Cargo theft in Europe is an increasingly serious problem

Cargo theft is increasingly rarely caused by physical break-in to the trailer. Organized groups use much more sophisticated tactics. They can take over company accounts, impersonate the carrier, swap documents, and send a driver with a falsified order to collect the goods. However, this doesn't mean the end of physical attacks. Cut tarpaulins, warehouse break-ins, and theft of vehicles and trailers still constitute a significant portion of freight crime—crime related to the transport of goods. How are European carriers managing to protect people, data, and property?

The scale of the problem is alarming

The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) and the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) EMEA have issued a joint warning about fraud involving fake carriers and the risk of cargo crime. These phenomena are particularly prevalent in Europe and North and South America. Kidnappings continue to occur in parts of Europe, with losses estimated in the billions of euros over the past few years.

  • 108,000 thefts were recorded in the last two years in the TAPA EMEA intelligence database. Cargo crimes were reported in over 110 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
  • €1+ billion in losses was reported for 5% of the crimes. This equates to a loss of €1.3 million per day.
  • The German Insurance Association (GDV) registered 88 ghost carriers in just seven months of 2025. Losses amounted to approximately €18 million. This represents a drastic increase compared to the previous year.
  • Every 3 days a full truck disappears in Germany.

TAPA EMEA reports in the July issue of the Vigilant magazine that in June 2026 alone, cargo theft worth over EUR 11.4 million was recorded in 56 countries. In the first half of the year, more than 9,200 incidents of cargo crime were reported in 78 countries, with the value of thefts exceeding €250 million. Due to crime, the transport, forwarding, and logistics industry loses approximately €1.4 million every 24 hours. The highest number of incidents was recorded in Germany, Italy, and Spain, and the latest data shows a significant increase in the number of reports. In nearly 70% of June cases, the exact location of the incident could not be determined.

IUMI and TAPA EMEA have called on market participants and governments to take urgent action to combat cargo crime. Cargo theft is growing alarmingly rapidly in Europe and the US, with criminals increasingly shifting from physical theft to sophisticated online fraud.

A report by BSI Consulting and TT Club, published in April 2026, also highlights that cargo theft is a serious, persistent and evolving threat to global supply chains. Despite the TSL industry’s continued investment in security, criminal groups appear to be increasingly adapting to the security measures in place. Thefts not only cause significant financial losses, but also lead to downtime and reputational damage. Data shows that road transport is most vulnerable to attacks. In 2025, trucks were involved in 70% of recorded incidents. The majority of these involved vehicle theft. Interestingly, 22% of cargo theft incidents involved insiders, including drivers and other employees. This suggests that thieves don’t always have to overstep security measures. Corrupt employees and weak controls facilitate theft (insider involvement is primarily found in India, China, Brazil, the USA, and Indonesia).

Germany with record number of cargo thefts in Europe

Among European countries, Germany reported the highest number of cargo thefts in 2025 (27%). A significant percentage of incidents also occurred in Italy (13%), the United Kingdom (9%), and Spain (6%). Criminals are focusing on strategic regions such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, and Lower Saxony in Germany, Lombardy in Italy, and Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom. In 2024, losses due to cargo theft in the UK reached $149 million. German, Spanish, and British motorways also remain attractive targets for thieves. Thefts typically occur in warehouses, unsecured parking lots, rest areas, transit points, and increasingly also in factories. Criminals steal from stationary facilities, vehicles, containers, and trailers. Entire trucks are often stolen. One of the main reasons drivers are moving to high-risk areas is the growing shortage of secure truck parking spaces across Europe. According to data from the European Commission, there is currently a shortage of nearly 400,000 such spaces.

What goods attract cargo thieves?

Data shows that criminals are looking for goods with the best possible value, availability, and ease of anonymous resale. It’s no surprise, then, that electronics are the most frequently stolen items, especially in Germany. Other attractive items include food and beverages, clothing, agricultural products, automotive parts, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, and metals. These goods have essentially ready secondary markets. Thefts are also increasingly affecting coils, wiring, cathodes, scrap, and semi-finished products stored in warehouses, terminals, warehousing, and production plants, as well as transported by road and rail.

Strategic theft is replacing physical theft

Criminal groups are employing increasingly sophisticated tactics based on deception, planning, and manipulation of the logistics process. For this purpose, they use IT tools that help them, among other things, select cargoes with the best estimated profit-to-risk ratio. Artificial intelligence is playing a growing role, accelerating and reducing the cost of preparing reliable documentation and identity theft, for example. Criminals can now effectively impersonate drivers, transport companies, freight forwarders, dispatchers, customers, and warehouse workers. The report’s authors predict a further evolution of sophisticated theft methods across Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, which is struggling with infrastructure gaps. Today, thieves no longer need to cut through tarpaulins, pick locks, or use other “physical” methods of burglary. Time pressure and credible documentation can ensure that goods are simply released from the warehouse.

How do we at Silesian Logistics reduce the risk of cargo theft?

At Silesian Logistics, we adhere to the applicable standards and recommendations of IUMI, TAPA EMEA, and other industry organizations. The safety of transported goods is a key element in the execution of every transport order.

  • We regularly verify the data of drivers, forwarders and contractors.
  • We only use agreed and secure communication channels with clients and contractors.
  • We verify the contact details provided before completing the order – even in the case of long-term cooperation.
  • We pay particular attention to unusual behavior and events, such as last-minute changes to data or sudden route modifications.
  • We plan routes that include safe stopping and rest areas.
  • We monitor the fleet in real time using the GPS system.
  • We use secure freight exchange platforms – those that implement procedures to limit the activities of fraudulent carriers.
  • We select vehicles to suit the current risk profile of the cargo being transported.
  • We train drivers and warehouse workers in safety procedures.

Our staff is sensitive to documentation discrepancies, unusual behavior, and sudden order changes. Thorough verification may slightly delay the release of goods, but it allows us to detect threats before the shipment leaves the warehouse and ends up with a fictitious carrier.

Does physical security still make sense?

The rising rate of so-called strategic thefts doesn’t mean carriers can ignore the risk of physical attacks on trucks. Classic thefts will continue to occur in Europe. Drivers are often forced to choose unsecured parking lots due to the lack of safe spaces. They also sometimes transport goods at increased risk of theft using inadequately secured vehicles, such as standard curtain-sided trailers.

Rigid container bodies have long been an effective form of protection against physical attacks. They eliminate the main weaknesses of curtain-sided trailers – the tarpaulin can be quietly cut open, allowing access to the vehicle through the side panels to assess the type and quantity of cargo being transported or to commit theft. Stealing cargo from a vehicle equipped with a rigid body generally requires forcing open a door, lock, or structure, which can be time-consuming and noisy, and therefore risky for the thief.

At Silesian Logistics, we have a modern, constantly monitored fleet. Some vehicles are equipped with rigid bodies. They transport, among other things, goods of significant value and a higher risk of theft. With cargo potentially attractive to thieves, rigid walls constitute a real element of multi-layered protection. Security is enhanced by proven procedures, thorough vetting of entities involved in transport, advanced technologies, and a team of experienced freight forwarders who supervise every order.

 

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