How Leading Brands are Combating Freight Theft

Freight theft has become a growing challenge in today’s logistics and supply chain networks, as criminals adopt increasingly sophisticated methods to exploit system vulnerabilities. What once involved cutting locks or breaking into trailers has evolved into a complex operation—complete with impersonation scams, forged documents, and double-brokering schemes designed to infiltrate legitimate logistics channels.

At Vector, we’ve seen that traditional safeguards—such as gates, guards, and cameras—are no longer enough to deter determined thieves. Leading companies are now turning to technology-driven solutions to strengthen protection and reduce freight theft risk. By utilizing tools such as AI-powered fraud detection, digital verification, and real-time tracking, businesses can safeguard shipments, validate carriers, and maintain visibility across their entire supply chain.

In this article, we’ll explore how top global brands are leveraging digital solutions to prevent cargo theft, enhance resilience, and create more secure and efficient logistics operations.

Key Takeaways

• Freight theft is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with criminals employing tactics such as impersonation and forged documentation.
• Traditional security measures alone can’t protect against today’s advanced theft threats.
• Vector’s digital tools—including PreCheck, AI-driven fraud detection, and eBOL—help businesses prevent theft, reduce fraud, and boost operational efficiency.
• A multi-layered security strategy, combining physical safeguards with digital verification, is crucial for protecting freight and enhancing supply chain integrity.
• Real-time visibility, driver verification, and automated workflows streamline operations, reduce dwell times, and support faster, safer logistics.

How a CPG Leader Eliminated Identity-Based Cargo Theft

One global CPG company had been plagued by repeated theft incidents tied to fraudulent driver check-ins. In just a single year, they recorded more than 30 stolen loads from a single site.

The company introduced a digital driver verification process, powered by Vector’s PreCheck YMS platform. Brokers and carriers now submit driver information in advance, and that data is verified against federal records and Vector’s own intelligence network. Drivers are approved before they ever arrive at the facility.

The results: thefts dropped from 30 incidents in 2024 to zero in 2025; and with Vector’s eBOL-powered YMS, dwell times were reduced 30% with drop loads being processed in under 15 minutes and live loads under 45 minutes. Whether it’s cargo fraud, long dwell times, or inefficient resource utilization, security and efficiency go hand in hand with Vector.

How a Retailer Tackled Fraudulent Proof-of-Delivery to Prevent Theft

A national retailer was facing a serious challenge: fraudulent proof-of-delivery (POD) documents. Criminals were fabricating or altering PODs to make it appear as though shipments had been delivered—when in reality, they were stolen or never received.

To address the issue, the retailer partnered with Vector to deploy an AI-powered fraud detection system. The system analyzes PODs from multiple carriers, flags suspicious or duplicate documents, and generates verifiable digital evidence to support claims. By leveraging AI, the retailer could review and validate vast amounts of delivery data quickly and accurately—far beyond what manual verification could achieve.

As a result, the company gained real-time visibility into its shipments, reduced shrinkage, and built greater confidence that what left the dock would reach its destination securely.

Freight theft remains one of the most significant risks in modern logistics. While many businesses once assumed their goods were secure, today’s criminals employ advanced tactics such as impersonation, counterfeit documentation, and double brokering to infiltrate supply chains. Traditional security measures—like gates and cameras—can’t stand alone against these evolving threats.

Industry experts, including Keith Lewis of Verisk CargoNet, stress the importance of a multi-layered defense that combines physical protection with digital verification and real-time monitoring.

At Vector, we’ve seen how companies can significantly reduce freight theft risk while improving efficiency by integrating modern, data-driven security tools into their operations. The following examples demonstrate how Vector’s digital solutions enable major brands to combat cargo theft and fraud more effectively.

A Holistic Approach to Combating Cargo Theft

These examples highlight a larger shift: cargo theft can no longer be treated as an inevitable cost of doing business. Leaders across industries are recognizing that prevention requires both process discipline and modern tools.

For me, it’s an honor to work alongside these companies and support their teams as they take on such a critical challenge. Helping them safeguard their supply chains while building greater trust with their customers is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do at Vector.

As supply chains become more complex, the companies that will come out ahead are those that pair operational efficiency with robust safeguards, ensuring that protecting goods and delivering them on time go hand in hand.

How Two Customers Are Overcoming Freight Theft with Vector

Freight theft remains one of the most pressing challenges in modern logistics. While many businesses once assumed their shipments were protected, today’s criminals use advanced tactics such as impersonation, forged documentation, and double brokering to infiltrate supply chains and steal valuable goods.

Traditional security measures—such as gates, guards, and cameras—are no longer sufficient to counter these evolving threats. Industry experts, including Keith Lewis of Verisk CargoNet, stress the importance of a multi-layered defense strategy that combines physical protection with digital verification and real-time visibility.

At Vector, we’ve seen how companies can significantly reduce freight theft risk while improving efficiency by integrating modern digital security tools into their operations. The following examples illustrate how leading brands are leveraging Vector’s technology to combat cargo theft and prevent fraud throughout their supply chains.

Case 1: How a CPG Company Turned Cargo Theft Vulnerability into Resilience

Case 1: How a CPG Company Turned Cargo Theft Vulnerability into Resilience

This multinational CPG leader faced a serious theft problem at its distribution centers. Over the course of just one year, it experienced 30 separate theft incidents, driven by fraudulent driver check-ins and identity scams.

How Vector Helped Stop Freight Theft

A Vector customer since 2021, this CPG giant had already increased its shipment volume while simultaneously reducing dwell time, as well as strengthening security protocols and improving safety across its facilities—proving that operational efficiency and cargo protection can go hand in hand. 

In response to the theft incidents, the company deployed Vector PreCheck in 2024. 

PreCheck requires carriers to submit driver information in advance of arrival. Shipping clerks can then digitally verify driver credentials against Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) authority records and Vector’s network intelligence, ensuring the carrier has the proper authority and that the specific driver hasn’t had any incidents at the customer’s other facilities. Vector informs the driver that they have been approved before they arrive at the facility.

The results were dramatic: with Vector PreCheck, the CPG company’s theft incidents have dropped from 30 to zero. For this industry leader, Vector serves as a cost-saver on two fronts: as a platform for modernizing workflows across facilities, and as a preventive tool for financial loss.

Case 2: How a Leading Retailer Stopped Cargo Fraud at the Source

On the retail side, one of the nation’s most recognizable department store brands needed a way to combat fraud in its proof-of-delivery (POD) process. Fraudulent PODs are a growing problem, with thieves manipulating or fabricating delivery documentation to “prove” a shipment arrived when it did not.

Vector’s AI Model

The retailer partnered with Vector to pilot an AI-powered system for fraud detection. Here’s how it worked:

1. Ingest proof of deliveries – Collecting PODs from multiple carriers and sources.
2. Parse and extract data – Using AI to convert unstructured documents into structured data.
3. Triage for human review – Flagging questionable documents so employees could investigate.
4. Continuous learning – Leveraging parameter-efficient tuning to make the model smarter with every iteration.

The system features Vector’s AI Blocks, modular building blocks that define how the AI extracts and processes information. Each block includes foundational context pre-defined by Vector, as well as user-generated queries to retrieve specific information—e.g., “What is the seal number for this shipment?” By structuring the AI in this way, Vector ensures that customers retain control over the automation, ensuring accuracy and trust in the system.

The retailer gained several significant benefits through the pilot: 

• Enhanced shipment visibility and insight, supported by geotagged visual evidence including digital captures of electronic bills of lading (eBOL), trailer conditions, freight integrity, and seal validation. The company could see the ‘story’ of each shipment from origin to delivery, shedding light on the blind spots thieves often exploit.
• Theft deterrence and reduction of shrinkage, with drivers confirming carton counts and providing the exact number of cartons shipped, as well as verification that trailers were properly sealed before departure. 
• Optimized claims and financial restitution, featuring automated evidence gathering and documentation in the Vector Portal, ready to be digitally shared in the event of an incident. What previously might have taken weeks of back-and-forth was now accelerated by having airtight, digital evidence at the retailer’s fingertips.

With transparency, accountability, and trust at every step of the journey, Vector’s AI helped the retailer achieve faster fraud detection, more reliable POD data, reduced financial exposure, and greater confidence that what is ordered will be exactly what is delivered.

Additional Vector Tools for Effective Cargo Theft Prevention

Beyond PreCheck and AI-powered fraud detection, Vector’s broader platform provides shippers and retailers with even more ways to prevent theft and strengthen supply chain security:

Electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL)

With Vector’s eBOL, shipment documentation is fully digital, eliminating the risk of manipulation or loss associated with paper bills. Shippers, carriers, and receivers all access the same real-time digital version of the document, ensuring accuracy and transparency throughout the process. Each eBOL packet includes photographic evidence, including photos of the trailer, product, and seal, providing irrefutable proof throughout the shipment lifecycle.

• eBOL
• eBOL packet

Yard Management

Cargo theft often happens before trucks even leave the yard. Vector’s Yard Management solution helps operators maintain an accurate, digital inventory of every trailer and its contents on-site. By combining perimeter security with real-time tracking of trailer movements, operators can pinpoint the exact location of goods and respond quickly if anything appears suspicious.

• Yard Management Solution
• Tracking of trailer movements

Document Capture

Drivers are the frontline of supply chain security. With Vector’s Document Capture technology – integrated directly into driver workflows via onboard tablets or smartphones – drivers can instantly upload photographic evidence and shipment documents. This not only reduces paperwork but also creates a secure, time-stamped, digital trail that can be critical for theft prevention and claims resolution.

• Document Capture Technology
• Digital trail

Putting Cargo Theft in the Rear-View with Vector’s Solutions

Cargo fraud and freight theft go far beyond operational disruptions—they can jeopardize revenue, reputation, and customer trust. But as these real-world examples show, theft doesn’t have to be inevitable. With the right technology, businesses can take control of their logistics security and safeguard every shipment.

Using tools like PreCheck and AI-powered document intelligence, Vector customers are transforming their supply chains—reducing theft, eliminating fraud, and accelerating operations through real-time visibility and automation. The result is a safer, smarter, and more resilient logistics network built for the future.

Ready to stop cargo fraud in its tracks? Discover how Vector can protect your supply chain today.