Cargo theft in Texas: where it happens and what gets taken

Texas police cleared 91 of 1,232 reported cargo thefts in 2025. Thefts are fewer in 2026 but bigger, averaging $448,456 nationally through September, so the work that pays off happens before the truck leaves your dock: where it parks, when it ships and who you hand it to.

October 29, 2026 · Updated November 8, 2026 · 9 min read · By Vic Zdor, President, Austin · Facts checked November 6, 2026

How common is cargo theft in Texas?

Cargo theft in Texas trails only California in most national counts: CargoNet ranked Texas second for 2025, and Overhaul put Texas at 20% of all U.S. cargo thefts that year. Reported incidents have fallen through 2026, but the average theft is bigger. The latest state count runs the other way: Texas police logged 1,232 cargo theft offenses in 2025, up from 1,110 in 2024, and cleared 7.4% of them. Thefts concentrate where loaded freight sits still, at warehouses and truck stops, with Dallas and Houston leading the state, and they cluster on Fridays and the working days around holidays.

Key points

California, Texas and Illinois accounted for 51.9% of the cargo thefts CargoNet recorded in 2025, with Texas second.
CargoNet's Texas count fell from 105 to 43 in the third quarter of 2026, compared with a year earlier, but the national average loss per theft rose 72%, to $448,456, through September.
Overhaul counted Texas at 18% of U.S. cargo thefts in the second quarter of 2026, second only to California.
Fridays and the business days around holidays carry the most risk. In CargoNet's year-end data, December 23 is the single worst day.
Texas police cleared 7.4% of reported cargo thefts in 2025. Prevention does far more than recovery.

The numbers, and why they don't all agree

Three sources matter most for a Texas shipper: Verisk's CargoNet, which collects theft reports from across the freight industry; Overhaul, a supply chain risk company based in Austin; and the Texas Department of Public Safety, which counts offenses reported to Texas police. They count different things, so their numbers differ, but every ranking below puts Texas second or third.

Source	Period	What it shows for Texas
CargoNet	2025	Texas second among states. California, Texas and Illinois made up 51.9% of thefts, and U.S. losses neared $725 million, up 60%
Overhaul	2025	Texas second, with 20% of U.S. thefts. California and Texas together made up 58%
CargoNet	First quarter of 2026	Texas incidents fell 22%, from 102 to 80
Overhaul	Second quarter of 2026	Texas made up 18% of U.S. thefts, behind California at 34%
CargoNet	Third quarter of 2026	Texas incidents fell from 105 to 43, putting Texas third behind California (182) and New Jersey (46)
Texas DPS	2025	1,232 cargo theft offenses reported to Texas police, up from 1,110 in 2024, with 7.4% cleared

Fewer, bigger thefts is the 2026 story. Nationally, CargoNet counted 547 incidents in the third quarter, down 33% from a year earlier, while losses rose 12% to $230.1 million. Through September, the average theft was worth $448,456, up 72%. In April, CargoNet's analysts wrote that the opportunistic theft "historically common in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston logistics corridors" appeared to be "giving way to more targeted operations elsewhere." That's good news for the count. It isn't good news for the shipper whose one load is the target.

The cost doesn't stop at the stolen goods, either. The American Transportation Research Institute estimated in October 2025 that cargo theft costs the industry as much as $6.6 billion a year, more than $18 million a day.

Where Texas loads get stolen

Every report points the same way: freight gets stolen where it sits.

Warehouses and distribution centers were CargoNet's top location type in 2025, and Overhaul put them at 36% of U.S. thefts that year.
Truck stops were CargoNet's next most common location, and 17% of thefts in Overhaul's 2025 data.
Dallas and Houston lead the state. CargoNet named Dallas County among the most affected counties in the first half of 2026, and Harris County in the third quarter.

Small towns show up too. Per resident, Texas towns of under 2,500 people reported 20.2 cargo theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, against 3.5 in cities of more than 100,000. Per-resident rates swing a lot in small places, but the pattern fits the rest of the data: thieves go where loaded trucks park.

Recent cases show how organized it gets. In November 2025, Dallas police and DPS investigators recovered about $1 million in stolen goods, including 795 tires, rims and motor oil, tied to more than 10 cargo theft cases in North Texas. At a U.S. Senate hearing in February 2025, testimony described a ring that stole more than $10 million in goods from warehouses in five North Texas cities.

What thieves take

Start with Texas. In Overhaul's second-quarter 2026 data, as reported by Truck News, home and garden goods were 29% of Texas thefts, electronics 24%, and building and industrial products 18%. CargoNet's counts fill in the rest:

Food and beverage: 708 thefts in CargoNet's 2025 data, up 47%. Metals thefts rose 77%.
High-value metals and technology: CargoNet said these heists drove second-quarter 2026 losses to $304.6 million, more than double a year earlier, on 26% fewer incidents.
Building materials have a seasonal North Texas pattern. CargoNet counted 21 building materials thefts in the first quarter of 2025 and 8 a year later, in a category it says was "historically dominated by domestic groups operating seasonally in North Texas."

When the risk peaks

Timing is where a shipper has the most control, and the data is consistent:

Fridays. In CargoNet's Labor Day analysis, Friday was the single busiest day, with 55 incidents, against 24 on Saturday, 28 on Sunday and 27 on Monday.
Overnight. Overhaul calls midnight to 6 AM "the riskiest stretch of the day," with 28% of U.S. thefts in the second quarter of 2026.
The working days around holidays. Around Labor Day, the four business days framing the holiday held 71% of incidents in CargoNet's analysis, and the July 4 peak fell on July 3.
Thanksgiving and year-end. CargoNet recorded 79 thefts in the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday window, up 65% from 48 the year before, and flagged Dallas County. Over the December 23 to January 2 windows from 2020 to 2024, it counted 353 thefts, with Texas second among states at 41 and December 23 the worst single day, with 56. CargoNet says criminal activity "typically intensifies in Q4 and reaches peak levels in December."

Here's how that maps onto a Texas shipping calendar for the rest of the year:

When	What the data shows	What to change
Every Friday	The busiest day in CargoNet's Labor Day analysis	Don't load on Friday for a Monday delivery unless the trailer stays in a secured yard
Midnight to 6 AM	28% of U.S. thefts	Set appointments so loaded trucks aren't parked overnight short of the receiver
Thanksgiving week, November 23 to 27, 2026	Holiday-window thefts rose 65% in 2024	Ship early in the week, or hold the load until after the holiday
December 22 to 24, 2026	December 23 is the peak day of the year-end window	Keep loaded trailers out of unsecured lots over Christmas
Any high-value pickup	The average theft was worth $448,456 in 2026	Verify the carrier and driver, then count, seal and photograph

Shipping high-value freight through the holidays? Send the lane and pickup window through our contact page or call (512) 987-1600, and ask how we check carriers at every tender.

What a shipper controls

Most of the advice in these reports comes down to dwell time and handoffs, and both are partly in your hands.

Shorten dwell time. CargoNet's advice is to "reduce dwell time for loaded equipment and avoid unsecured parking locations." A trailer that sits loaded in your yard over a weekend, or in a truck stop lot waiting for a Monday appointment, is the exposure.
Plan the delivery before dispatch. CargoNet also says to "confirm receiver hours, delivery appointments, and parking plans before dispatch." If the receiver can't take the load when it arrives, decide where the truck waits before it leaves.
Check every handoff. Overhaul asks shippers whether "seal integrity and load counts" are checked at every handoff. Count the freight, seal the trailer, photograph both and write the seal number on the bill of lading.
Don't trust the seal alone. At the February 2025 Senate hearing, a witness from Academy Sports in Katy described thieves who "cut doors on trucks" so they don't break the security seal. Check the doors as well as the seal.
Call back before you change anything. CargoNet recommends a "call-back to verified numbers on file" whenever pickup or delivery details change, because impostors make those changes by email.
Release only to the carrier you booked. Know the carrier's name, the truck and trailer numbers and the driver's name before pickup, match them at the dock, and don't hand freight to a substitute. Our article on no-substitution clause language covers how to put that in your contract.

Check how your cargo coverage treats a load handed to an impostor before you need it. Our article on contingent cargo explains where broker policies stop, and if a load does go missing, the first 24 hours of a freight claim walks through what to do and when.

What Texas law does about it

Texas has a specific cargo theft statute, Penal Code section 31.18. It covers receiving, possessing, storing or selling stolen cargo, and a contracted driver who fails to deliver a load or breaks its seal. Penalties climb with value, from a state jail felony for cargo worth $1,500 to under $10,000 up to a first-degree felony at $200,000 or more, and the value of any vehicle taken counts toward the total. The 2025 legislative session left the statute unchanged.

Federal action is still mostly pending. The U.S. House passed the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act on May 12, 2026, by 348 votes to 60. It would set up a coordination center at Homeland Security Investigations, and the Senate version hadn't moved as of November 2026. FMCSA's new registration system, launched in December 2025, verifies the identity of people applying for operating authority. In April 2026, the FBI warned about criminals "increasingly using sophisticated, cyber-enabled tactics to impersonate legitimate businesses to hijack freight."

None of that brings a load back. Texas police cleared 91 of 1,232 reported cargo thefts in 2025. The work that pays off happens before the truck leaves your dock. This section is general information, not legal advice.

If you're weighing who should move your high-value freight, our guide to choosing a Texas freight broker covers what to compare.

How Skyline handles this

Brokered carriers are checked for authority, insurance and identity at every tender, and loads are never re-brokered. Authority and insurance documentation goes out with every quote. If a load goes quiet at night or over a weekend, our 24/7 dispatch line is (360) 719-5660.

FAQ

Is cargo theft getting worse in Texas?

CargoNet's count is down and the stakes are up. Its Texas incidents fell from 105 to 43 in the third quarter of 2026, compared with a year earlier, but Texas police reported 11% more cargo thefts in 2025 than in 2024, and the average U.S. theft was worth $448,456 through September 2026, up 72%.

Where in Texas does cargo theft happen most?

In and around Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. CargoNet named Dallas County and Harris County among the most affected counties in 2026. By location type, warehouses and distribution centers lead, followed by truck stops.

What do thieves steal most in Texas?

In Overhaul's second-quarter 2026 data, as reported by Truck News, home and garden goods made up 29% of Texas thefts, electronics 24%, and building and industrial products 18%. Nationally, food and beverage thefts rose 47% in 2025, and high-value metals and technology drove the biggest losses in 2026.

When is the riskiest time to ship?

Fridays, overnight and the working days around holidays. December 23 was the worst single day of the year-end period in CargoNet's 2020 to 2024 data, and the business days around Labor Day held 71% of that holiday's thefts.

What is the penalty for cargo theft in Texas?

Under Penal Code section 31.18, it ranges from a state jail felony when the cargo is worth $1,500 to under $10,000, up to a first-degree felony at $200,000 or more, and the value of a stolen vehicle counts toward the total. This is general information, not legal advice.

Worried about who shows up at your dock?

Ask us how we check carriers at every tender. Send the lane, the commodity and the pickup window through our contact page, or call (512) 987-1600.

Sources (checked November 6, 2026)

Skyline Transport GRP, Inc. (MC-844491) arranges freight as a licensed broker. Skyline Transport Group LLC (USDOT 2363186) hauls freight as a motor carrier.