project44 Launches Autonomous Cargo Theft Prevention as Industry Losses Reach an Estimated $35 Billion

New suite combines route deviation detection, zone monitoring, idle detection, and AI agents that automatically contact carriers when risk events occur, helping teams detect threats earlier and contain losses before they escalate

CHICAGO , June 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- project44, the Decision Intelligence Platform for the modern supply chain, launched Theft Prevention, an AI-powered suite that continuously monitors truckload shipments for signs of cargo theft and automatically triggers carrier outreach when high-risk events occur, reducing the window between incident detection and resolution to minutes. Earlier detection means more recovered cargo, fewer total loss claims, and lower claims frequency across high-value lanes.

Homeland Security Investigations estimates total annual cargo theft losses in the U.S. at up to $35 billion, a figure NICB reports has surged roughly 1,500% since 2021, as organized crime groups shift toward higher-value freight, identity fraud, fictitious carrier schemes, and GPS jamming. In many cases, shippers only learn that a shipment has been stolen after it fails to arrive at its destination, leaving little opportunity to intervene or recover the cargo. When recovery fails, the downstream costs compound: expedite freight, replacement inventory, OTIF penalties, insurance claims, and in some cases, the loss of high-value lane contracts shippers were not willing to insure at any price.

The suite addresses this gap by using AI models and telematics data from ELD providers, trailer sensors, and door sensor feeds to monitor shipments and raise actionable exceptions within minutes of suspicious activity. When an exception is detected, an AI agent automatically contacts the carrier to verify shipment status, providing unlimited, simultaneous coverage across every shipment in a network. Earlier detection increases the probability of cargo recovery before a loss is realized, reducing both claims frequency and the write-offs that follow when cargo is classified as missing.

"AI is only as good as the data behind it. project44 has spent over a decade building a foundation of verified, compounding context across 1.5 billion annual shipments, and that's what standalone security tools can't replicate. That foundation is what makes autonomous response possible and trustworthy, and what turns detection speed into a recoverable outcome rather than an alert that arrives too late," said Jett McCandless, Founder and CEO of project44.

That foundation spans over a decade of operations, a network of over 259,000 active carriers, and over one million autonomous agent communications handled in 2025 alone, giving Theft Prevention a baseline of verified movement patterns that standalone security tools don’t have.

Core capabilities

The initial release includes four core capabilities:

Zone Monitoring: Customers define risky and safe geofences directly within the platform, including theft hotspots, border crossings, and secure parking locations. The system generates proactive approach, entry, dwell, and exit alerts with explainable context, showing zone name, time in zone, and vehicle location. project44 also maintains a curated, regularly updated list of cargo theft hotspots sourced from industry data, helping customers identify risk areas faster and intervene before a theft occurs. Teams can use zone intelligence to inform carrier scorecards, route procurement decisions, and RFP pricing on lanes with elevated risk profiles.

Route Deviation: An AI model continuously compares actual truck movement against an expected route, detecting distance-based and time-based deviations in real-time. Trained on project44's network of 1.5 billion annual shipments, the model derives route baselines automatically from historical lane data when predefined routes aren't available, a capability most standalone theft products lack. Each deviation triggers a timestamped exception showing deviation type, distance or time from baseline, detection location, and shipment identifiers, giving teams the earliest possible signal to intervene before a shipment is lost. Acting on that signal in seconds rather than hours is the difference between cargo recovery and a total loss claim.

Idle Detection: An AI model monitors unscheduled vehicle idling by combining speed thresholds, engine status, and optional door sensor signals to distinguish true idle events from planned stops. When a vehicle idles beyond a configurable threshold, the system raises an explainable exception showing idle duration, vehicle location, and zone context, so teams can act on signals that matter and reduce exposure during the highest-risk moments of a shipment's journey. Precise idle detection also reduces false-positive alert volume, a persistent problem with standalone monitoring tools that forces analysts to manually triage noise before they can respond to real threats.

AI Agents: When a risk exception is detected, an AI agent automatically initiates carrier outreach to verify shipment status and confirm driver location and escalate when contact cannot be established, enabling teams to contain incidents faster and improve the odds of cargo recovery. This autonomous response layer means a single analyst can cover significantly more lanes simultaneously than was previously possible without adding headcount or manual monitoring workflows.

Risk intelligence built into existing workflows

Theft Prevention delivers exceptions directly within project44’s platform on the shipment detail pages, listings, and homepage snapshot. Teams can filter, export, and act on risk exceptions using the same platform they already rely on for visibility, mitigating cargo theft by reducing the time between a risk signal and a response.

For shippers operating on high-value lanes in pharma, electronics, and food and beverage, that capability also opens freight that previously carried too much risk to bid competitively. Insurers increasingly price premiums and renewal terms based on telematics posture; customers who can demonstrate active monitoring and rapid response have a measurable advantage at renewal.

"project44 has significantly improved the quality and reliability of our shipment data, giving us the confidence to make faster, better-informed decisions across our entire network. Having this level of visibility integrated into the platform we already use on a daily basis means that Agrosuper teams—both in Chile and around the world—spend less time searching for information and more time acting on it,” said Susana Carvajal, Head of International Logistics at Agrosuper.

project44 processes telematics and sensor data in accordance with its privacy policy and applicable law, minimizing the storage of personal driver data and retaining it only as necessary to secure shipments.

Looking Ahead

Future releases planned for 2026 will expand the suite with capabilities including expanded AI Agent use cases, GPS spoofing detection, and unified risk scoring across shipments. Theft Prevention is now available globally. To learn more or request a demo, visit project44.com.

About project44

project44 is the Decision Intelligence Platform for the modern supply chain. Its context-based AI transforms fragmented logistics management into unified intelligence, bringing certainty to global supply chain operations. With intelligent transportation management, end to end visibility, yard management and last mile solutions, project44 connects over 1.5 billion shipments annually for over 1,000 leading brands in manufacturing, automotive, retail, life sciences, food and beverage, CPG, and oil, chemical and gas. Learn more at project44.com.

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