Cargo thefts spiked 68% in Q4, led by food and beverage freight

News Snapshot:

When trade operator Mary Sandoval recently sent a truck to pick up a load of avocados from a warehouse in Laredo, Texas, she was appalled when the load and tractor-trailer vanished without a trace almost immediately after leaving the facility. “The truck showed up to the warehouse, gave the warehouse the load pick up number and then drove off and disappeared,” Sandoval said. “We never heard from them, and don’t know where the avocados went.” Sandoval, whose name has been changed for this story, spoke to FreightWaves on condition of anonymity. It’s the second time Sandoval’s Texas-based logistics brokerage has...