July 4 Holiday Cargo Thieves Are Ready Now, Report Warns

Cargo thieves may be operating sooner than you think to take advantage of the July 4 holiday, a new report shows.

Verisk CargoNet is warning transportation and logistics stakeholders to prepare for elevated cargo theft risk during the July 4 holiday, when reduced staffing, closures and staged freight can create opportunities for organized crime.

CargoNet analyzed 256 theft events between July 1 and July 7 from 2021 through 2025 and found theft activity was highest on July 3, before dipping on July 4 and July 5.

The predictable disruption in the supply chain leads Cargo thieves to understand when freight is likely to be parked, when facilities may be closed and when normal verification procedures may be loser, the report’s authors say.

Related: Report: Cargo Theft Down for Quarter, But Criminals Are Getting More Savvy

In the first six months of 2026, the report shows cargo theft loss values have already exceeded $359 million and reported incident volume has declined compared with recent full-year trends. The average stolen commodity value rose to $341,518 in 2026.

The report shows continued targeting of expensive metals, including copper, molybdenum, antimony, tungsten, and zinc, as well as targeting of enterprise computer and networking components such as RAM modules, fiber optic transceivers, storage drives, and enterprise server blades.

Many of these shipments can exceed $1 million in value, according to the report.

The July 4 holiday analysis shows theft activity was most common during that period in California, Texas and Illinois. The most frequently affected counties included San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties in California, Dallas County in Texas, Maricopa County in Arizona, Shelby County in Tennessee, and Cook County in Illinois.

Traditional cargo theft remains a holiday risk, with thefts involving unattended loaded conveyances, burglaries of loaded trailers and containers, and activity in established logistics hotspots.