Trucking Cargo Thefts on Rise, Journal Reports
Cargo theft from big rigs jumped 67% last year, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Truckloads containing $487 million of goods were stolen in 2009, from $290 million a year earlier, the Journal said.
Thieves stole 859 truckloads in 2009, up from 767 loads in 2008 and 672 in 2007, according to FreightWatch International, an Austin, Texas-based supply-chain security firm, the paper reported.
The FBI estimates cargo theft in the United States accounts for about $10 billion in direct merchandise losses annually.
Insurance company Chubb Corp. said there were 725 cargo thefts in 2009, up 6.6% from 680 in 2008, and 23% from 2007, the Journal said, and estimated the 2009 thefts amounted to $435 million of products.
