Freight crime is a growing problem across the world

According to figures released by the police, the value of goods stolen from lorries in the UK in 2024 was at least £111 million – an increase of 63% on the previous year and adding to a hit to the economy which has reached more than £1 billion since 2020.

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has highlighted that this is a growing global problem with, for example, the financial damage of cargo theft linked to organised crime in the United States having become so huge that the FBI has established a dedicated department to tackle the problem.

In recent testimony to Congress, the American Trucking Association (ATA) claimed that the entire supply chain was being impacted by cargo theft with a total cost of US$ 35 billion annually.

“Perhaps striking a chord with hauliers in the UK,” the RHA noted, “the ATA reports that without proper enforcement and follow up by authorities, trucking companies are left battling this scourge on their own, and smaller companies are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with ever more complex criminal tactics.”

The RHA has previously warned that freight crime is spiralling out of control.