No one doubts cargo theft is a big problem, but do you know what type of cargo is the biggest target, which states lead in these type of thefts and when they are most likely to occur?
These are some of the questions that were answered by Sal Marino, vice president of CargoNet, who is based in New Jersey. He was speaking at the 2014 United Fresh Produce Association’s annual convention and exposition in Chicago recently.
The leading target for thieves are food and beverages, accounting for 25 percent of cargo thefts, followed by electronics at 14 percent. Others include household goods (11 percent), apparel and accessories (10 percent), containers (9 percent), metals (8 percent), with miscellaneous items making up the balance.
Leading America in cargo thefts is the state of California (23 percent), followed by Texas (19 percent) and Florida (10 percent).
When is cargo theft most likely to occur? 21 percent of the incidents happen on Friday, 19 percent on Saturday and 14 percent on Sunday. Marino says the weekends are more risky because a lot of trucks have to wait to get unloaded in the upcoming week. It also depends where the truck is parked over the weekend.
Marino said most thefts occur at warehouses and distribution centers. Truck stops ranked fourth as locations for cargo theft.
When it comes to cargo theft of produce items, nuts make up a third of the top 10 items. Almonds ranked first as the primary target for theft, followed by tomatoes, avocadoes, grapes, apples, bananas, mangoes, pineapple, pistachios and walnuts.
When a cargo theft occurs, Marino said it is very important report the theft to authorities as soon as possible and get the word out about the loss. The more specific details you provide the better.