Cargo thieves have stolen an estimated $110.6 million in data center equipment and other high-value technology freight since June 3, according to FreightWaves, with one newly documented tactic — the "bump-and-run" — involving deliberate crashes into security escorts. The losses, detailed by Scott Cornell, EVP and Crime and Theft Specialist at SPG Cargo & Logistics, expose carrier verification failures as the common thread and signal a structural shift in how organized theft rings operate.
The bump-and-run tactic
During an interview on FreightWaves' Fraud Watch podcast, Cornell described two thefts in which thieves intentionally crashed into the security teams escorting the shipments. "On two of those thefts, they were being escorted by security teams," he said. "Individuals intentionally crashed into the security escorts on those loads." The drivers then continued with each load instead of stopping for help, making the tactic work. "If the drivers are bad guys, when the escorts get bumped, the drivers then take off," Cornell explained. A legitimate operator would stop, call 911, or reach a safe location. He cautioned against treating two events as a nationwide trend, but called the method a significant change for cargo theft in the United States.
The thefts fit a broader pattern, according to Cornell. "We've seen a big concentration around the theft of high-tech loads," he told FreightWaves, identifying cargo intended for data centers as a leading target.
Quantified impact: $110.6 million since June 3
Cornell estimated nearly $100 million in losses during the interview, then confirmed $110.6 million in known reported thefts since June 3. The stolen shipments carried data center equipment and other high-value technology cargo, with individual cases ranging from $2 million to $38 million. He also cited thefts valued at $8 million, $12 million, $14 million, $20 million and $24 million. "When you add all those up, the impact is absolutely tremendous," Cornell said. Those amounts pushed average loss values sharply higher, according to FreightWaves.
| Reported theft value | Examples cited by Cornell |
|---|---|
| $2 million | individual case |
| $8 million | individual case |
| $12 million | individual case |
| $14 million | individual case |
| $20 million | individual case |
| $24 million | individual case |
| Up to $38 million | largest individual case |
| Total: $110.6 million | known reported thefts since June 3 |
Carrier verification failures
Cornell linked both successful "bump-and-run" thefts to failures during carrier verification. "The drivers weren't properly vetted," he said. Proper verification could have neutralized the entire operation, because criminals needed compromised operators to continue after each collision. "That's what made the bump-and-run a successful tactic in both cases," he added.
In another recent technology theft, he said, a Google search showed the company operated as a hotshot auto hauler, yet it had accepted specialized freight outside its normal region without suitable equipment. "That was just a simple Google search," Cornell said.
Criminal rings build their own supply chains
Cornell said modern theft groups move stolen products faster than older regional crews, using cross-docks, parking-lot transfers and altered shipping documents. "These international crime rings have created their own economy," he said, describing a separate transportation system operating alongside legitimate logistics businesses. "People still think some of these thefts are random, and they're not," Cornell said. "They have customers, they have a customer base, and they're filling orders." Criminals can relabel stolen televisions as general electronics after a cross-dock transfer, or change the documentation to identify the same shipment as freight of all kinds.
"Six or seven out of every 10 loads stolen in the U.S. now leave the country," Cornell estimated.
Cornell identified paper bills of lading as a major weakness in this process. Thieves can replace specific product descriptions with broader terms before returning goods to legitimate channels. "I can camouflage it just by falsifying that paperwork," he said. The altered documents discourage workers from opening sealed trailers and checking their contents.
What this means for procurement teams
The practical implication for shippers of high-value freight, drawn from the case details Cornell described, is that pre-dispatch carrier verification is a decisive control. In the two escorted thefts, the drivers "weren't properly vetted," and proper verification could have "neutralized the entire operation," according to Cornell. In the separate technology theft, a simple Google search exposed the carrier as a hotshot auto hauler carrying freight outside its normal region. Cornell's warning about paper bills of lading also reinforces the need for shipment documentation checks: falsified paperwork can move stolen goods back into legitimate channels.
Sources:
