Trailer and cargo theft rise as U.S. vehicle theft falls

AMPLock’s 2026 U.S. Trailer Theft Report says trailer and cargo theft are climbing even as overall U.S. vehicle theft drops to a 40-year low. The analysis points to weak recovery rates, concentrated losses in a few states, and growing demand for stronger physical security.

Why it matters: - Trailer and cargo theft are diverging from the broader U.S. vehicle-theft trend, creating a growing loss problem for owners, fleets and insurers. - The report says the biggest gains in stopping car theft have not translated to trailers, leaving a gap in protection for a large and often underreported target. - The financial damage extends beyond the stolen asset itself, with supply-chain disruption and insurance costs adding to total losses.

What happened: - AMPLock published its 2026 U.S. Trailer Theft Report, a sourced analysis of trailer and cargo theft across the United States. - The report says overall U.S. motor vehicle theft fell 17% in 2024 to 850,708 vehicles, the largest drop in 40 years. - Trailer theft and cargo theft continued rising during the same period.

The details: - The report says the average number of cargo thefts rose from 4.06 per day in 2023 to 6.07 per day in 2024. - More than 100,000 utility trailers are stolen each year, according to the report. - Recovery rates often stay below 30%. - Without a tracking device, recovery can fall as low as 7%, the report says. - Verisk CargoNet recorded 3,625 cargo theft incidents in 2024, with $454.9 million in documented losses. - Homeland Security Investigations estimates the full annual cost of cargo theft at $15 billion to $35 billion once supply-chain disruption and insurance are included. - One tracker confirmed 2,217 cargo thefts in 2024 but estimated the real total exceeded 13,500, highlighting severe underreporting. - California, Texas and Illinois accounted for 46% of all U.S. cargo theft in 2024. - Dallas County reported a 78% year-over-year increase in incidents. - More than 30,000 RVs were reported stolen in 2024. - Towable travel trailers made up about 82% of reported RV theft incidents. - 41% of RV and trailer thefts happened at storage facilities.

Between the lines: - The report argues that factory immobilizers and law-enforcement task forces helped reduce car theft but do little to stop trailer theft. - The concentration of losses in a few states suggests thieves may be targeting logistics corridors and storage sites with predictable access. - The data also points to a reporting gap that likely makes the problem look smaller than it is. - AMPLock says hitch locks can deter an estimated 90% of opportunistic thieves, and pairing a purpose-built lock with tracking improves recovery. - Federal attention is building, including U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings in July 2025.

What's next: - AMPLock is expanding availability of its custom-fit lineup to more U.S. customers. - The lineup includes trailer coupler locks, hitch locks and kingpin locks for commercial fleets. - The company is positioning physical security and tracking as the most immediate defenses for owners and fleet operators.

The bottom line: - Trailer theft is becoming a bigger problem even as car theft eases, and owners are left with prevention tools that work best before a theft happens.