Young Op-Ed: Cargo Theft is a Growing National Security Issue
WASHINGTON – The following column by U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) was published in The Washington Times on June 24, 2025:
Cargo theft is a growing national security issue
By U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.
June 24, 2025
In October 2024, PFL Logistics a third-party logistics company based in Evansville, Ind. lost $60,000 due to a stolen shipment.
Scheduled for delivery using a previously trusted carrier, the shipment was proceeding as normal until communication with the carrier completely stopped. The cargo was never delivered.
As PFL tried to figure out what happened to the shipment, it was forced to absorb a significant loss for a business of its size.
Unfortunately, this story is not unique to PFL. Cargo theft is on the rise across the country, threatening our supply chains and hurting American businesses and consumers.
The term “cargo theft” encompasses all large-scale theft operations targeting the shipping and cargo industries. Since 2020, cargo theft has surged across the country, reaching a decade high by some calculations.
With the rise of e-commerce, this crime domain includes sophisticated domestic and international groups from places like China, Eastern Europe, and Mexico. I’ve learned that these criminals not only hijack trucks and rob rail cars but also exploit vulnerabilities in the online ecosystem. They often concoct elaborate and fraudulent schemes to deceive businesses and other third parties and steal or hold their cargo hostage.
Transnational groups are using complex tactics and technology to target high-value goods to steal and finance illegal activities like drug smuggling. And, because cargo theft takes so many forms from spoofing and fictitious pickups to phishing and identity theft this crime is hard to spot and stop, enabling repeat offenders.
Homeland Security Investigations estimates that the annual loss from cargo theft accounts is $15-35 billion annually, with these costs ultimately being shouldered by customers when retailers are forced to raise prices to recover losses.
The stories of companies like PFL, along with this data, paint a clear picture of a very real problem that is affecting too many American businesses, disrupting our supply chains, hurting consumers, and threatening our national and economic security.
With most crimes, there are protocols, technologies, and support systems designed to target and alleviate criminal activity. But with what our country has seen in the increase in cargo theft, clearly something is missing.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is responsible for regulating motor carriers, does not have adequate protections to identify fraudulent actors or remove them from its system. Nor does the agency have the statutory authority to assess civil penalties for violations of its safety or commercial regulations. At the state level, cargo theft is underreported and often miscategorized as a simple property crime.
As chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee that oversees this issue, I believe there is a path for Congress and federal agencies to better partner with the private sector like shipping companies or marketplaces to reduce cargo theft and the sale of stolen goods. In February, we held a hearing focused on the rise in cargo theft and examined potential solutions to target these criminals and protect our law-abiding businesses and consumers.
Our hearing was a great first step towards this goal, as stakeholders were able to provide critical insight to policymakers and open doors to additional conversations.
The hearing also brought forth several ideas, including the need to examine and reconcile potential catalysts that allow criminals to steal cargo, modernize and implement safeguards for businesses and consumers, and ensure our law enforcement agencies are adequately prepared and equipped to respond to reports of wrongdoing. At the end of the day, we learned that, to effectively combat this evolving threat, we must tackle it from multiple angles. And, because this crime is often committed by transnational groups, we also must prioritize our national security, including securing our border.
Congress should use this insight to work with federal agencies like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Homeland Security on ways to stop these criminal enterprises from hurting our businesses, consumers, and American supply chains.
Ultimately, eliminating cargo theft will require an “all hands on deck” approach that involves Congress, federal agencies, local law enforcement, and the private sector. We must come together to stop these criminals that are hurting our supply chains and threatening our national security.
Sen. Todd Young has represented Indiana in the Senate since 2017. He serves on the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance; Commerce, Science & Transportation; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.