As part of its research on the growing problem of cargo theft, the American Transportation Research Institute is asking motor carriers and brokers to participate in a new data collection initiative.
Cargo theft has evolved from thieves simply stealing cargo to sophisticated impersonation schemes and is becoming more common, according to some industry stakeholders. In March 2024, ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee, citing FBI statistics that indicate $15 billion to $30 billion is lost annually to cargo theft, voted to prioritize research on the topic.
See also: Cargo theft is rising fast; here’s how to slow the curve
“Cargo theft is a pervasive issue that won’t go away without a collaborative effort,” Ben Banks, VP of TCW, said. “With accurate cargo theft data, our industry will be able to quantify the issue and work more effectively with law enforcement and commercial insurance to combat this costly problem.”
Although cargo theft is a problem, many industry stakeholders are hesitant to publicly disclose cargo theft data. ATRI’s survey is designed to confidentially and anonymously collect loss data and identify successful counter-strategies used by motor carriers and freight brokers.
Motor carriers and brokers are encouraged to complete the survey by clicking here.
