Houston-based DFS Worldwide shifts over 500,000 tons of goods and cargo each year. Most of it is high value merchandise which is why criminals are so keen to target the facility. It is not simply Houston or one company which is experiencing issues however, as the rest of the country is in the midst of a massive spike in criminal incidents which has not be seen since the 1960s.
Busy distribution hubs, such as New Jersey with the ports of New York and New Jersey, California with its high consumer population, ports and distribution centers and Illinois with a large urban population are all experiencing serious problems.
New Jersey has seen cargo crime increase 87% from 2008 to 2009. Nationally, the increase is 67% with highly organized gangs targeting loads as they leave the factory or plant. By targeting cargo as it leaves a plant, the thieves will typically know what they are going to find in the trailer.
This is not some sloppy, “This is a stick up!” operation either. The gangs will trail the big rig until the driver hits a rest area or truck stop, and they will wait until they are typically away from the 18-wheeler grabbing a meal or a shower. Then they break into the tractor unit, hotwire it and away they go with the load. Most tractor units are left close to the scene of the crime, however the trailers will frequently be taken for many miles from the scene, usually with a makeshift disguise to avoid detection.
DFS Worldwide’s Fred Fontana knows this only too well. A 53 foot trailer was hit with $800,000 of nickel pipe. The thieves waited until the driver left the warehouse and stopped 15 minutes later to fuel up. While inside the truck stop the rig and trailer were stolen – in the space of a few short minutes.
An experienced crew can steal an entire rig in less than 90 seconds – lending new meaning to the popular film, “Gone in 90 seconds!”
Favorite cargoes include consumables and electronics which can be rapidly offloaded to buyers looking to pick up a deal. That said, anything is fair game for the crooks who will just as easily steal beer and beverages, medical supplies, furniture and even industrial spare parts and raw materials.
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