Pilot Truck Stop - Hesperia, CA

First, by way of introduction, I'm an employee of Great West Casualty Company. Just wanted to share some potentially helpful information with forum members. Please share with others as you see fit:

One of our cargo theft investigators has seen a recent spike in the number of thefts being reported from Pilot Truck Stop in Hesperia, CA. Truckers traveling through Southern CA should be aware of the potential risk. Especially at risk are loaded trailers dropped and left unattended at this location, however the most recent theft report we received was of a tractor, trailer, and cargo.

 

I don't know all the details of the most recent theft (the investigator just sent out a generic alert), but assume that most of the recent thefts have been loaded, unattended trailers. Pin locks and pad locks don't necessarily stop cargo thieves, especially when you're talking about high value loads, as they don't really want the trailer - they're willing to cut the doors off the hinges or cut through the side wall of the trailer to get the merchandise they're after. We often don't even get a chance to recover the cargo, as the thieves remove it from the trailer and use runners to take it down South of the border.

You're correct, many insurance carriers won't cover cargo for theft while unattended (although my company doesn't exclude unattended theft), which is even more of a reason folks should be aware of this risk.

 

You'd be surprised. There are rings, or gangs of cargo thieves in SoCal that treat it as a job. They scout out certain shipping facilities, pay off guys at the loading docks (lumpers, loaders, etc.), to tell them when the load leaves, and follow the tractor/trailer down the road to take advantage when the driver stops to eat/use the restroom/take a break. We've even had situations where they got really aggressive, followed a driver out with a bobtail tractor, forced him to pull over, and held him at gunpoint while stealing the loaded trailer.

Just google "Cargo Theft Ring," and you'll find some crazy stories from all over the U.S.