Cory Booker

From Port Newark-Elizabeth to the highways that carry freight across the Northeast, New Jersey is a gateway for American commerce. Sadly, it has also become a prime target for cargo theft.

In just a few weeks this spring, thieves hit communities across the Garden State: 1,000 cases of frozen shrimp stolen in Kearny; nearly 800 cases of electronics lifted in Edison; cosmetics heists in South Hackensack and Wharton worth hundreds of thousands of dollars; and 26 pallets of orthotic footwear taken in Norwood. Different New Jersey towns. Same playbook.

Thieves target high-demand goods like food, electronics, and everyday consumer products because they can be resold quickly and are nearly impossible to trace. Organized theft rings operate throughout New Jersey as part of coordinated, multi-state schemes, treating cargo theft like a business—with repeatable tactics and steady returns. They have mastered cyber tactics that repeatedly put them one step ahead of law enforcement.

The impact is staggering. Cargo theft costs the trucking industry $18 million every day. Major U.S. railroads saw losses top $200 million last year — a 50% year-over-year jump. According to Verisk CargoNet, cargo theft incidents in New Jersey rose 50% in 2025, making it the highest year-over-year spike among all states.

That can change now.

Sen. Cory Booker has an opportunity to help the Senate pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), a bipartisan bill that would finally bring a coordinated federal response to strike back against increasingly sophisticated cargo thieves.

CORCA would improve real-time data sharing and finally give law enforcement the tools to track and dismantle these criminal networks before the next load vanishes. The House of Representatives recently passed the bill with overwhelming bipartisan support, and the Senate is the only stop left before CORCA can go to the White House to be signed into law.

For New Jersey, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Every stolen shipment hurts local businesses, squeezes truckers and rail workers, and ultimately shows up in higher prices for families at the checkout line.

This is the last thing consumers need at a time of spiked gas prices and persistent inflation. Sen. Cory Booker, who has long championed economic fairness and public safety, now has a chance to support legislation that would deliver both.

Otherwise, increasingly sophisticated criminals will continue to run rampant.

They impersonate legitimate carriers, hacking load boards and rerouting shipments mid-transit—often stealing six-and-seven-figures’ worth of goods in a single hit.

Fraudulent carriers using stolen identities are hijacking loads along major highway and rail corridors, while enforcement remains fragmented. Stolen cargo can cross state lines in hours, but investigations don’t. There’s no centralized, real-time system to track patterns, and penalties rarely match the scale of the crime. The result is exactly what you’d expect: low risk, high reward.

It’s time to flip that calculus.

The House has done its part by passing CORCA. Now the Senate must act.

Sen. Booker can help finish the job.

Chris Spear is the president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, and Ian Jefferies is the president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads.