Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Cargo theft spikes over holiday season: report

2016-2017 peak may have more loss than usual because Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on Sundays.

Logistics professionals need to beef up security measures in their warehouses, yards, and trucks over the holiday season to prevent cargo theft, and a calendar quirk could make 2016-2017 even worse than usual, experts warn.

The winter holiday shipping season has historically been one of the most dangerous times for cargo theft, global security services provider FreightWatch International (FWI) said Friday. Theft usually increases when thieves perceive rich targets at warehouses packed with extra merchandise to meet the holiday rush, or at storage facilities staffed with fewer personnel than usual over the extended holiday period.


That annual threat may be more acute than usual in the 2016-2017 season because both Christmas Day and New Year's Day occur on Sundays, increasing the chance that shipments may be left unattended or parked in unsecured locations due to changes in holiday working schedules, FWI said.

To combat the increased threat, logistics managers should communicate with shipping partners to confirm holiday hours of operation and mitigate any unforeseen shipping delays, FWI said. Another defensive step is to review security protocols to ensure policies are up to date for both in-transit and warehouse operations. Finally, FWI suggested that shippers deploy covert global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices to detect diverted freight and help recover it in case of theft.

According to FWI records, notable thefts from previous winter holiday weekends include:

2016 - Theft of full truckload of aluminum in Tennessee
2016 - Theft of full truckload of $4 million of footwear in California
2015 - Facility theft of $300,000 of electronics on New Year's Day in Texas
2014 - Fictitious pickup of $1 million of apparel in New Jersey
2013 - Two fictitious pickups of seafood in California
2013 - Fictitious pickup of $50,000 of prepared food in New Jersey
2012 - Facility theft of cell phones in Georgia
2012 - Theft of full truckload of $1 million of laptops in California

The Latest

More Stories

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Congestion on U.S. highways is costing the trucking industry big, according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released today.

The group found that traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022, a record high. The information comes from ATRI’s Cost of Congestion study, which is part of the organization’s ongoing highway performance measurement research.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

From pingpong diplomacy to supply chain diplomacy?

There’s a photo from 1971 that John Kent, professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas, likes to show. It’s of a shaggy-haired 18-year-old named Glenn Cowan grinning at three-time world table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong, while holding a silk tapestry Zhuang had just given him. Cowan was a member of the U.S. table tennis team who participated in the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Story has it that one morning, he overslept and missed his bus to the tournament and had to hitch a ride with the Chinese national team and met and connected with Zhuang.

Cowan and Zhuang’s interaction led to an invitation for the U.S. team to visit China. At the time, the two countries were just beginning to emerge from a 20-year period of decidedly frosty relations, strict travel bans, and trade restrictions. The highly publicized trip signaled a willingness on both sides to renew relations and launched the term “pingpong diplomacy.”

Keep ReadingShow less
forklift driving through warehouse

Hyster-Yale to expand domestic manufacturing

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling today announced its plans to fulfill the domestic manufacturing requirements of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act for certain portions of its lineup of forklift trucks and container handling equipment.

That means the Greenville, North Carolina-based company now plans to expand its existing American manufacturing with a targeted set of high-capacity models, including electric options, that align with the needs of infrastructure projects subject to BABA requirements. The company’s plans include determining the optimal production location in the United States, strategically expanding sourcing agreements to meet local material requirements, and further developing electric power options for high-capacity equipment.

Keep ReadingShow less
map of truck routes in US

California moves a step closer to requiring EV sales only by 2035

Federal regulators today gave California a green light to tackle the remaining steps to finalize its plan to gradually shift new car sales in the state by 2035 to only zero-emissions models — meaning battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid cars — known as the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule.

In a separate move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also gave its approval for the state to advance its Heavy-Duty Omnibus Rule, which is crafted to significantly reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new heavy-duty, diesel-powered trucks.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots for starboard trade software

Canadian startup gains $5.5 million for AI-based global trade platform

A Canadian startup that provides AI-powered logistics solutions has gained $5.5 million in seed funding to support its concept of creating a digital platform for global trade, according to Toronto-based Starboard.

The round was led by Eclipse, with participation from previous backers Garuda Ventures and Everywhere Ventures. The firm says it will use its new backing to expand its engineering team in Toronto and accelerate its AI-driven product development to simplify supply chain complexities.

Keep ReadingShow less