Cargo theft: how to prevent it and what to do if it happens

The kinds of cargo theft

Everything below was checked against the official sources at the bottom of this page on November 4, 2026. The FBI's cargo theft page names four types:

• Straight theft: a loaded trailer or truck is taken, often from a lot, truck stop or drop yard.
• Strategic theft: fraud instead of force: fictitious pickups, double brokering and fraudulent carriers using stolen identities. See double brokering and freight fraud.
• Cyber theft: phishing to get shipping paperwork, load board logins or email access.
• Pilferage: part of a load taken, often at stops.

Under 18 U.S.C. 659, stealing goods from an interstate or foreign shipment, including from a truck, trailer, terminal or warehouse, or knowingly receiving them, carries up to 10 years in prison, or up to 3 years if the value is under $1,000. The FBI investigates when a case meets the federal prosecution threshold.

How to protect a load

• Don't leave loads unattended. The FBI's top tip. Plan fuel and breaks so a loaded trailer isn't parked alone; see truck parking and HOS planning.
• Lock it: the FBI suggests high-security rear-door locks, air cuff (glad hand) locks and landing gear locks on dropped trailers.
• Check seals: CBP's CTPAT criteria for highway carriers call for high-security seals meeting ISO 17712 on loaded trailers bound for the U.S., with the seal number checked against the paperwork. If a seal must be cut in transit, apply a new one, write it down and tell dispatch and the shipper.
• Use pickup numbers: ask shippers for secure pickup numbers, and never hand over a load to someone who shows up with a different story.
• Verify everyone: check brokers and carriers in SAFER, call the phone number listed there (FMCSA says not to contract if none is listed), and check insurance certificates. Our broker vetting checklist and how to vet a broker walk through it.
• Protect logins: FMCSA's fraud alerts warn about fake Motus, SAFER and audit emails. Sign in only at the real sites; see which letters and calls are real.

If a load is stolen: who to call

1. 911 or local police if anyone is in danger, and a police report in any case. Your insurer will ask for it.
2. The FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov. For internet-enabled fraud such as phishing or business email compromise, file at ic3.gov.
3. Your insurer, broker or shipper, factoring company and load boards right away, as FMCSA's fraud page tells victims to do.
4. FMCSA: report registration fraud or identity theft through the FMCSA Complaint Center (nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov) or the Contact Center at 1-800-832-5660. FMCSA inactivates USDOT numbers that are sold or used by someone they weren't assigned to.

Write down what you know while it's fresh: trailer and seal numbers, the pickup number, who called, plates and photos of any truck that showed up. FMCSA suggests recording tractor and trailer plates at pickup as routine.

Who pays: Carmack and the claim

• Liability: under the Carmack Amendment (49 U.S.C. 14706), the carrier that took the load is liable for the actual loss or injury to the property. A carrier can't give a shipper less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue after a written denial.
• Claims (49 CFR Part 370): a claim must be in writing, identify the shipment and ask for a specific or determinable amount. The carrier acknowledges it in writing within 30 days and, within 120 days, pays, declines or makes a firm offer, then sends status updates every 60 days while it's open.
• Insurance: FMCSA requires $0 cargo insurance for for-hire carriers of general freight; only household goods carriers must file cargo coverage. But almost every broker and shipper requires it by contract, so check your limit and theft exclusions (unattended vehicle clauses are common). See trucking insurance explained and cargo claims.

Want a dispatcher who vets every broker and pickup before you roll? Dispatch is a simple percentage of each load, quoted for your truck, and your first load is free if you have your own active MC. Call (747) 210-0227.

Questions carriers ask