According to new research from Geotab, UK fleets are growing complacent on cargo theft, despite continuing high incident rates and sharply rising losses.
The survey of over 3,500 fleet managers, across seven countries in Europe, revealed that 55% of UK respondents, and 64% of European respondents, said they were less concerned about cargo theft than they were 12 months ago. However, this declining level of concern contrasts with the scale of the issue, with UK fleets reporting an average of 32 cargo theft-related incidents over the past year. Industry data also shows that losses linked to cargo theft have risen by 438% since 2022.
Geotab’s research highlights the widening gap between the methods used by organised criminals and the technologies deployed by fleets to prevent theft. Increasingly sophisticated tactics – including fraud, deception and insider-facilitated theft – are being used to exploit vulnerabilities in traditional security approaches.
Despite this, no single prevention technology is widely adopted across fleets. The most used security measure, according to the survey respondents, are cameras. The use of other methods, such as real-time trailer tracking, sensor-based alerts and verified driver identification, remains low.
The findings also suggest that many operators are taking a reactive approach, with 22% of respondents revealing that they rely solely on insurance to cover cargo theft losses, rather than investing in preventative measures. Geotab warns that this approach leaves drivers, customers and supply chains exposed, leading to rising costs as insurance premiums increase.
Over the coming years, Geotab expects the number of cargo thefts to rise as organised crime networks expand and scrutiny from insurers increases.