• A company should be aware of common cargo theft techniques and inform drivers to help keep shipments—and the community—safe.

Cargo thieves use several theft techniques on drivers and in places the load is staged. Carriers should be aware of these techniques to help the company empower itself and its drivers to keep shipments secure. Some theft techniques and scenarios are listed below.

Coerced hijackings

Technique: Thieves coerce or compel a driver to make an unplanned stop, creating a hijacking opportunity.

Scenario: The commercial driver pulls over for the purpose of rendering assistance to a supposed disabled motorist, and armed thieves, traveling in another vehicle, detain the driver and hijack the load.

Noncoerced hijackings

Technique: Perpetrators follow a targeted vehicle and wait for an opportunity when the truck driver stops or breaks (at a signal light, truck stop, rest area, etc.). Thieves have been known to follow a tractor-trailer through several states before hitting the mark.

Scenario: Once the driver stops, one or several gunmen enter the cab, detain the driver, and transport the load to a predesignated destination.

Grab-and-run thefts

Technique: Cargo thieves who have inside information of a load of high-value merchandise travel in a large van or box truck, following a targeted truck or tractor-trailer combination waiting for it to stop.

Scenario: Once the truck stops for an extended period, such as a meal break, several suspects exit a vehicle, break into the trailer, and off-load as much property as possible before the truck driver returns. In some instances, grab-and-run incidents can occur at intersections even while stopped at a stoplight.

Burglarized staged cargo

Technique: Cargo theft occurs at transportation facilities, commercial industrial parks, and intermodal railroad yards as the load is staged.

Scenario: Organized cargo theft groups enter the targeted facility, post lookouts, and spend several hours breaking into trailers and containers searching for desirable commodities to steal. Burglaries most often occur over weekends and holidays and during evening hours.