U.S. cargo thefts tick up during summer

   More than 200 cargo thefts occurred in the United States this summer, a 5 percent increase compared to the previous quarter, according to FreightWatch International’s most recent theft report.
   The average value loss topped $166,000, which is a 9 percent increase from the previous three months.
   In the three-month summer period, FreightWatch recorded 87 thefts in June, 62 incidents in July, and 53 thefts in August. The most frequent goods stolen came from the food and drink industry, which represented 22 percent of the total, with electronics thefts accounting for 14 percent of all the goods stolen during the period. Copper, aluminum, steel and other metals thefts accounted for 12 percent of the total.
   Electronic, metal and building-related cargo experienced an increase in theft during the summer, while theft in the food and drink, pharmaceutical, and auto parts fields declined. When compared to the previous period, tobacco was the only category that showed no gain or decline.
   Thefts involving alcohol showed the highest average loss at $689,081; clothing and jewelry also represented big losses, averaging $425,219 and $395,000. Home and garden-related goods showed the lowest loss at $43,684.
   California, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Georgia represented the top-five states for cargo theft during the summer. More than 50 percent of these incidents occurred at an unsecured parking location, but secured parking thefts, which accounted for 15 percent of the total, nearly doubled from last period.