NaVCIS reported 3,424 HGV cargo crimes in 2025 — about nine a day. Most occurred at independent parking locations such as industrial estates and laybys, while 699 took place at motorway service stations.
Curtain slashing was the most common method, with the West Midlands, East Yorkshire and Humberside, the Southeast and the East Midlands remaining the most vulnerable regions.
Freight crime is hard to track because the Home Office has no dedicated crime code, so incidents are often recorded more broadly as theft from a motor vehicle.
Other reported methods included trailer hook-up thefts, cloned tractor units, jump-up thefts in traffic and 16 cases of load fraud or bogus collections.
The M1 is a frequent target for electrical goods because major technology, electrical and mobile phone distribution centres are located nearby in Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.
The most vulnerable regions were unchanged from 2024, and 324 arrests were made.
Further information:
https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/nine-thefts-a-day-from-trucks-in-2025