Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, April 24, 2025:
Prominent cargo thieves placed under arrest by Los Angeles police, with a huge recovery of stolen property
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) this week announced the arrest of two members of what they're calling the "South American Theft Group" (SATG), along with the recovery of nearly $4 million in stolen property.
The Los Angeles Police Department recovered $1.2 million in stolen tequila, speakers, coffee, clothing, shoes, body wash, and pet food, in addition to $2.7 million in bitcoin mining computers.Los Angeles Police Department
Detectives made the arrests after an extensive investigation that included multiple follow-ups and various search warrants at storage unit facilities in the San Fernando Valley. CTU detectives recovered more than $1.2 million in stolen tequila, speakers, coffee, clothing, shoes, body wash, and pet food. Additionally, CTU detectives recovered a stolen shipment of bitcoin-mining computers, valued at $2.7 million, from LAX airport as the shipment was about to be loaded onto a plane headed to Hong Kong.
The suspects were subsequently booked at the LAPD’s jail in Van Nuys, California. Borrero-Manchola was arrested for Receiving Stolen Property and was cited and released. Martinez-Ramos was arrested on a no bail warrant.
LAPD said the case highlights the ongoing collaborative efforts among law enforcement agencies to combat cargo theft and protect the integrity of commercial transport operations. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional arrests may follow.
[Related: Congress looks to tamp down cargo theft]
Truck Meet at the Crossroads one week hence | Join Horse & Buggy Accessories, Dynaflex and other event organizers, sponsors and scads of your fellow truck owners in California, Missouri, next weekend for this event. Registration at the gate is $50, and further details for contacts are in the flyer shown here. If you'll be out at the show yourself, be on the lookout for Overdrive editor Todd Dills and come by and say hi.
Insurance costs, in-cab monitoring among research priorities for ATRI
The American Transportation Research Institute’s Board of Directors recently approved the 2025 Top Research Priorities identified by the organization’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC).
ATRI’s RAC selected a diverse set of research priorities designed to address some of the industry’s most critical issues, including rising insurance costs, driver training, improving safety performance and addressing cabotage violations. The 2025 ATRI Top Research Priorities are:
Rising Insurance Costs and Self-Insurance Motivations. Prior ATRI research identified the impact of rising insurance costs on motor carriers, which included carriers reducing coverage levels, raising deductibles and increasing safety technology deployment. This new research will expand that methodology to document current commercial auto insurance trends and investigate the growing role of insurance captives and self-insurance retentions.
[Related: Owner-ops see trucking insurance savings with tech, shopping around]
Efficacy of Entry-Level Driver Training on Safety Outcomes. FMCSA’s 2022 Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) mandate requires that new entrant truck drivers complete a structured program of theory and behind-the-wheel instruction before taking the CDL skills test. While the ELDT was designed to improve safety outcomes, concerns persist about the effectiveness of training programs in preparing drivers for real-world challenges. Prior ATRI research examined the relationship between driver training curricula and safety outcomes. This new research will build on that work by expanding the use of safety data and statistical models to determine the safety impacts of the mandated ELDT regimen.
Safety Impacts of In-Cab Monitoring. With continued advances in technology focused on in-cab monitoring, more fleets are turning to these systems to better understand driver behaviors in the cab. Prior ATRI research focused on driver perspectives of these systems, specifically driver-facing cameras. This new research will collect confidential in-cab technology data to identify any statistical relationship between in-cab monitoring systems and improvements in safety outcomes. The research will also map specific carrier and driver strategies for managing in-cab data that improve safety outcomes.
[Related: Can AI transform the prying eyes of in-cab cameras for the better?]
Capitalizing on Telematics Data. Telematics technologies have been available to the trucking industry for several decades for asset tracking and driver communications, but today’s telematics deliver expanded functionalities, including vehicle performance and maintenance, and safety and compliance monitoring. However, not all carriers are equipped to fully leverage evolving telematics data to improve operations. This research will create a compendium of data tools and applications for carriers of all sizes to better utilize telematics to improve operational performance.
Understanding the Prevalence and Impact of Cabotage Violations. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) permits limited cross-border freight transportation between the U.S. and its trading partners in Mexico and Canada, provided that non-U.S. domiciled truck drivers limit their operations to dedicated deliveries of Mexican/Canadian goods to a U.S. shipper. Cabotage violations occur when non-domiciled carriers engage in point-to-point deliveries within the U.S. These cabotage violations can result in unfair competition by undercutting pricing and taking jobs away from U.S.-based trucking companies. This research will seek to quantify the frequency, scale and impact of these cabotage violations.
[Related: Cabotage across the pond: How deregulatory moves in the EU sparked backlash]
Progressive launches new insurance coverage
Progressive Insurance this month announced the launch of a new insurance endorsement that expands cargo insurance coverage purchased by owner-operators and other Progressive customers.
Progressive’s Motor Truck Cargo coverage offers protection in the event a truck driver is legally liable for damage to covered property while in the trucker’s exclusive physical custody and control. The new Cargo Plus endorsement protects truckers by expanding coverage for perils attributed to wetness, rust, and corrosion, and covers perils attributed to driver error and changes in temperature on refrigerated loads for customers that purchase Refrigeration Breakdown coverage.
The Cargo Plus endorsement is automatically included on new Progressive policies with Motor Truck Cargo coverage. Existing Progressive customers with Motor Truck Cargo or Refrigeration Breakdown coverage can immediately benefit from enhanced coverage under Cargo Plus prior to renewal.
With Cargo Plus, Progressive is delivering additional protection to for-hire truckers with Motor Truck Cargo coverage to help them move forward with the confidence of knowing they’ve got the coverage they need, the company said. For-hire truckers carry Motor Truck Cargo coverage to protect the goods they are transporting, making it an important part of securing loads with brokers and shippers.
“We routinely evaluate areas where we can enhance our product to become a destination for truck insurance, and the new Cargo Plus endorsement advances that goal,” said Peter Niro, Truck Product Development Manager at Progressive. “Our trucking customers rely on Progressive Commercial for a broad range of insurance solutions, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service. The new Cargo Plus endorsement allows us to better serve the coverage needs of our trucking customers.”
The new Cargo Plus coverage is currently available in 42 states. The eight states where it’s not yet offered are: California, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina and Virginia. Subject to regulatory approval, Progressive said it plans to have the Cargo Plus endorsement available in 49 states by May 21 and in all states by the end of 2025. Refrigeration Breakdown coverage is not available for policies written in California and Florida.
[Related: How to navigate the trucking insurance market to save at renewal]
