Henry Hanscom, ATA’s Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs, emphasized the industry’s commitment to safely and promptly delivering goods across America. He applauded the House Appropriations Committee and Congressman Valadao for directing HSI to leverage its unique cross-border capabilities to combat this pressing issue. This initiative is expected to bolster cooperation among government entities, law enforcement, motor carriers, and supply chain partners to dismantle organized theft rings effectively.

The directive allocates $2 million to HSI, a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to collaborate with state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies and relevant private sector partners. The task force will adopt a coordinated, multi-agency, intelligence-informed, and prosecutor-led approach to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the criminal groups responsible for cargo theft and associated violence in the American supply chain.

Mark Savage, chairman of ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board (LEAB) and Director of Connected Truck Solutions at Drivewyze, remarked, “When I served in the Colorado State Patrol, cases of cargo theft were far less prevalent than they are today. Unfortunately, in recent years, organized theft groups have been systematically targeting our nation’s supply chains and using increasingly sophisticated techniques to steal cargo in transit,” said Mark Savage, chairman of the ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board (LEAB) and director of connected truck solutions at Drivewyze. “LEAB is already working with the trucking industry as well as with the Cargo Theft Task Force in Florida and the California Highway Patrol to help raise awareness and connect local officers with federal resources.  We support this appropriations provision that will strengthen law enforcement’s ability to crack down on criminals and protect drivers and motor carriers from future thefts.”

Data from CargoNet reveals that cargo theft surged by 57% in 2023 compared to the previous year, continuing with an additional 10% increase in the first quarter of 2024. The initial quarter alone saw 925 reported cargo theft incidents, with an average loss of $281,757 per stolen shipment. The states of California, Texas, and Illinois led in reported incidents, accounting for 61% of the total cases. Given that motor carriers are not mandated to report these thefts, the actual number of thefts is likely even higher.

Cargo theft poses significant challenges by disrupting supply chains, endangering truck drivers, and burdening law enforcement. Earlier this year, ATA recognized the severity of this issue by adding security, including cargo theft and cyber threats, to its strategic priorities.

Source: Truckers News

The post House Greenlights $2 Million Funding for Federal Task Force to Combat Cargo Theft appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

The official agenda will be published on the TLTF website a week before the meeting. FMCSA asks those who are interested in attending to register in advance at the TLTF website by Friday, Oct. 13.

In the last meeting, the task force tackled necessary administrative matters and started discussing the topics required by Congress in the 2021 infrastructure legislation that established the task force.

Some key topics to be discussed include:

• Examining how unfair terms and agreements impact vehicle maintenance and whether trucks are kept in good repair under lease/lease-purchase.
• Reviewing agreements available to drayage drivers at ports related to programs aimed at reducing emissions from port operations.
• Assessing the impact on net compensation for operators, including port drayage drivers.
• Investigating if truck-leasing agreements incentivize safe operation and compliance with hours-of-service regulations and safety laws.
• Providing resources to help commercial motor vehicle drivers understand the financial impacts of leasing agreements.
• Evaluating how equitable truck-leasing agreements promote opportunities to start or expand trucking companies, and the history of motor carriers growing from one-truck owner-operator operations.

Source: Overdrive

The post Federal Task Force to Address Unfair Leasing Agreements in the Trucking Industry appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

“We write to share concerns regarding an area of increasing supply chain fraud and theft,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “Specifically, stolen truck loads and funding fraud schemes, when truckers drop off their loads but do not get paid, are disrupting freight hauling by truck and brokering.”

Every year, approximately 3,500 fraudulent schemes are carried out, according to legislators.

“Industry stakeholders attest that the systemic problems of supply chain fraud involving organized crime and broker-related fraud include such criminal violations as theft of cargo, double brokerage and misappropriation of funds,” the lawmakers wrote.

Furthermore, the detrimental impacts of the crime extend past just the trucking sector.

“The harm from such crimes also falls upon shippers, financial services, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers,” the lawmakers wrote. “The harmful economic ripples cause the cost of doing business to increase, as well as the price retailers, and consumers pay for replacement products and other uncompensated costs.”

To stay ahead of the curve with potential solutions to this problem, Congress has proposed taking a proactive approach by forming a task force dedicated to the issue.

“We urge the Office of Inspector General to consider creating a special unit within the office, in consultation with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Justice, to investigate, refer and prosecute cases of transportation fraud in a systematic, concerted manner.”

Lawmakers have praised FMCSA’s latest initiatives to tackle moving fraud. The establishment of a specialized unit is seen as in line with the Office of Inspector General’s jurisdiction. This was emphasized in the letter which was signed by several legislators, including Braun and Bost, as well as JD Vance, Rick Scott, John Thune, Deb Fischer, Lance Gooden, and Chuck Edwards.

Source: Land Line

The post Lawmakers Call for Permanent Task Force to Combat Supply Chain Thefts appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.