Latest news with #DannyRamon
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariff Uncertainty Could See Cargo Theft Rates Rise Over Fourth of July Weekend
While many U.S. residents are poised to celebrate Independence Day this week, cargo thieves will quietly celebrate unattended cargo. Danny Ramon, director of intelligence at supply chain risk management provider Overhaul, said that holiday weekends typically see cargo theft rates spiking by 50 to 100 percent. More from Sourcing Journal Byte-Sized AI: Walmart Announces New Employee Tech; Startups Bag Funding for Virtual Try-On LA Startup Grabs $10M to Build Out Fully Automated Freight Cross-Dock California Government Report Assesses a Decade of Changes in Retail Crime 'We always see spikes in theft activity around longer weekends, and that's because of the old rule that cargo at rest is cargo at risk—if it's at rest for longer, it's going to be at risk for longer, and therefore there's a higher likelihood it will be stolen,' he explained. While he noted that the actual rate of theft fluctuates based on conditions, he said this Fourth of July is 'well positioned' for those perpetuating cargo theft. That's due to several factors, he noted—one being that, because the Fourth of July is on a Friday, many warehouses and facilities will be left unattended for three full days. But another reason is related to the economy and the way retailers are reacting to it. 'Tariff uncertainty is causing a lot of retailers to stock up their warehouses in advance of the holiday season,' he said. '[This] is putting warehouse space at a premium, which not only makes them a much more ripe target, because they're going to be much fuller, with much more product than they normally would [have], but it also means that cargo…is moving much further in advance of the holiday season than it would have been normally. There is a lot more cargo on the roads right now than there normally would be in the U.S.' Retailers aren't the only ones stocking up; Salesforce data shows that nearly one-third of U.S. consumers say they have begun frontloading goods because of potential tariff impacts. Ramon said that could see cargo thieves receiving higher-than-usual returns for the cargo they steal as consumers begin shopping online for the holidays and back-to-school season. Overhaul expects to see the highest rates of theft on cargo left unattended outside of a delivery facility—that is to say, for instance, in the back of a truck that arrives at a warehouse early and is parked there without a driver for several days. He anticipates that could be the case as early as July 3. 'A lot of folks are going to take advantage of the fact that shippers are going to be closing down for the long weekend, and the folks who work there are going to want to get out of work as soon as possible to start that long holiday weekend,' he said. 'Sometimes security gets a little bit lax on those last days, and we do see a lot of strategic theft being performed on the last business day before a long holiday weekend.' Ramon said retailers and drivers should also be on high alert for theft on goods that are actively in transit. While Overhaul frequently sees targeted theft on costly items like consumer electronics and high-end apparel and footwear, Ramon said most thieves will steal cargo regardless of what's packed in the trailer. That's, in large part, because the further rise of e-commerce platforms has made it easier for thieves to sell without an intermediary, which means there are fewer people taking cuts from the sale of products. 'There's almost nothing that they won't steal because there's almost nothing that they can't sell,' he said. In January, Overhaul projected a year-on-year cargo theft rate increase of 22 percent by the end of 2025. Ramon said the company will soon have sharper data on what occurred in the first half of the year, but noted that his team has seen steady increases in at-large cargo theft so far this year, as compared with 2024. For shippers and retailers hoping to safeguard their cargo for the upcoming long weekend, Ramon had a few simple recommendations. 'You want to make sure everyone in your supply chain network knows of your limited business hours, or whatever your special holiday hours are going to be,' he said. 'Make sure that nobody has—or believes that they have—scheduled appointment times for times when your facility is going to be closed, and make sure that folks do not park outside of the facility waiting for it to open over the course of the holiday weekend.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Cargo thefts surge 49%; driver training under Trump; up close with NASA crawler
On Episode 809 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about the massive surge in cargo theft that is plaguing the freight industry. Overhaul's Danny Ramon shares the company's latest report, which shows an astounding 49% increase in cargo thefts in 2024 compared to 2023. Is 2025 on track to set an even higher record, and what can fleets do to protect themselves? We'll get into it. Driver training standards could change drastically under President Donald Trump. Commercial Vehicle Training Association's Andrew Poliakoff talks about the latest changes and executive orders that could impact the way you hire drivers. You think you haul heavy? Dooner headed down to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to meet the largest self-propelled land vehicle on Earth, NASA's crawler. We'll find out how this 60-year-old monster rig is bringing Americans back to the moon. Plus, Squats Across America returns; de minimis ruling clarified; final destination at the gate; and more. Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM's Road Dog Trucking Channel 146. Watch on YouTube Check out the WTT merch store Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts Visit our sponsor The post Cargo thefts surge 49%; driver training under Trump; up close with NASA crawler | WHAT THE TRUCK?!? appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Borderlands Mexico: Organized crime groups fuel rise of US cargo thefts
Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Organized crime groups fuel rise of US cargo thefts; Imperial Auto opens $21M factory in Mexico; EGO Group launches electronic components plant in central Mexico; and Billor opens logistics hub in Houston. Supply chain security firm Overhaul said organized criminal gangs were a factor in the soaring number of cargo thefts reported in 2024, with theft across the U.S. increasing 49% year over year to 2,217 cases. Austin, Texas-based Overhaul recently released its 'United States & Canada: Annual Cargo Theft Report 2024' and hosted a webinar discussing trends and statistics affecting the freight industry. Danny Ramon, Overhaul's head of intelligence and response, said there were more reports of criminal gang members participating in cargo thefts across the U.S. last year.'Unfortunately, they are playing a role in U.S. cargo theft,' Ramon said during the webinar on Wednesday. 'We know of at least one strategic crew that's operating in the eastern United States from Mexico all the way up through Canada. They are led by a Russian national who resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.' Overhaul has received confirmation from law enforcement agencies that have seen known cartel members patrolling warehouses and possibly using fraudulent carrier identities. 'They use almost exclusively strategic theft tactics to steal cargo in the eastern United States,' Ramon said. 'I do expect that we will see more transnational crime groups that are completely unrelated to one one another start to perform strategic theft within the United States and Canada within the next three to five years.' Ramon said Overhaul also received reports of organized crime groups forcing illegal immigrants to work as thieves.'We do see the cartels active in strategic theft in the U.S., as well as in pilferage,' Ramon said. 'That happens in Arizona and New Mexico in the form of indentured servitude for the migrants that are being smuggled across by cartel coyotes. Once they get them across, they say, 'OK, well, you've got to steal a certain amount of cargo off of transports before we're going to release you.' Overall, cargo theft in the U.S. continued to show higher incidences near freight hubs and large cities. California (32%) and Texas (19%) were at greatest cargo theft risk during the year, but states such as Arizona also saw more freight-related theft. 'Some of the things that we did see was the emergence of some new geographical hot spots, particularly … Arizona,' Ramon said. 'Arizona saw quite an uptick in cargo theft activity, primarily in the form of pilferage from rail, and large scale over-the-road pilferage as well. We've also seen Central and Northern California increase in activity to the point where they're basically hot spots now as well.' The U.S. averaged 184.8 reported cargo thefts per month, a rate of 6.07 per day in 2024, up from 4.06 per day in 2023. 'One of the things that's been trending for the last several years … we see thefts where there is intermodal cargo density,' Ramon said. 'You will see hot spots along some of the seaports, for example Savannah and Houston, but then you see a much hotter hot spot in the intermodal crossroads that would be Dallas, outside of Houston, Atlanta, outside of Savannah.' Ramon said intermodal facilities in Arizona are also becoming more frequent targets for thieves. 'A great example is actually Glendale, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. There's reports almost every week about a new distribution center going in in Glendale,' Ramon said. 'We're seeing not just the large-scale pilferage of shipments that are leaving California, but strategic theft and straight theft of over-the-road shipments that are actually originating and departing from the Phoenix area.'Overhaul did not provide 2024 cargo theft totals for Canada but said 85% of all thefts there took place in Ontario. Full truckload theft remained criminals' most popular tactic in 2024, comprising 64% of total thefts in Canada and the U.S. Electronics was again the most targeted product type in both countries, making up 24% of all thefts in the U.S. and 31% of those across Canada. Imperial Auto Industries recently opened a fluid transmission components plant in the Mexican city of Ramos Arizpe. The $21 million facility will generate between 170 to 400 direct jobs and produce fluid transmission components and high-pressure tubes for the automotive and industrial sectors, according to a news release. Imperial Auto Industries was founded in 1969 and is based in Faridabad, India. The company has more than 50 plants worldwide. The facility in Ramos Arizpe is Imperial Auto's first factory in North America. Ramos Arizpe is in northern Mexico, about 179 miles from Laredo, Texas. Germany-based EGO Group has opened a $20 million electronic components plant in the municipality of Apaseo el Grande, Mexico. The 193,750-square-foot facility employs 300 workers. The factory produces electronic controls for dishwashers, clothes dryers, ovens, refrigerators and washing machines. Apaseo el Grande is in central Mexico in the state of Guanajuato. The company also has a factory in the Mexican city of Queretaro. 'Mexico is a strategically important production location for our group,' Bernd Eckl, CEO of Blanc & Fischer Family Holding, the parent company of EGO Group, said in a news release. The EGO Group has facilities in 19 countries and more than 5,300 employees. Billor, a FreightTech and fintech platform for truckers, has opened a delivery center and logistics hub in Houston for owner-operators working with the company. The hub will allow truck drivers to pick up their trucks and bring them in for inspections, according to a news release. 'The opening of Billor's new Delivery Center in Texas is a critical step in our nationwide expansion strategy,' Vincent Goetten, CEO of Billor, said in a statement. 'Texas consistently ranks as the top state for freight tonnage, driven by a strong economy. Houston's location at the intersection of major interstates makes it a natural choice for growth.' Billor was founded in 2023 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company provides services to owner-operators, ranging from cargo management to truck financing and maintenance. The post Borderlands Mexico: Organized crime groups fuel rise of US cargo thefts appeared first on FreightWaves.
