Organized crime gangs in the UK are targeting lorries, stealing goods and causing stress among drivers. Lorry drivers are demanding more secure truck stops to prevent cargo from being stolen. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has called on the government to create a freight crime offence and a national truck parking security standard to combat theft. Criminal gangs are stealing popular consumer items such as alcohol, tobacco, electricals and clothing by slashing curtain sides or bolt-crop trailer doors. Cargo loads are then divided and sold on various online platforms, wholesalers, and in backstreet cash and carries.
The UK government is working with a group whose vehicle crime specialists are sharing information with police forces to tackle regional criminal issues. However, there is no precise figure of how many incidents occur in the UK. In 2023, there were over 5,000 incidents of lorry crimes that equated to a £68m loss of goods, according to the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS). Industry experts believe the real amount could be seven times higher. Hauliers have also reported their lorries being targeted even in “secure” truck stops. Each curtain tear costs roughly £100 to repair, which increases expenses, and hauliers will pass those costs onto consumers.
Although cargo thefts are concerning for lorry drivers, an increasingly perilous way of stealing cargo has emerged in the UK. The “rollover” theft is on the rise and typically occurs on long, straight highways and in the dark. This implies that the “follower” thief will drive their car directly behind a fast-moving lorry without detection. They then climb out of the sunroof of the car behind, jump on the lorry’s bonnet, angle grind, undo the back doors of the trailer, and steal cargo. There have been nine “rollover” thefts recorded in the UK so far, resulting in significant bodily injury.
The RHA, hauliers, and drivers stress the need for more secure truck stops and for existing sites to upgrade their security measures. The British Parking Association (BPA) introduced the Park Mark Freight scheme in 2022 in response to the level of cargo theft. Despite accrediting nearly 50 sites, the BPA has only accredited 10 truck stops that have had “zero to little crime.” The need for more secure truck stops is critical, and stakeholders must work together to fight organized crime gangs that prey on lorry drivers
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