Cargo crime climbs across Europe as Germany leads March tally

TAPA EMEA recorded 5,719 cargo-crime incidents across 51 countries in March 2026, with around EUR 18.5 million in disclosed losses across the 336 cases where victims reported a value. The Transported Asset Protection Association in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (TAPA EMEA) published the figures on 2026-05-22 through its monthly Intelligence System update. For road freight operators, the data shows where organised theft pressure stayed concentrated through the first quarter of 2026.

Where the losses are concentrated

Germany topped the country ranking with 1,295 incidents in March 2026. Italy followed with 867, France with 850, the United Kingdom with 761 and Spain with 682, as summarised by trans.info on 2026-05-22 . Poland came sixth with 338 cases, ahead of the Czech Republic (207), Slovakia (94) and the Netherlands (45). The average disclosed loss per incident was EUR 54,797 across the month. For the 56 cases where stolen goods exceeded EUR 100,000, the average rose to EUR 259,004.

The single largest recorded loss came from Spain. On 2026-03-17, a coordinated gang targeted a logistics facility in Toledo and removed 58 vehicles in one operation, with losses estimated at EUR 1.5 million. Daily losses across the EMEA region averaged EUR 593,934 in March 2026. TAPA EMEA has previously estimated that cargo crime now costs the wider logistics industry close to EUR 8.2 billion every year .

Why most thefts happen at informal stops

The location split is the clearest operational signal in the new dataset. Of the 5,719 incidents, 4,412 (77.15 percent) were logged with the parking location marked as unknown, and a further 400 (6.99 percent) were attached to unclassified parking areas. Only five incidents were recorded at certified secure parking sites. The dominant method of attack was forced entry, mostly curtain slashing on tarpaulin trailers, logged in 3,681 cases. Violence or direct threats against drivers were noted in 303 incidents.

That picture is consistent with the wider shortage of safe and secure parking areas across the European Union. The European Commission's mobility and transport portal sets out the EU Parking Standard adopted under Commission Delegated Regulation 2022/1012. It uses four cumulative security levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and points to over EUR 91 million in Connecting Europe Facility grants signed for new sites in ten Member States. Even so, a European Parliament study published in 2025 estimated the current gap at 390,057 spaces. Under Regulation 2024/1679, Member States have to ensure certified sites are spaced no more than 150 kilometres apart on the core and extended core network by 2040-12-31.

What carriers can do this quarter

For dispatchers and fleet managers, the practical response sits in routing and stop planning, not in waiting for new infrastructure. TAPA EMEA's Parking Security Requirements (PSR) network now covers about 230 sites across 17 European countries and roughly 20,000 spaces. Operators can filter for those locations when building schedules through the EU Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas database. Driver-awareness routines should sit alongside it. No idle stops on unclassified verges, no high-value loads parked at "unknown" locations, and no overnight halts within the last hour of a delivery window. Those three rules address the categories that drive most reported losses.

The driver-shortage backdrop matters here too. The IRU's 2024 Global Truck Driver Shortage Report put vacant HGV driver positions in Europe at around 426,000 in 2024 and listed poor rest facilities among the factors pushing drivers out of the profession. Better stop planning is therefore both a security measure and a retention measure. For operators planning summer corridors into the same markets that dominated March 2026, our guides on country-by-country fuel pricing and seasonal driving bans help align stop windows with certified sites.

Reviewing your security and stop policies before the summer peak? Request a quote with Logifie or talk to our team . We route loads through Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Spain while keeping cargo at certified secure parking sites.