Here’s the strange thing about cargo crime in 2026: there are fewer thefts, but the losses are much bigger. Verisk CargoNet recorded 677 cargo theft incidents in the U.S. and Canada in the second quarter of 2026, down 26% from a year earlier. But estimated losses more than doubled to $304.6 million, up from $135.7 million in Q2 2025. Criminals are hitting fewer loads, but they are choosing high-value freight and using smarter fraud to get it.
For carriers and owner-operators, the bigger risk is no longer only a stolen trailer at a truck stop. It’s a fake broker, a stolen identity or a hacked email that leaves you hauling for free.
The schemes carriers are seeing most
1. Fictitious (deceptive) pickups
A scammer poses as a legitimate carrier, shows up with the right paperwork and drives off with the load. Overhaul reported that deceptive pickup schemes rose about 31% in Q1 2026. CargoNet still counted 158 fictitious pickups in Q2.
2. Double brokering
A fraudster accepts a load from a real broker, then re-brokers it to an unsuspecting carrier at a lower rate and collects the payment. The carrier who actually hauled the freight often never gets paid.
3. Carrier identity theft
Criminals copy a real trucking company’s MC number, name and insurance details, or take over its FMCSA or load-board accounts, to book loads in that company’s name. Your good reputation becomes their cover.
4. Business email compromise
CargoNet says hacked email accounts were the main entry point for many of the most sophisticated schemes in Q2. Once inside an inbox, thieves can read rate confirmations, change pickup details or redirect payments.
What is being targeted
In Q2 2026 the most targeted freight included metals (especially copper) and technology: computers, networking equipment, components and cryptocurrency mining hardware. Food and beverage thefts declined.
10 ways to protect your loads and your payments
- Verify every broker. Check the MC/DOT number on FMCSA’s SAFER system, confirm the authority is active and the bond is in place.
- Call back on a known number. Don’t trust the phone number in an email. Look up the broker’s official number and call to confirm the load.
- Check email domains carefully. Watch for look-alike domains (one letter off) and free email accounts claiming to be large brokers.
- Never share your load-board or FMCSA login. Use strong, unique passwords and turn on two-factor authentication everywhere.
- Be wary of rates that are too good. An unusually high rate with pressure to move fast is a classic red flag.
- Confirm the rate con matches the broker. The company on the rate confirmation should be the one you vetted.
- Never send money to release a load. Legitimate brokers don’t ask carriers to pay fees to get freight.
- Watch for changes mid-trip. A sudden change of delivery address or a request to drop the load somewhere else should be verified by phone.
- Protect your identity. Monitor your FMCSA registration for unauthorized changes and report impersonation immediately.
- Use a dispatcher who vets brokers. A good dispatch team checks broker credit and history before you ever accept a load.
Haul with confidence
Runnex Logistics checks brokers before booking, handles rate confirmations and keeps an eye out for fraud so your truck stays loaded with freight that pays.