Supply Chain Losses in Quarter 1 of 2026 — $131 Million

Verisk’s CargoNet analysis of supply chain thefts in the first quarter of 2026 is out. It says there were 767 supply chain thefts in the U.S. and Canada. That’s a drop of 5.3% over the first quarter of last year and a 12.2% drop from the first quarter of 2024.

What looks like good news really isn’t. The number of thefts is down in the first quarter of 2026 but the cost of those thefts is close to the same as the first quarter of 2025.

Losses hit $131.58 million. Confirmed cargo thefts rose by 41 to 596 of the 767 total.

Except for California and New Jersey, the states in the top-8 for cargo thefts saw a drop in the number of events year-over-year. California’s rose from 255 to 277 and New Jersey saw a 119% jump year-over-year from 27 to 59. Both states have higher numbers because they are hubs for organized crime networks.

The top 3 states, California, Texas and New Jersey accounted for 54.3% of all thefts in the first quarter of 2026. Warehouses, distribution centers and truck stops are the main targets. Food and beverages and household goods are the most items stolen.

Verisk vice president of operations, Keith Lewis said personal care and beauty products had the biggest increase at 178% more than the first quarter of 2025.

"The overall drop in incident volume is encouraging, but the underlying data tells a more complex story,” Lewis said. "We're watching transnational organized crime groups become the dominant force in the cargo theft landscape, with a clear preference for goods that move easily through online resale channels. The geography is following the criminals.”

Anti-fraud systems are one of the major ways of fighting this kind of crime but the criminal networks always seem to be one-step ahead of crime fighters. Criminals are now impersonating motor carriers and logistics brokers via credential theft and by buying carrier businesses outright.

"The anti‑fraud tools the industry has deployed are working, they're forcing criminals to invest more in elaborate schemes," Lewis said. "But the shift toward credential theft and carrier impersonation means the industry needs to think beyond tender‑phase controls. We need robust identity verification throughout the lifecycle of a shipment, from booking to delivery."

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