Fight Against Cargo Theft

CORCA Moves Forward: A Potential Turning Point in the Fight Against Cargo Theft

 

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) has taken a major step forward, advancing out of the House Judiciary Committee and heading toward a wider Congressional vote. While CORCA originated as a bill focused on combating organized retail crime, it has quickly become legislation with significant implications for the trucking industry and the growing threat of cargo theft.

At the center of the bill is the creation of a new federal body: the Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center, housed within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This center would strengthen communication and collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as private retail crime associations. The aim is a unified national strategy—one capable of targeting organized crime rings that increasingly operate across both retail and supply chain environments.

Scott Cornell, VP of Transportation Risk & Strategy and Crime & Theft Specialist for Logistic Insurance Solutions, notes that the bill’s broad framework made it adaptable to the cargo theft problem. “It started off as an organized retail crime bill,” Cornell said, “but different members within law enforcement saw it and thought, ‘the bones of this bill are such that just some added basic language around cargo theft’” could give trucking the resources it needs to fight back.

 

CORCA would also amend Title 18 of the U.S. Code to expand criminal forfeiture options for crimes involving interstate shipments, transportation of stolen goods, and the sale or receipt of stolen items. This would strengthen law enforcement's ability to disrupt organized theft rings—groups that have become increasingly sophisticated in targeting truckloads of high‑value freight.

Previous attempts to pass similar legislation stalled in earlier Congressional sessions, but the current version is gaining real traction. For carriers, logistics companies, and insurers, CORCA represents a potentially meaningful shift in federal focus toward protecting our nation’s supply chain.

As this legislation progresses, Bay Shore Insurance will continue to monitor updates and keep our clients informed about new enforcement efforts, risk considerations, and resources that may soon be available to help combat cargo theft.