Labor Day Cargo Theft Trends

JERSEY CITY, N.J., September 1, 2015 - Make sure your cargo is safe this Labor Day weekend! CargoNet examined statistics from the Wednesday before and the Wednesday after the Labor Day weekend and found that in the last three years, 110 cargo thefts were reported during this week. In that time period, California and Texas reported the most cargo theft, but CargoNet spotted significant losses in New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, and Illinois, too.

Cargo theft was most often committed while cargo sat in parking lots, truck stops, and warehouses. In 2014, 27 percent of cargo theft in this week occurred on Thursday, which indicates that truck drivers took Friday off for a long weekend. Across all three years, Sunday experienced the most cargo theft.

Twenty percent of cargo thefts were of food and beverages, but electronics was the most costly category - $2.12 million despite only 12 percent of losses. Fictitious pickups were 12 percent of all cargo theft losses during this time period. In total, CargoNet recorded more than $4.8 million in cargo stolen, with an average loss value of just over $100,00 per theft. (VIEW INFOGRAPHIC