MILWAUKEE, WI — FreightWatch International is warning truck drivers going through the U.S. of increased cargo thefts around the American Thanksgiving holiday. This year, that’s on Thursday, Nov.28.

“Over the past three Thanksgiving holiday weekends, the industry has experienced 10.5 thefts per day, more than three times the annual average of 2.6 thefts per day throughout those years,” FreightWatch says. 

“Additionally, during this time, electronics, clothing and shoes rise up on the thieves’ wish lists in a three-way tie with the ever-popular category of food and drinks for the most targeted product type.”

FreightWatch is a logistics security service, offering monitoring solutions so that organizations can follow their cargo to minimize theft and other risks.

Organized theft rings are active and understand that increased supply chain volume means more shipments, FreightWatch says. 

“Logistics and security professionals need to ensure security protocols are up to date and in line with industry best practices for both in transit and warehouse operations. Both will be heavily targeted over the holiday.”

Their recommendation? Use GPS tracking with active monitoring devices as much as possible.

FreightWatch points to several notable cargo theft that took place during the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday as reason for taking precautions:

• November 21, full truckload of 3D televisions and Blu-ray players stolen in California.
• November 22, over $550,000 worth of infant formula was stolen from an unsecured lot in Texas.
• November 24, $540,000 dollars in copper stolen in Illinois.
• November 25, full truckload theft of clothing in New Jersey.
• November 25, full truckload theft of computer memory chips from Illinois.

Georgia, which usually ranks fifth as the most dangerous cargo theft state, comes in second during the Thanksgiving weekend, with activity centered on the major interstate highway hub of Atlanta.