Freight fraud: How criminals found a way in

Why cargo theft is spiking and how to stop it

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Freight Fraud Symposium in Dallas on May 14.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Freight Fraud Dynamics: Root Cause and Preventive Strategies

DETAILS: Barry Conlon, CEO of Overhaul, discusses the evolving state of cargo theft and its impact on supply chains. Conlon emphasizes the importance of situational awareness and carrier validation to prevent theft. He also notes the rise in cargo theft due to consumer demand for immediate delivery and the sophistication of modern criminal gangs. He stresses the need for behavioral training, collaboration and advanced technologies like AI to combat these threats effectively.

SPEAKER: Barry Conlon, CEO and founder of Overhaul

BIO: With over 30 years of experience in supply chain security, Conlon is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of modern-day supply chain security standards and best practices. Prior to founding Overhaul, Conlon was the founder and CEO of FreightWatch, where he played a key role in shaping the industry.

KEY QUOTES FROM CONLON:

“My former career was military, and we always used situational awareness. Meaning, do I know what’s happening around me? And if I do, do I have a better chance of survival? It’s the same principle in supply chain, you have to know who’s around you. You have to know, who am I dealing with? Do I know the true identity of this entity. … That’s the challenge.”

“The real root cause of [freight fraud] is the increasing rates of cargo theft and the fact that in most cases, the freight was handed over to a criminal. … Shippers are just not accepting that anymore. And I think a lot of you know that your business can be genuinely impacted by this.”

“I can tell you the biggest change is our buying behavior as individuals. … We want to order it online, and [we] want it there later that afternoon. … and you’re not questioning how it gets there and when it shows up. [Logistics] didn’t operate that way before. … The stolen product is going to be delivered by a legitimate entity that’s delivering to your doorstep.”


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Grace Sharkey

Grace Sharkey is a professional in the logistics and transportation industry with experience in journalism, digital content creation and decision-making roles in the third-party logistics space. Prior to joining FreightWaves, Grace led a startup brokerage to more than $80 million in revenue, holding roles of increasing responsibility, including director of sales, vice president of business development and chief strategy officer. She is currently a staff writer, podcast producer and SiriusXM radio host for FreightWaves, a leading provider of news, data and analytics for the logistics industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Michigan State University. You can contact her at gsharkey@freightwaves.com.