There were 582 supply chain events reported across the United States and Canada in the second quarter of 2023, a 57 percent increase when compared to the second quarter of 2022, according to the latest CargoNet report.
Cargo theft is the highest that it has ever been. Truck drivers must be careful and use good judgment in protecting themselves and their loads.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s Northeast Detective Division has been investigating an active cargo theft ring in the Philadelphia area.
Police are looking to speak with carriers who have been the victim of cargo theft between October 1, 2022, and August 31, 2023, at these three locations.
- KLS (a bonded liquor warehouse), 11601 Roosevelt Blvd.
- Quaker Valley Foods, 2701 Red Lion Road
- Almo Distributors, 2709 Commerce Way
They have asked any truckers who have been a victim of cargo theft at any of those businesses to email them at Police.oper_NEDD@phila.gov as soon as possible. Include contact information and the police report number for the theft, along with the subject heading “Cargo Theft Group.”
What steps should truckers take as victims of theft?
If your vehicle, equipment, or cargo is stolen:
- Call the authorities right away
- Give a detailed report of the incident
- Notify your employer
- Either you or your employer file an insurance report
To protect yourself and your equipment, you can:
- Lock your cab doors
- Plan your route and find safe parking, like in a fenced or gated area that is well-lit
- Avoid leaving loaded trailers unattended
- Turn off and take the vehicle key with you if you leave the cab
- Activate vehicle alarm system, if equipped, and any other available security equipment when the vehicle is unattended
- Have accurate license plates, VINs and descriptive information for tractors, trailers, containers and container chassis
- Secure trailers with high-security barrier seals in combination with hardened padlocks
Recent Philly Cargo Theft
An investigation is underway after someone stole about $200,000 worth of dimes from a tractor trailer in the parking lot of Philadelphia Mills in Northeast Philadelphia.
The truck driver had picked up a load of dimes worth a total of $750,000 from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia and parked the vehicle in the Walmart parking lot of Philadelphia Mills along the 4300 block of Byberry Road Wednesday night. The driver was supposed to take the dimes to Florida but left the truck unattended in the parking lot, police said.
Suspects stole more than three dozen TVs (worth over $11,000) from a tractor-trailer while the driver slept inside around 1 a.m. in a Northeast Philadelphia industrial park.
“I kept feeling something moving,” James Goldsmith, a Fort Worth, Texas driver, said. “I’ve been driving for 20 years. I’ve never had this happen to me. There were two guys on the back of the pickup truck, one guy driving. I looked over to the building toward my left, another pickup truck was going around with the TVs. I said, ‘Oh my God.'”
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