Although reported cargo thefts in California drastically increased from 2015 to 2016, logged incidents in Georgia were on the decline.
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Reported cargo thefts in California surged 36% year-over-year in 2016.
The CargoNet Command Center logged 1,614 records of cargo theft, heavy commercial vehicle theft, supply chain fraud, and other intelligence events across the United States and Canada in 2016.
CargoNet said 836 of those records involved cargo theft.
Although CargoNet does not receive a loss value for every reported cargo theft, in 2016, it received a loss value for 554 of the reported incidents, which recorded a total of $114 million in stolen cargo with an average loss value of $206,836.97. “If we apply this average to the events with a missing value, the loss value would equal $172.9 million,” CargoNet said.
California had the highest number of reported cargo thefts in 2016 with 228 reported incidents, up 36 percent from 2015. In December 2016, CargoNet and AFN Logistics compiled a list of the top 10 counties in the United States with the highest number of reported cargo thefts between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2016, and Los Angeles County, Calif. was at the top of the list. San Bernardino County, Calif. took third place on the list, while Riverside County, Calif. took the 10th place slot.
Meanwhile, reported cargo theft losses in Georgia fell 64 percent year-over-year in 2016. “Georgia is usually one of the most common states for cargo theft, but tough cargo theft legislation along with a statewide, cutting edge, and proactive task force has made the state very hostile to cargo thieves,” CargoNet said.
Of the reported cargo thefts in 2016, CargoNet said food and beverages were the most commonly stolen product type, accounting for 217 of reported cargo thefts during the year, followed be electronics, accounting for 122 of the reported incidents.
