We recently stumbled upon a statistic that makes us appreciate every sip of our favorite beverage all the more. It has to do with cargo theft. By cargo theft, we mean stolen trucks.
21% of all cargo theft involves beverage and/or food products. There were 185 incidents in 2010 alone.
Just type “stole beer truck” into Google if you don’t believe us.
Who knew?
How does this sort of thing happen? For the answer, we turn to Freightwatch International, a cargo security and monitoring company:
Cargo thieves in the United States typically target…trailers with high-value freight [by] monitoring truck stops, freight yards, and other areas where tractor-trailers frequently are left unattended. Thieves will identify a truck…follow it to a truck stop, seize it and drive away. Visible GPS antennas on trailers or tractors are quickly and easily discarded, rendering this protection measure useless.
Stolen trailers either are emptied quickly, or…driven to a final destination (often painting over or peeling off company identification), like a satellite warehouse in the vicinity of the theft location for storage of stolen property.
Before you get any stupid ideas, just know that none of these stories end well for the perps. There are a number of secret gadgets and strategies to keep trucks on the radar, despite pirating attempts.
Plus, due to the sheer size of the heist (18-wheelers are hard to hide), cargo is often recovered.
If it’s then impounded, we only hope the cops get to grab a brewski out of the truck after their shift. To protect and serve, right?