Criminal gangs stole or targeted more than €1.02 billion of freight across the UK and Europe in the 18 months to 30 June 2026 — an average of over €1.8 million every 24 hours.

The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) EMEA recorded more than 58,000 freight thefts across 101 countries in the region over the period. Only 7.8 percent of reported incidents included a loss value, meaning the true scale of losses is almost certainly higher.

Speaking to secure parking and payments provider SNAP, TAPA described criminal networks operating with increasing organisation and division of labour. Specialist groups handle intelligence gathering, surveillance, theft, transportation, storage and resale of stolen goods — an industrialised pipeline rather than opportunistic crime.

Methods evolve beyond curtain-slashing

Curtain slashing and theft from unsecured parking areas remain persistent threats. But TAPA says criminals are adding fake carriers, identity theft, fictitious collections, document fraud and cyber-enabled attacks to their toolkit.

Booking systems, cargo data, social media and commercially sensitive information are being exploited to identify valuable shipments before they move. Pharmaceuticals, electronics, food, alcohol, tobacco and vehicle parts rank among the high-demand commodities deliberately targeted — bad news for shippers of high-value pharma and electronics loads who now face premeditated, intelligence-led attacks rather than random risk.

For forwarders and carriers, fictitious collections and fake-carrier fraud carry a particular commercial sting: goods handed over to a bogus operator often leave the legal liability chain contested between shipper, forwarder and insurer. Road feeder services serving the air cargo sector are among the operations being threatened by these new methods.

The simplest vulnerability

Despite the growing sophistication, TAPA flags one of the biggest vulnerabilities as disarmingly simple: where a vehicle stops. The association warns that "Freight at Rest is Freight at Risk", with most thefts occurring while vehicles sit parked for mandatory rest breaks, overnight stops or unexpected delays.

A structural parking shortfall compounds the problem. According to the European Commission, the EU is short of 390,057 safe and secure parking spaces for professional drivers — a gap projected to widen to 483,000 by 2040.

Operators across mainland Europe increasingly have access to TAPA Parking Security Requirements (PSR)-certified facilities. The UK, by contrast, still has relatively few independently certified secure truck parks, leaving drivers reliant on motorway service areas, industrial estates and other unsecured locations that attract organised criminals.

TAPA stresses that secure parking goes beyond CCTV or perimeter fencing. Effective sites combine physical infrastructure with controlled access, surveillance, active management, lighting, trained personnel, documented procedures and incident response. Standards such as TAPA PSR and ESPORG assess these wider measures and provide independent assurance.

Planning ahead

SNAP argues better access to secure parking, and the ability to plan stops in advance, can cut exposure to cargo crime. Digital booking gives greater confidence that a space will be available on arrival, reducing the likelihood that drivers are forced into unsecured locations when secure sites are full. Technologies such as ANPR can validate drivers and vehicles so only authorised users enter participating sites.

"Cargo crime is becoming increasingly sophisticated, but one of the fundamental risks remains incredibly simple: where a vehicle stops. Drivers have to take legally required breaks, and they should be able to do that somewhere that protects both them and the load they are carrying. Secure parking therefore needs to be considered as part of journey planning from the outset, particularly when transporting high-value or high-risk goods. Technology can help fleets plan ahead, secure appropriate parking and make better use of the infrastructure already available across Europe. But ultimately, tackling cargo crime requires collaboration across the entire industry," said Nick Long, head of UK commercial at SNAP.

The commercial implications are clear for shippers moving high-value goods on European road legs: route planning, carrier vetting and parking selection now function as loss-prevention controls, not just operational logistics. Insurers are likely to look ever harder at where and how freight rests.

Closing Europe's secure parking gap will require continued investment, improvements to existing facilities, recognised security standards, and closer collaboration between governments, local authorities, parking providers, transport operators, insurers and industry associations. With the EU's safe-parking deficit set to grow towards 483,000 spaces by 2040, cargo crime exposure on European roads looks set to rise before it falls.