Inside the Rise of Cargo Theft W/ Keith Lewis

"I want your phone numbers, I want your internet domain, I want everything, your PO box, everything. Now I've become you." - Keith Lewis, Vice President of Operations at Verisk CargoNet

A purchased MC (motor carrier) number, sometimes bought for as little as $5,000, can turn a stranger into a fully credentialed trucking company overnight. It can make them look trustworthy enough that you hand them a truckload full of valuable inventory.

Keith Lewis, Vice President of Operations at Verisk CargoNet, spent 26 years in law enforcement before joining CargoNet's crime analyst unit, and in this episode he walks Kelly Barner through how cargo theft has evolved from truck-stop break-ins into an organized, border-spanning business chasing the highest-value freight in the network.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Keith and Kelly explore:

- Why a single load bound for an AI data center can be worth $20 to $30 million — and how that's changed what thieves target

- How purchased MC numbers and misdirected loads let criminals become "legitimate" carriers in a matter of days

- Why a $400,000 lobster theft and a $400,000 copper theft have completely different endings

- Why most stolen freight is never recovered, and the one document that determines whether it can be

Links:

Keith Lewis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-lewis-08b55817/

Kelly Barner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-barner-6884443/

Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/art-of-supply-6895142546301960193