Compromised Communications Tied to 40% of Reported Stolen Loads

Compromised communications were involved in 40.2% of stolen-load reports received by carrier-verification provider Highway during the third quarter. FreightWaves reported November 7 that criminals increasingly exploit trusted carrier email accounts, familiar phone numbers and established operating authorities, allowing a fraudulent request to appear legitimate even after a broker has completed routine onboarding.

Highway recorded 184 stolen-load reports in its network, down 28.1% from the prior quarter but 8.2% above the same period in 2025. Reports of carrier ownership changes rose 111.4% quarter over quarter, while blocked fraudulent or spoofed calls increased 90.3% year over year. The company cautioned that these are events observed within its own network, not a nationwide cargo-theft total, and no single verification measure explains the quarterly decline.

The report also found that direct theft represented 36.4% of reported stolen loads, up from 31.3% in the second quarter even though the number of direct-theft incidents decreased. Some cases involved legitimate-looking carriers accepting multiple loads before freight was reported missing. Established authority, insurance records and operating history therefore may not prove that the person requesting or collecting a shipment currently controls the business.

Brokers and shippers should independently confirm authorized contacts, driver identity, truck information and last-minute changes before releasing pickup details. Carriers should protect shared inboxes with strong authentication and promptly investigate unexpected password resets, contact edits or rate-confirmation requests. Dispatchers should escalate substitutions rather than relying on a familiar email address alone. The practical lesson is continuous verification: identity checks must continue after onboarding, especially during urgent night, weekend and holiday bookings.