Trucking news and briefs for Monday, May 20, 2024:
CargoNet warns of increased theft activity for Memorial Day, offers tips for mitigating risk
While carriers and shippers should be proactive in protecting all shipments over holiday weekends such as the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, CargoNet urged additional precautions for these commodities in the most-targeted states.CargoNet
As with most extended holiday weekends, cargo theft experts are warning the trucking industry about the threat of increased activity during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, as “cargo thieves will seek to leverage extended business closures,” cargo theft recording firm CargoNet said.
CargoNet, a Verisk business, reviewed theft data from 2019 to 2023 for the Thursday prior to Memorial Day to the Wednesday after to help supply chain professionals mitigate theft.
There were 146 events reported with an average of 29 events per year. The stolen cargo in each event was worth an average of $264,016 -- due in part to 3 thefts that exceeded $1 million in property stolen, the firm noted.
The data from the past five years shows a significant rising trend in theft events, with 16 events in 2022, increasing to 40 events in 2023. Seventeen percent of recorded thefts occurred on the Friday before the holiday and a significant number of thefts also occurred on Wednesday (15%) and Tuesday (15%) after the holiday.
Food and beverage items were the most stolen (24 incidents), and cargo thieves targeted a wide range of products in this category. Household items were the second-most targeted commodity with 23 incidents, and Electronics had 18 reported incidents.
CargoNet has been tracking a sharp rise in highly technical shipment misdirection fraud schemes across the United States and, as a result, fictitious pickup and fraud complaints have reached record-breaking numbers.
[Related: 'We're hemorrhaging money': Brokers, shippers feel the heat from double brokers]
Geographically, California (43 incidents) remains the most at-risk state and has nearly double the reported incidents from the second most reported state (Texas at 22 incidents). Most of the misdirection fraud has taken place in California, but some shipments have shipped from other states and have been misdirected to California.
Noteworthy thefts from previous Memorial Day weekends:
- $3,974,370 in pharmaceuticals in Clermont, Florida
- $1,600,000 in pharmaceuticals in Clermont, Florida
- $1,000,000 in electronics in Kennesaw, Georgia
- $623, 913 in pharmaceuticals in San Francisco, California
CargoNet offers the following tips for securing the supply chain:
[Related: Cargo theft jumped another 46% to begin 2024]
New Jersey seeking driver input on truck parking
The New Jersey DOT is asking for feedback on how to improve truck parking in the state.
NJDOT has developed two surveys for drivers in different types of operations to help the department better understand the needs of truckers and the trucking industry.
One survey is intended for short-haul drivers, such as drayage or delivery drivers, who park in New Jersey for staging and daytime breaks. The other survey is for long-haul drivers who park in the state overnight.
Both surveys can be found online here. Drivers are welcome to take one or both surveys, as applicable to their experience. Trucking industry participation outside of drivers is also welcome, NJDOT said. Responses to the surveys are anonymous. The surveys will remain open through June 16.
Freightliner recalling M2 trucks over parking brake issue
Daimler Trucks North America is recalling is recalling certain 2024-‘25 Freightliner Business Class M2 trucks for an issue related to the parking brakes, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents.
The recall affects approximately 220 units in which the rubber ball seal in the Intellipark Park Valve Modules (PVM) may fracture and cause a leak, which can result in a parking brake failure or unexpected parking brake engagement while driving.
On May 1, Bendix, the PVM supplier, notified DTNA that it had determined a safety-related defect existed in certain PVMs using a rubber ball seal sourced from a specific sub-supplier, and on May 8, DTNA decided to conduct a recall based on the supplier’s safety defect determination.
Prior to this notification from Bendix, in late December 2023, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. became aware of a possible quality issue with the Bendix PVM and in January 2024, DTNA started an investigation for any field impacts to safety and requested information from Bendix directly in order to support its review. As DTNA had not received information from Bendix, it proceeded to review the issue internally and did not identify any risk to motor vehicle safety.
In late April, Bendix advised FCCC to quarantine parts, and Bendix advised DTNA of its decision to conduct a recall shortly thereafter. DTNA has not received reports of any field occurrences of PVM failures related to this issue, recall documents state.
Dealers will replace the Intellipark PVM, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 12. Owners can contact DTNA customer service at 800-547-0712 with recall number F1000. NHTSA’s recall number is 24V-335.
Mack recalling medium-duty trucks for incorrect axle-weight label
Mack Trucks is recalling approximately 18 model year 2024-‘25 MD series trucks because the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) listed on the vehicle certification label is incorrect, which can allow the vehicle to be overloaded.
As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 567, "Certification."
Dealers will remove and replace the label, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 3. Owners can contact Mack customer service at 800-866-1177 with recall number SC0463. NHTSA’s recall number is 24V-333.
