Congress opens the spigot on truck parking funding

Tyson Fisher

When it comes to expanding truck parking, states have been telling the federal government, “Show me the money!” How does more than $1 billion sound?

Although that amount has not yet been allocated, nearly $1.2 billion is on the table. That money comes from three different bills, all of which use language similar to that of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, including prohibitions on paid-parking projects.

One of those bills, a $1.2 trillion spending package, is a done deal. Signed into law in February, that bill set aside $200 million for truck parking expansion. Just a few months later, the Department of Transportation is already getting the ball rolling to dole out that money.

On Tuesday, June 9, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced more than $600 million in infrastructure funding. That includes the $200 million for truck parking from the spending package. The remaining dollars come from previous bills, including the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Now, the federal government is accepting applications due July 15 so it can disburse those funds. The relatively quick turnaround will get truck parking projects moving forward sooner rather than later.

“From our thriving commercial space industry to our hardworking truck drivers, the Trump Administration is delivering for the American people,” Duffy said in a statement. “We are moving at the Speed of Trump to prioritize critical infrastructure needs in grants, move federal dollars out the door, and start turning dirt.”

While states and other public entities try to get a piece of that pie, there may be a much bigger pie ahead.

Currently, a new highway bill awaits a full House vote. In that bill is a near carbon copy of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which would allocate $750 million to parking expansion projects over five years.

“If the next surface transportation reauthorization fails to provide dedicated funding for truck parking, but authorizes even a single penny of funding for new initiatives, OOIDA will use every tool it has to ensure the legislation is defeated,” the Association wrote in 2025. “Based on a history of strong bipartisan support for the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, we are confident the House will again agree this crisis requires federal leadership to solve. Together, we can deliver a key victory for hundreds of thousands of truckers across the country.”

The highway bill still needs to clear both the House and the Senate. During that process, the truck parking provision could be modified or eliminated.

Last week, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD). That bill also includes $200 million for truck parking expansion projects.

If the highway and THUD bills both make it to the finish line as is, that would mean an additional $950 million in funding for truck parking. That’s on top of the $200 million already underway from the spending package in February.

Anything can happen between now and when those bills are signed into law, but 2026 could be a milestone year for publicly available truck parking.

How cargo theft is changing in 2026 Cargo theft losses reach hundreds of millions as strategic, cyber, and driver-based scams reshape trucking security risks.

Jenna Hume

Key takeaways

• Cargo theft losses in 2025 surged to $725M, with confirmed incidents rising and the true impact likely much higher.
• Thieves are using strategic scams, including “Trojan horse” drivers, email infiltration, and double-brokering scheme adjustments.
• Point of pickup remains the weakest link, where high turnover and limited training increase exposure to theft.

168387569 | Vitpho | Dreamstime.com

2025 was a good year for cargo thieves and, consequently, a bad year for the supply chain and the trucking industry. According to Verisk CargoNet, estimated losses rose by 60% to approximately $725 million, though the true figure is likely 10 to 15 times higher. Confirmed cargo thefts rose 18% year over year from 2,243 to 2,646.

CargoNet

The potential silver lining here is that cargo theft awareness is on the rise. According to Andrey Drotenko, president of strategic relations for Verified Carrier, awareness of strategic theft has increased in the industry as such incidents have become increasingly relevant. And this includes best practices to prevent strategic theft.

But cargo thieves are constantly evolving. So far in 2026, cargo theft experts have noted new scams, trends, weaknesses, and more.

Trojan horse scam exploits trucking vetting systems

In response to other cargo theft schemes, the trucking industry has cracked down on verifying the legitimacy of carriers. Unfortunately, in this chess match of cargo theft, the thieves have adjusted accordingly. Freight brokers and fleets are vetting carriers, but can they realistically vet every single truck driver?

“The bad guys, instead of trying to pass through some of these vetting platforms that are out there, send one of their crew members to go work as a driver at a legitimate trucking company,” Scott Cornell, chief risk officer for SPG Cargo & Logistics and chair of TAPA Americas, explained. “So now that the trucking company is a completely legitimate company, they would pass through the vetting process of any of these platforms, no issue-type scenario.”

The driver then hauls loads while communicating with their fellow thieves until a load they want comes up. The driver parks somewhere on their route, walks away, and the thieves swoop in to steal the cargo.

According to Cornell, the truck driver in these situations is often fired for leaving the cargo unsupervised in a breach of protocol. This is what the thieves want, so the driver can get hired somewhere else, and the cycle of theft can continue.

Unaware that they were being used to bypass vetting platforms, the trucking company believes it was a straight theft, when in fact it was a strategic theft. The Trojan horse scam doesn’t become clear until the driver and/or their equipment are connected to past thefts and firings. Experts have just begun to investigate and identify this particular scam.

To prevent this type of theft, Cornell says trucking companies should conduct thorough background checks on drivers. For freight brokers, Cornell recommends requesting drivers who have been employed for more than six months for high-value loads. There are also new and emerging technologies that can help verify drivers at the point of pickup as well as their equipment.

Verified Carrier

Emerging 2026 cargo theft trends reshape freight security risks

So far in 2026, there are a few other cargo theft trends emerging that the industry needs to be aware of.

Cargo thieves use hacking and email infiltration to intercept freight

Technology is not new to cargo thieves, but the sophistication of their technological theft attempts, especially via email, is increasing.

“The level of sophistication right now is increasing, whether [cargo thieves] are trying to have a domain name that looks exactly the same or going a step further and hacking into computers to where they can essentially have a team-viewer level access of what you’re doing,” Drotenko said. “And then they could go and do things from your computer, as if they’re you, and then delete any trace of emails or anything that they did … And I think that’s a new level of sophistication that in this industry hasn’t been a trend, and we’re seeing more of it.”

Cornell also emphasized increased email infiltration efforts from cargo thieves. Thieves are accessing a carrier’s email, intercepting communications, creating their own email address within the carrier’s email, and then bidding on loads. This method has also been used by thieves to commit double-brokering scams and circumvent traditional prevention methods.

Point of pickup remains top vulnerability

Cargo is at its most vulnerable at the point of pickup, a situation that hasn’t improved so far this year.

“The weakest link, though, is still going to be at the point of pickup,” Drotenko explained. “That’s where you have the highest turnover. Those people aren’t the ones who are going out to the conferences; they’re not the ones learning about the latest trends or what to look for.”

Drotenko emphasized the importance of training employees who are primarily at the point of pickup on current cargo theft trends and how to protect themselves from these scams.

Tight freight capacity challenges cargo theft prevention practices

Trucking has seen a tight freight market in 2026, as the U.S. economy has suffered and global unrest continues. For Drotenko, this raises concerns about the industry remembering and following through on cargo theft prevention best practices.

“At the end of the day, when you’re between a rock and a hard place in a tight market, you just don’t have the luxury of getting to say no to a lot of carriers to find a good one,” he explained.

Still, he encourages continuing strong vetting and verification practices, even as capacity tightens.

Overexposure of theft prevention tactics risks aiding cargo criminals

The trucking industry has made great strides in becoming more knowledgeable about cargo theft and sharing insights between fleets, brokers, and carriers, but how this information is shared has become increasingly important.

“The industry has a habit of posting its solutions on social media,” Cornell said. “The intent is good; the intent is ‘we want to help each other prevent theft.’ The problem is the bad guys keep an eye on us. They watch us, and they know what we do. And I think this is a perfect example of how they make adjustments.”

Driver Poll: When you think about staying with a fleet for 3+ years, what matters more than anything else?

Truckers News Staff

Last week we asked, “During orientation, what single problem makes you question whether you should stay with this fleet?”

• 36.63% said, “Pay or bonuses explained differently than before.”
• 27.72% said, “Orientation is disorganized or changes last minute.”
• 23.76% said, “Hometime described differently than before.”
• 11.88% said, “I find out I won’t be getting my truck or getting on the road. when I expected.”

Last week we asked, “What improvement would make you most likely to complete more online applications?”

• 44.23% said, “Shorter first step with only basic information.”
• 40.38% said, “Being able to auto‑fill past job history/documents.”
• 15.38% said, “Having a recruiter finish the full app with me later.”

Last week we asked, “When you see a new trucking job ad, which one detail makes you believe it’s worth your time to look closer?”

• 44.44% said, “Clear weekly pay examples (not just CPM).”\
• 25.25% said, “Exact hometime schedule (days home, days out).”
• 20.2% sad, “Clear description of freight and routes.”
• 10.1% said, “Actual driver quotes.”

Last week we asked: “What is the main thing that turns a “maybe I’ll look around” feeling into “I am now applying for other driving jobs”?

• 48.99% said, “My paycheck drops and stays down.”
• 24.83% said, “My dispatcher/office changes how they treat me.”
• 19.46% said, “Company changes a policy that hurts drivers.”
• 6.71% said, “My home time gets cut back.”

Last week we asked, “If a job ad lists a pay range, where do you expect your weekly pay to fall?”

• 53.21% said, “At the top of the range.”
• 30.13% said, “Somewhere in the middle.”
• 8.97% said, “Below the range they advertised.”
• 7.69% said, “Near the bottom of the range.”

Last week we asked, “When a recruiter first calls you about a driving job, what is most likely to make you decide to end the call early?”

• 38.37% said: “They sound like they’re reading a script.”
• 30.31% said: “They won’t give a straight answer about pay.”
• 15.7% said: “They won’t give a straight answer about home time.”
• 15.12% said: “They talk over me and don’t let me ask questions.”