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The bill would facilitate the creation of a multi-agency division that would include a road map for eliminating retail theft operations. (Al Drago/Bloomberg)

A bipartisan bill aimed at cracking down on cargo theft is gaining traction on Capitol Hill as backers push for approval before lawmakers’ pre-election window narrows.

Supporters of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act say the legislation is poised to clear Congress, following backing from about half of House members, 43 senators and the Trump administration.

According to Henry Hanscom, chief advocacy and public affairs officer at American Trucking Associations, growing concern over cargo theft across trucking, rail and retail has helped drive momentum. A key hurdle was cleared earlier this year after the legislation advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee with strong support. The panel is typically divided along partisan lines.

“That [vote] gives incredible prospects for this moving forward through the House and the Senate,” Hanscom told Transport Topics this month. He cautioned, however, that the legislative calendar remains tight ahead of the November midterm elections.

Specifically, the bill would facilitate the creation of a multi-agency division that would include a road map for eliminating retail theft operations.

Backers would prefer to move the bill as a stand-alone measure, citing time constraints and a crowded congressional agenda. Still, advocates are open to attaching it to a larger legislative vehicle if necessary, such as a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization.

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“I think our preference, given the timing, given the other issues that must be dealt with by this Congress, would be a stand-alone,” Hanscom explained, adding: “We’ll look at any and all vehicles, any and all trains leaving the station, in terms of legislation.”

The push comes as House policymakers begin early work on a long-term highway bill, a process that consists of multiple committees in both chambers and requires White House support. Hanscom noted that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves’ (R-Mo.) plan to retire at the end of the Congress could add urgency.

Recently, members of ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board urged congressional leaders to move quickly on the bipartisan cargo theft bill, arguing that it would strengthen federal coordination and provide law enforcement with better tools to dismantle organized theft networks increasingly targeting freight operations.

In a letter to House leadership and the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the group stressed that the legislation would help investigators connect crime patterns across jurisdictions and better address theft schemes tied to the supply chain.

LEAB, which is made up of current and former public safety officials who work with the trucking industry on roadway security, warned that cargo theft poses growing risks beyond financial losses.

“Cargo theft is not merely a property crime — it is a growing public safety threat that endangers drivers, law enforcement personnel, and the traveling public,” they wrote, citing organized groups that exploit freight corridors, distribution hubs and roadside areas.

Industry data underscores those concerns. The American Transportation Research Institute estimates cargo theft costs the trucking industry more than $18 million per day.

Smaller carriers, which might operate 10 trucks or fewer, have been hit especially hard, the advisory board said. Many lack the technological and financial resources to counter increasingly sophisticated schemes, some of which have been determined to originate overseas. Industry experts warn that proceeds from stolen freight can fund broader criminal activity, including drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

ATA has been among the most vocal supporters of the bill on Capitol Hill, testifying at multiple hearings and urging lawmakers to prioritize federal action. In December, ATA President Chris Spear told a House Judiciary panel that stronger federal involvement is needed to address what the industry views as an escalating threat to drivers and supply chains. As he put it, “Plainly, there is a direct connection to rampant cargo theft and what Americans are paying at the grocery store. This is money that belongs in consumers’ wallets — not criminals’ pockets.”