Cargo Theft, Federal Action, and the Fight to Protect America’s Supply Chain
Cargo theft has quietly become one of the most expensive and dangerous threats facing the U.S. supply chain, and for years many in the industry treated it as a cost of doing business. That may be changing. This week, the House Judiciary Committee advanced the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), a bipartisan federal bill championed by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and supported by a broad coalition of industry stakeholders. The committee’s vote is more than procedural, it signals growing recognition in Washington that cargo theft is no longer a localized or opportunistic crime—it is a coordinated, transnational operation requiring a unified federal response. PNG Worldwide is supporting this legislation, enforcing risk-avoidance methods with customers, and will keep all our customers posted about this legislation as it advances toward final passage.
Every day in the U.S., tens of millions of dollars in freight are stolen from trucks, warehouses, rail cars, and distribution centers. The American Transportation Research Institute estimates cargo theft now costs the trucking industry more than $18 million per day. Strategic theft, a category of criminal activity that uses cyber fraud, identity manipulation, and false carrier impersonation to divert loads before anyone realizes a theft has occurred, has surged roughly 1,500 percent since 2021. Criminal networks are exploiting digital freight platforms, posing as legitimate brokers or carriers, and diverting freight mid-transit to illicit receivers. These thefts are not always simple break-ins or opportunistic thefts at rest stops; they are often sophisticated, multi-state schemes that overwhelm local law enforcement and exploit jurisdictional gaps across the U.S. law enforcement system.
Trucking in the Crosshairs
Trucking moves nearly three-quarters of all freight in the United States, making it a high-value, high-visibility target. Criminals see opportunity in complexity, and where commerce is most extensive, theft follows. Estimates of cargo theft’s cost vary, but there is broad agreement that losses extend well into the billions of dollars annually—some industry sources place the figure as high as $35 billion per year. These losses ripple through every node of the supply chain, affecting carriers, shippers, insurers, and ultimately consumers in the form of higher prices and disrupted delivery timelines.
What makes modern cargo theft particularly insidious is its hybrid nature. It includes old-fashioned physical theft of trailers and containers, often staged by organized crews with inside information on schedules and routes, but it also includes highly technical fraud-based schemes. Sophisticated criminals now manipulate digital bill of lading information or fraudulently register new carriers with little vetting to divert shipments entirely. Once freight leaves the point of origin, it can be rerouted without immediate detection, leaving carriers scrambling and law enforcement blind.
Small carriers shoulder much of this burden. Roughly 90 percent of motor carriers operate 10 trucks or fewer, meaning the vast majority of industry participants lack the internal resources to detect and counter sophisticated criminal enterprises. These are not isolated incidents—they are systemic threats that exploit regulatory gaps and weak enforcement frameworks across state lines.
The national security stakes are also real. Stolen goods often fund broader criminal enterprises, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime. In some instances, proceeds have even been linked to extremist activities. The transnational nature of these crimes means that stolen freight and illicit proceeds can quickly move well beyond U.S. borders, feeding criminal enterprises overseas before any single local jurisdiction can mount an effective response.
That is why the advancement of CORCA matters now more than ever.
What CORCA Would Do
The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025, introduced by a bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers and now cosponsored by nearly half of both chambers, aims to close the gaps that organized theft rings currently exploit. If enacted, CORCA would strengthen federal legal frameworks for investigating organized retail and cargo theft, improve enforcement tools available to federal law enforcement, and enhance coordination among federal, state, and local agencies. A cornerstone of the legislation is the establishment of an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within the Department of Homeland Security to serve as a national hub for sharing information, tracking trends, and supporting joint investigations.
Under current law, cargo theft often falls into jurisdictional cracks. Local police often treat thefts as property crimes, leaving deeper criminal patterns unrecognized across state and federal boundaries. CORCA would allow federal agencies to “connect the dots” across jurisdictions, aggregating thefts that occur in multiple states over time and empowering prosecutors with clearer statutes to pursue organized theft enterprises. Among its provisions, the bill would expand existing criminal statutes to more effectively prosecute theft that uses interstate or internet commerce, facilitate the forfeiture of proceeds, and strengthen money-laundering tools, including bringing gift cards within the scope of predicate offenses.
The federal coordination center would not only align law enforcement priorities but also partner with private industry representatives to share threat intelligence and develop best practices. In doing so, CORCA would provide a central reporting and collaboration point for companies large and small to help flag emerging criminal patterns early and mobilize appropriate government response.
Enforcement Momentum Beyond CORCA
CORCA’s advancement in committee is paired with parallel action through the congressional appropriations process. Lawmakers have included ATA-supported language in an appropriations package that, once signed into law, would begin establishing a framework for a unified federal response to cargo theft. Among the key provisions are directives for the Department of Justice to brief Congress within 120 days on plans to establish regional cargo theft task forces led by the FBI and coordinated with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), state and local agencies, and additional partners. It would also require the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys to identify districts with the highest cargo theft rates and assign additional prosecutors specifically focused on these crimes.
Together, these legislative and enforcement steps could shift the paradigm from reaction to prevention.
Industry and Carrier Response
While federal action is critical, carriers and shippers cannot wait to adapt. Across the industry, companies are deploying physical and digital safeguards designed to deter and detect theft risks throughout transit. These include real-time telematics and GPS tracking to monitor shipment locations continuously, geofencing and electronic door monitoring that trigger alerts for unauthorized access or route deviation, certified high-security locks that resist tampering, and rigorous driver vetting and training programs. Some carriers have even adopted strategic trailer identification and support vehicles to maintain visibility in high-risk corridors.
PNG Worldwide is proactive in enforcing methods with customers to avoid these types of incidents. We work with partners to implement best-in-class security technology, conduct thorough carrier qualification audits, and educate teams on evolving threats. These measures do not replace federal enforcement, but they fortify supply chain partners against the most common vectors of theft.
Why This Matters
For too long, cargo theft has been treated as a cost of business that carriers and insurers simply absorb silently. Price increases are passed to consumers, security measures are bolstered in isolation, and data remains siloed across jurisdictions. The advancement of CORCA suggests that era may be ending. When federal leadership, coordinated enforcement, and prosecutorial resources align, the supply chain will be more resilient against one of the industry’s fastest-growing threats.
As freight networks grow more digital and interconnected, risk profiles continue to evolve. Criminal enterprises are leveraging cyber tools and international networks that outstrip the capabilities of state and local law enforcement. What was once nuisance theft has become institutionalized crime with real economic and safety consequences for truck drivers, warehouse workers, supply chain partners, and downstream consumers.
PNG Worldwide will keep all our customers posted about this legislation, what it means for your operations, and how best to prepare for the new regulatory and enforcement landscape. Our commitment is to equip our partners with timely insights and practical strategies, so you are not reacting to risk after it materializes, but heading it off at the pass.
The House Judiciary Committee’s action represents a pivotal step. As CORCA heads to the full House and Senate for debate and potential passage, the trucking industry and its supply chain partners are watching closely to see whether this momentum translates into lasting, meaningful protection against organized cargo theft. For an industry that keeps the nation’s economy moving, it may be the most important security legislation of the decade.
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