As reported by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) in 2025, cargo theft costs the truck industry more than $18 million per day. Wabash says its new solution is designed to help shippers, carriers and 3PLs transition from after-the-fact loss response to earlier detection and clearer accountability by providing verified access, exception alerts and an end-to-end record of custody.
According to Wabash, its patent pending integrated solution pairs a digitally connected cargo door and intelligent locking system with the TrailerHawk.AI technology platform to link physical access control with real-time visibility and actionable assurance events to help prevent cargo theft.
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“The industry can no longer afford to rely on disconnected cargo security tools that lack true access control and don’t verify who is touching the freight,” says Brett Suma, managing director at Wabash. “Wabash is taking a new approach to overcoming these challenges with our cargo assurance solution, showing how the trailer itself becomes part of a secure, connected system that helps prevent theft.”
Traditional cargo security tools such as disposable seals and passive tracking devices offer limited protection and little control. Wabash says its cargo assurance solution combines a purpose-built cargo door and intelligent locking system with TrailerHawk.AI’s connected platform, delivering real-time visibility and alerts wherever the cargo travels. The new solution transforms cargo assurance from passive monitoring into active assurance by creating multiple secure points of contact at the cargo door, enabling encrypted communication, in-transit monitoring and proactive intervention, the company says.
The solution is also designed to combat “strategic” or orchestrated cargo theft, where legitimate drivers are unknowingly used in fraud schemes due to broken information chains. By validating driver identity and carrier relationships and connecting those checks to physical access at the cargo door, customers can reduce uncertainty at handoffs and strengthen in-transit control, Wabash says.
“Wabash is redefining how the industry approaches cargo protection and creating a shift from loss mitigation to proactive risk prevention that safeguards assets, operations and customer trust,” Suma adds. “We are already seeing customers overcome cargo security challenges by connecting digital identity, physical access control and chain-of-custody tracking.”
