Police are still investigating how cargo thieves stole approximately 100,000 eggs from a semi-trailer in Pennsylvania earlier this month, according to CBS News. With egg prices reaching historic highs this year, the heist is garnering a lot of public attention. But is this part of a new cargo theft trend or old news?
Food/beverages remain a top target for cargo theft
According to Scott Cornell, transportation lead and crime and theft specialist at Travelers, food and beverages are the most targeted commodities by cargo thieves. Because these products are constantly in demand, thefts of perishable items are not investigated for long periods of time. Additionally, it is difficult for law enforcement to track these items.
And thieves tend to target high-value goods. So it isn’t surprising that a truckload of eggs were stolen, Cornell noted.
What did surprise Cornell, however, was the amount of attention this theft has received in the public and the media. Cornell stated that a cargo theft valued at $40,000 is not considerably large in comparison with truckload thefts that range from hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions. He attributes the current level of public attention on this case to eggs currently being a hot topic.
See also: Fleets Explained: What is cargo theft?
How could this theft have been prevented?
As a result of the ongoing investigation into this theft, media reports have been vague. But we do know that the theft occurred in the evening of Saturday, February 1, according to the Associated Press. The trailer that was broken into was at a Pete & Gerry’s Organics facility, though it isn’t clear where exactly the trailer was. It also isn’t clear what security measures the company was taking against cargo theft, though Pete & Gerry’s told USA Today that it was "increasing our security and surveillance to help prevent this from happening again."
Despite the uncertainty of what was or wasn’t done in this case to prevent cargo theft, Cornell always recommends specific measures.
“One of the most basic things is if you have to load for a route or delivery, the load should be staged in a secure lot,” Cornell said. “The truck and trailer should be secured as well, meaning potentially air cuff locks in the cab, high-security rear door locks on the back, and landing gear locks on the trailer.”
Cornell also stated that companies can invest in tracking devices, though it’s debatable whether said devices are also worth it, especially in this case considering that eggs are perishable.
2025 cargo theft trends and predictions
Cornell does not anticipate eggs being targeted by cargo thieves more than other food and beverages, despite this incident and the increased price of eggs. In fact, he said that the final cargo theft numbers for 2024 showed food and beverage thefts slightly decreasing, while thefts of other commodities rose. Cornell cites two possible reasons for this trend:
- It’s well-known among cargo thieves and the transportation industry that some commodities are more targeted by thieves than others. Thus, these commodities typically receive more security. So thieves might be shifting to commodities that are less guarded.
- Too much of a good thing can be bad. After flooding the black market for years with commodities such as energy drinks, snack foods, and more, the demand is going to die down. By diversifying the types of commodities they steal and sell, cargo thieves could possibly do better for themselves.
Another hot topic relating to the price of eggs is tariffs, though Cornell doesn’t predict tariffs to have a huge effect on cargo theft beyond potential product shortages.
“Pay attention to shortages,” Cornell said. “Whenever there's a shortage, then that'll dictate the price. So if there's any shortage for whatever reason, that's what you're going to see [cargo thieves] pivot to pretty quickly.”
