking industry across North America during the first half of the year.
Supply chain visibility firm Overhaul reported that cargo theft incidents increased 49% year over year to 787 incidents in the United States from January through June.
The average loss value across all incidents was $115,230, 83% higher than the average recorded during the same period in 2023.
Danny Ramon, Overhaul’s director of intelligence and law enforcement connect, said some of the reasons for the significant increase in average loss value are that the trucking industry is attracting more thieves, and they are getting better at targeting specific loads.
“The pandemic wasn’t necessarily the cause, but it was kind of the catalyst for this change in cargo theft in the United States and across the globe,” Ramon told FreightWaves in an interview. “A lot of people got new careers during and after the pandemic. It turns out a lot of them switched to cargo theft. They saw how lucrative it is, how easy it can be, and that’s why we’re seeing that increase. The cargo they are targeting and obtaining is going to increase in value as they get better and better at targeting exactly what they’re after.”
Cargo theft in Mexico also continues to challenge supply chains. During the first half of 2024, Mexico reported 5,140 cargo thefts, averaging about 57 a day.
The main tactic used by criminals in Mexico is the interception of cargo trucks while they are in transit, accounting for 72% of the cases during the first half of 2024. About 84% of cargo thefts in Mexico also involved some form of violence.
Ramon said one reason Mexico sees more violence in cargo theft is that policing and penalties for violent crime might not be as strict as in the U.S. or Canada.
“With Mexico, it’s an apprehension and penalty issue,” Ramon said. “The penalty is not necessarily increased as much in Mexico as it is here in the United States. In Mexico, it is the standard operating procedure of organized cargo thieves to employ violence. Here in the U.S., if violence is employed, it is very likely not an organized cargo thief. It is very likely a local area criminal who’s probably already involved in violent crime, and they’re just taking up the mugging of a driver to the next level.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-24 23:59:00
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