Nearly 40% of U.S. truck fleet operators say that they're more worried about cargo theft today than they were a year ago, as incidents have ramped up and organized theft rings have become more sophisticated in their tactics.

According to a survey of 575 U.S. fleet operators, conducted by truck fleet management platform Geotab, more than a third of respondents reported cargo theft incidents within the past 12 months. According to supply chain risk management platform Overhaul, the U.S. also saw a 29% year-over-year increase in truck cargo thefts in the third quarter of 2025. 

A separate Geotab survey of more than 1,000 American consumers further revealed how the impacts of cargo theft are reaching everyday shoppers as well. More than half of consumers said that they've experienced some form of cargo theft in the last year, in the form of "lost" or "disappeared" deliveries from online orders. Another 37% said that cargo theft ultimately leads to them having to pay higher prices.

“Cargo theft is bigger than operational losses for individual fleets — it's become a critical issue for supply chain integrity and the economy in general," said Geotab head of transportation Emily Williams.

Cargo theft operations have also grown in both their scope and complexity across the globe. In the U.K., BBC News discovered that criminal gangs have been buying up haulage firms, in order to pose as truckers and drive off with cargo, while U.S. investigators have identified theft rings that use fake carrier identities and forged pickup numbers to intercept freight before it ever reaches a warehouse or loading dock.