Cargo theft has become one of the main risks in the supply chain. For example, in Spain alone, there are more than 20,000 incidents every year, with many of the country’s main logistics corridors in the crosshairs of criminal groups using increasingly sophisticated methods to extract freight. To address this reality, we take a closer look at the strategy we have implemented at Rhenus and the results our freight security protocol is delivering.
Several tons of chocolate bars disappear somewhere between warehouse and destination – and suddenly, a routine road freight shipment turns into an international cargo theft investigation.
This case likely reached audiences around the world in March 2026, partly because of the unusual cargo involved, but also because it served as a reality check for the industry. It illustrates how exposed high-volume consumer goods and high-value freight have become to organized cargo theft – and why stronger transport security is moving higher on the logistics agenda.
The Spanish Confederation of Freight Transport (CETM) has described the situation as a structural problem that affects both the sector’s competitiveness and the safety of transport professionals. According to data from Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, more than 20,000 theft-related incidents linked to freight transport are recorded in the country every year.
The most heavily affected corridors are the AP-7 along the Mediterranean arc, the A-2 between Madrid and Catalonia, and the A-3 linking Madrid and Valencia. The point of greatest vulnerability is during mandatory driver stops, where up to 60% of thefts take place, often in rest areas without surveillance or in industrial estates with no security measures in place.
The latest report from BSI Consulting and TT Club1, based on real incident data and sector risk analysis, confirms this trend and adds a factor that changes how the problem should be understood: cargo theft in road transport has evolved into a more organized model that is harder to detect and that exploits both internal information and weak points in logistics operations.
“Criminal groups know exactly where to go. They know which products are moving, at which points and at what times, and in many cases they track the load from origin,” says Isaac Martínez. In other words, these are highly structured networks with a detailed understanding of each operation and the ability to identify its most vulnerable stages.
The report reviews the countries with the highest number of cargo theft incidents – Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France – and concludes that the least secure points are warehouses, which account for 41% of incidents, followed by rest areas and unguarded parking locations.
The goods most commonly stolen in European road transport share two characteristics: they move quickly and they can easily be sold through informal channels. This is not only about high-value cargo. It is about products that allow criminal groups to turn cargo theft into cash quickly.
Four main categories stand out:
To understand how criminal organizations have become more professional and how cargo theft prevention should be approached, it is important to examine how criminal methods have evolved. Alongside common theft methods such as vehicle hijacking, trailer theft or the well-known slash-and-grab technique – cutting the side curtain to remove freight without stopping the truck – other increasingly sophisticated methods are now common:
The report’s conclusion is clear: cargo theft prevention no longer depends only on what is installed in the truck. Information, the chain of people involved and every decision point across the operation also need to be protected.
At Rhenus, we transport between 100,000 and 120,000 full truckload shipments every year in Spain. Around 30% of that volume – about 35,000 services annually – involves high-value goods such as consumer electronics, precision industrial components or automotive prototypes. These are loads whose value can exceed EUR 500,000 per pallet or EUR 30 million per shipment.
At Rhenus, we work with a freight security model that covers the service long before the truck leaves the dock. These are the main elements behind the way we prevent cargo theft.
Our record of zero incidents is no coincidence. It is the result of a freight transport security protocol we have been applying for years.
High-value services are never improvised. They are usually planned two weeks in advance, which allows us to carry out a full route analysis: identifying the safest stops (well-lit, fenced and access-controlled), defining no-stop zones, avoiding the highest-risk hours, scheduling refueling stops and setting support providers for each leg of the route.
The entire operation is handled by the same person: the person who carries out the analysis is also responsible for real-time monitoring and escorting during transit. This removes any information gap between planning and execution.
Before assigning a driver to a high-value service, we conduct standardized qualification and identity checks. Checks are completed seven days before loading. All records are retained for five years and are available to the customer upon request.
All freight transported by Rhenus is secured with a security seal and curtain-sided trailers feature an additional steel cable. This is not just an option available for select services; it is a standard we apply to all shipments.
For longer or higher-risk routes, we operate with two drivers to eliminate stops between origin and destination. When the service is a full-truck load with one driver only, breaks are scheduled at guarded yards or parking areas with private security, with the cost covered by Rhenus.
During transit, a traffic specialist monitors the service in real time: tracking via GPS, identifying unplanned stops or alerts and maintaining direct contact with the drivers in the cab.
The customer can access the location of their freight at any time through a tracking link. For services where this is required, we provide a dedicated monitoring and escorting link with continuous visibility.
If an accident or any other unexpected event forces the vehicle to stop during the journey, the protocol prioritizes cargo security above transit time. A service area with guarded parking and private security is located, the vehicle waits there and the service resumes under safe conditions. In exceptional cases, the truck may stay overnight at one of our facilities, with controlled access and internal recording systems, until the journey can continue.
All the mechanisms described above are applied together, creating a robust security system designed to anticipate any type of incident.
The key is to design the transport operation so that theft never gets the chance to happen
Cargo theft is now a real operational risk that companies shipping goods need to take seriously. To mitigate financial risks, companies dealing in large volumes or high-value goods should rely on highly detailed planning from logistics operators specializing in road transport. Protecting the truck doors is no longer enough. What needs to be secured is the entire chain of decisions and information surrounding the shipment.
At Rhenus, we have been developing that model for years. Having no incidents at all across the more than 100,000 shipments we handle every year is the result of consistently applying a protocol in which freight security starts long before the truck sets off and only ends once the goods arrive intact at destination.
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Discover more1 Source: BSI Consulting & TT Club, Cargo theft Report. (https://www.ttclub.com/fileadmin/uploads/tt-club/Documents/TT_and_BSI_annual_theft_report/TT_Club_Report_-_Supply_Chain_Report_April_2025.pdf)
