Most Americans never see cargo theft happen, but they often pay the price through higher costs, product shortages and supply chain disruptions.
Donna Lemm’s lived experience
When Donna Lemm speaks about cargo theft, she is not speaking as an observer. She is speaking as someone who has lived through it. During her keynote discussion at the Fraud Symposium at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Lemm delivered a message that was equal parts warning, encouragement and call to action. While much of the industry’s conversation around cargo theft focuses on statistics, technology and criminal tactics, her message centered on something else entirely: people.
For decades, Lemm has been a respected voice in transportation and logistics. Today, she serves as chief strategy officer at IMC Logistics. Donna has become one of the industry’s most visible advocates in the fight against organized cargo theft. Her efforts took her to Washington, D.C., where she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 2025 about cargo theft, organized retail crime and their growing impact on the nation’s supply chain.
“It’s a little scary,” she admitted when discussing her congressional testimony.
Preparation, authenticity, and a commitment to telling the truth helped carry her through. She described the experience not as a political exercise, but as an opportunity to represent an industry facing a problem that has grown far beyond isolated theft incidents. Looking back, she emphasized the human element of the experience. Despite the formality of the hearing room, she found encouragement in the interactions she had with lawmakers and staff members who understood the importance of the issue and were willing to listen.
When cargo theft became something bigger
The issue became personal years ago. During her keynote, Lemm described an incident involving two stolen loads taken from an IMC Logistics facility in St. Louis. IMC Logistics was the victim in the incident; the company’s freight was stolen, and the alleged criminal activity was carried out by third parties unknown to the company at the time.
According to Lemm, local authorities initially treated the matter as an insurance issue before federal investigators later contacted the company regarding the stolen equipment. She said investigators later told her they had recovered the stolen trailers and that cash had allegedly been concealed inside the reefer units. Lemm also said she was told the shipment may have been headed out of state, possibly toward the southern border.
During her testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Lemm similarly recounted the incident and said investigators believed the recovered equipment may have been connected to a broader organized theft investigation.
The account is based on Lemm’s keynote remarks and Senate testimony describing what investigators told her following the recovery of the stolen equipment. FreightWaves has not independently verified the investigative details, the reported discovery of cash inside the recovered units, the alleged destination of the shipment, or any potential connection to a broader organized or transnational criminal operation.
Security can no longer be an afterthought
“How do you know it’s bigger than us?” she asked the audience. “You start talking and other people start talking.”
Those conversations have revealed what Lemm believes is a troubling reality. During her keynote, she described what she sees as an increase in the aggressiveness and sophistication of criminal groups targeting freight moving through the supply chain.
Lemm pointed to trains stopped in remote areas, unattended containers and unsecured freight staging areas as examples of vulnerabilities that organized theft groups can exploit. In many cases, she said, the criminals are not targeting a specific shipment but rather looking for opportunities.
As described during her keynote, organized theft groups may board trains stopped in isolated areas, break seals and search for valuable cargo. Lemm argued that even when cargo is not stolen, tampering can create significant losses, particularly for refrigerated and perishable shipments.
These observations reflect Lemm’s assessment based on her industry experience and discussions with supply chain stakeholders. FreightWaves has not independently verified the specific trends, incidents or examples referenced in her remarks.
“We never once thought about the value and security of the goods,” she said while reflecting on earlier stages of her career. “We were talking only about speed.”
That mindset is no longer enough. Throughout the discussion, Lemm repeatedly returned to the importance of verification, authentication and physical security. She encouraged shippers, brokers and logistics providers to ask tougher questions about where freight is being staged, how facilities are secured, and what protections exist beyond basic compliance requirements. In her view, security can no longer be treated as a secondary consideration or a discussion centered solely around cost. The industry must understand where freight is going, who is handling it and what safeguards are actually in place.
Building a coalition around freight security
Perhaps the most powerful part of Lemm’s keynote was not about theft at all. It was about collaboration. She expressed optimism about the growing coalition of stakeholders coming together to address freight fraud and cargo theft. Industry organizations, law enforcement agencies, trade associations, carriers, technology providers and security professionals are increasingly willing to work together rather than operate in isolation. She believes meaningful progress is finally possible because more people are recognizing that no single company, organization or government agency can solve this problem alone.
“I am so encouraged,” she told attendees. “We’re learning from each other.”
That spirit of cooperation has become a central theme in many of the industry’s recent conversations. Including ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships between private-sector stakeholders and government agencies. For Lemm, however, success depends on reaching beyond transportation. One of the biggest challenges, she explained, is helping consumers understand why cargo theft matters. Most Americans never see the theft. They only experience the consequences through higher prices, product shortages and supply chain disruptions. Connecting those dots remains one of the industry’s most important responsibilities.
“If we can give this same message to people that don’t understand how they got that shirt on their back or that food on their table, and we can move them, we can do anything,” she said. It is a message she continues to carry despite the challenges.
When asked whether the constant effort ever becomes exhausting, her answer was immediate.
“Yes, I do.”
She explained that the work can be exhausting at times. But she finds energy in the people who continue to step forward and demand change. She encouraged attendees to become advocates themselves and help carry the message beyond the transportation industry.
That may have been the most important takeaway from her keynote. Cargo theft and freight fraud affect far more than the companies that move freight. They impact the cost, availability and reliability of the products Americans depend on every day. According to Donna Lemm, meaningful change will come when enough people decide they care enough to act.
Source: FreightWaves
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
