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Freight Fraud IndexQuantifying U.S. freight fraud

Freight Fraud Index · as of May 2026

Quantifying U.S. freight fraud

A transparent monthly index of cargo theft, double-brokering, and cyber-enabled freight fraud — every number traced to a cited source.

estimated U.S. freight-fraud losses

$35B/yrIll

High+5up MoM

Freight Fraud Index: 69 of 100, High, +5 month over month (up)

Cite this
Freight Fraud Index. (May 2026). Freight Fraud Index — May 2026 snapshot (Index 69). Retrieved from https://freightfraudindex.com/m/2026-05
https://freightfraudindex.com/m/2026-05

The Index

The Index over time

The composite Freight Fraud Index stands at 69 of 100 — in the High band, and up 5 points month-over-month.

Freight Fraud Index
Freight Fraud Index
MonthFreight Fraud Index
February 202655
March 202660
April 202664
May 202669

Geography

Where fraud concentrates

Reported incidents by state, with the leading hotspots called out.

Reported incidents by state

State-level incidents. Deeper shades indicate higher incidents.

Alabama: no dataAlaska: no dataArizona: no dataColorado: no dataFlorida: 85Georgia: 90Indiana: no dataKansas: no dataMaine: no dataMassachusetts: no dataMinnesota: no dataNew Jersey: 70North Carolina: no dataNorth Dakota: no dataOklahoma: no dataPennsylvania: no dataSouth Dakota: no dataTexas: 150Wyoming: no dataConnecticut: no dataMissouri: no dataWest Virginia: no dataIllinois: 130New Mexico: no dataArkansas: no dataCalifornia: 180Delaware: no dataDistrict of Columbia: no dataHawaii: no dataIowa: no dataKentucky: no dataMaryland: no dataMichigan: no dataMississippi: no dataMontana: no dataNew Hampshire: no dataNew York: no dataOhio: no dataOregon: no dataTennessee: no dataUtah: no dataVirginia: no dataWashington: no dataWisconsin: no dataNebraska: no dataSouth Carolina: no dataIdaho: no dataNevada: no dataVermont: no dataLouisiana: no dataRhode Island: no data
  • 0–36
  • 36–72
  • 72–108
  • 108–144
  • 144–180
  • No data
Freight-fraud incidents by state
RankStateIncidents
1California180
2Texas150
3Illinois130
4Georgia90
5Florida85
6New Jersey70

Trends

Incidents and losses

Monthly reported incidents and estimated dollar losses.

Reported incidents

Reported incidents
Reported incidents
MonthReported incidents
February 2026880
March 2026950
April 20261,020
May 20261,100

Estimated loss

Estimated loss
Estimated loss
MonthEstimated loss
February 2026$60M
March 2026$68M
April 2026$75M
May 2026$82M

Composition

Fraud-type breakdown

Strategic (double-brokering / identity) vs. straight theft vs. cyber-enabled.

Incidents by fraud type
Incidents by fraud type
TypeIncidents
Strategic theft561
Straight theft360
Cyber-enabled150
Other29

At a glance

Key figures — May 2026

Reported incidents

1,100Car

Estimated loss

$82MCar

$82,000,000

Strategic-fraud share

51%Car

Flagged entities

10,800FMCSA

Why it matters

A problem of national scale

Freight fraud drains billions from the supply chain and has drawn federal attention across policy, enforcement, and legislation.

A federal priority

Supply-chain integrity and freight security are named priorities in national freight planning, putting cargo fraud on the policy agenda.UD

An active enforcement target

Federal alerts have repeatedly warned carriers and brokers about double-brokering, fictitious pickups, and identity-based freight fraud.FI

A legislative response

Proposed legislation aims to tighten carrier vetting and registration to curb fraudulent operators entering the freight network.UC

Transparent by design

How the Index is built

The Freight Fraud Index is a weighted composite of four cited components, scored 0–100 against a fixed baseline. The full formula, weights, and changelog are public.

  • Incident volume 35%
  • Financial loss 35%
  • Strategic-fraud share 20%
  • Flagged-entity growth 10%
Read the full methodology

Built on data from

  • FBI IC3
  • CargoNet (Verisk)
  • FMCSA
  • FreightWaves
  • U.S. DOT
  • U.S. Congress
View all sources with citations →