Somewhere in Anaheim, California, a warehouse full of stolen merchandise was quietly waiting to be sold.

It won’t be. On June 18, officers from the California Highway Patrol’s Border Division Cargo Theft Interdiction Program executed a search warrant on a facility in Anaheim, and walked out with more than $2.2 million in stolen goods. The haul included TaylorMade golf balls, Meta server switches, and Tamiya hobby products. The investigation is ongoing.

The Dollar Amount Is Attention-Grabbing. The Trend Is Worse.

Verisk CargoNet and the American Transportation Research Institute report cargo theft costs businesses an estimated $35 billion annually, with incidents rising roughly 15% year-over-year Nationally. That works out to $18 million per day, a figure that ATA President Chris Spear put bluntly in calling for federal action: “Motor carriers and consumers pay the price.”

How Cargo Theft Tactics Have Evolved

Criminals are no longer just stealing loads at truck stops: they’re calling brokers, presenting convincing paperwork, and walking out of shippers’ facilities with full trailers.

The old smash-and-grab is giving way to something far more sophisticated. Strategic theft, which uses deception, identity fraud, and forged documentation to divert freight before anyone knows it’s gone, has surged 1,500% since 2021 according to CargoNet. Criminals are no longer just stealing loads at truck stops: they’re calling brokers, presenting convincing paperwork, and walking out of shippers’ facilities with full trailers. Deceptive pickup incidents alone rose 31% in Q1 2026.

Many of these operations are orchestrated by transnational criminal organizations, and the proceeds finance drug trafficking, organized crime, and in some cases terrorism. Ninety percent of motor carriers are small businesses operating 10 trucks or fewer. They’re the ones most exposed to these attacks, and the least equipped to fight back alone.

Congress Is Moving — But the Job Isn’t Done

There’s real momentum in Washington. The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) passed the U.S. House last month with bipartisan support, led by Reps. David Joyce and Susie Lee. CORCA would establish a unified federal response to cargo theft, enhance legal frameworks, improve enforcement capabilities, and task the Department of Homeland Security with leading a cohesive national strategy against theft rings that routinely cross state and international borders.

The bill now heads to the Senate. The Alabama Trucking Association and its national partners, including the American Trucking Associations and the Trucking Association Executives Council, have been pushing for this legislation for months, and their advocacy helped get it this far.

Why Alabama Carriers Aren’t Safe from This

This isn’t just a California problem. The Southeast’s major freight corridors, including I-65 through Birmingham and Mobile, I-20 through Tuscaloosa, and I-10 along the Gulf Coast, move billions of dollars in freight every year. High-value loads of electronics, auto parts, and food products are prime targets wherever they run. For a look at Alabama’s freight volume and why the state is a meaningful target, see the ATA’s Alabama industry fast facts.

Until CORCA becomes law, the best defense isn’t passive. Active surveillance, verified carrier identity, smart load security practices, and coordination with law enforcement are what keep freight safe and cargo thieves out of business.

Cargo thieves are organized, patient, and increasingly professional. The industry’s response has to match.

Load smart. Verify carriers. And keep your eyes open out there.