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Last week, we took the fight against the criminals behind the trucking industry’s growing cargo theft crisis straight to Capitol Hill—and into the national spotlight. In a high-impact week of advocacy, legislative action, and media appearances, we mobilized to confront a rapidly growing crisis that threatens our nation’s truckers and entire supply chain.

From powerful testimony before the Senate to high-profile media appearances, we made it clear: cargo theft is no longer a localized problem. It is an organized, escalating, and deeply disruptive national threat—and it demands immediate federal action.

A Critical Hearing on Capitol Hill

On Tuesday, Donna Lemm, Chief Strategy Officer at IMC Logistics and a longtime leader in the intermodal community, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

IMC Logistics Chief Strategy Officer Donna Lemm testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.

With ATA’s strong support, Lemm offered a sobering and powerful firsthand account of how cargo theft has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise. Lemm’s testimony brought undeniable urgency to the room and underscored the vital role that carriers, shippers, and federal lawmakers must play in confronting the threat head-on.

����Ӱҵworked closely with bipartisan leaders on the Senate Judiciary Committee—including Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R), Ranking Member Sen. Dick Durbin (D), and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D)—to ensure this hearing happened. It was a pivotal moment to move the conversation beyond headlines and into the policymaking arena.

Driving Legislative Momentum: Support for CORCA

Core to Tuesday’s hearing and central to ATA’s advocacy this month has been our full-fledged support for the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA).

Introduced by Sens. Grassley and Cortez Masto, CORCA would create a centralized enforcement hub within the Department of Homeland Security, facilitate real-time data sharing across agencies, and equip law enforcement with the tools and coordination needed to dismantle criminal networks involved in cargo theft and organized retail crime.

Just as importantly, it would establish a national cargo theft database that would be a powerful tool for law enforcement and industry stakeholders alike. With the average value of each theft at more than $200,000 and cargo theft up by more than 1500% since 2021, we stressed to lawmakers that there is no time to waste in passing CORCA.

Taking the Fight to the Media

����ӰҵPresident and CEO Chris Spear expanded the reach of our message with several national media appearances. Alongside Lemm, he joined to speak on the alarming rise in organized cargo thefts hitting cities like Chicago—a key freight hub where multimillion-dollar losses are now increasingly common.

Later that day, he appeared on NewsNation’s to highlight how these criminal rings exploit outdated enforcement systems and pose threats to all commodities, from electronics to pharmaceuticals to food.

In his op-eds published in and , Spear urged Congress to act swiftly. He wrote, “cargo thieves are plundering America blind,” and warned that without modernized enforcement, these crimes will only accelerate.

Spear made clear: these thefts are not isolated crimes. They are part of a larger, organized, and often tech-enabled epidemic—one that is driving up costs for carriers and consumers alike, and fueling other illicit activity across the U.S. and beyond.

CORCA, he explained, is the practical, bipartisan solution we need—and ����Ӱҵwill continue to advocate for its passage until it’s signed into law.