Analysts said U.S. thefts from cargo trucks rose 49% from a year earlier in this year’s first half, sparked largely by increases in Southern California due to its high density of freight logistics hubs.

Supply chain consulting firm Overhaul reported 787 theft incidents in the U.S. during the January-June period, with an average loss of $115,230 about 83% higher than in the same period of 2023. California accounted for 45% of those incidents in the U.S., with 14% occurring in Texas, as electronics accounted for nearly one-quarter of goods stolen from trucks nationwide.

Thefts were most pronounced in an area of Southern California that includes Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, two of the nation’s highest-demand regions for industrial property that together accounted for 36% of all cargo thefts in the U.S. during this year’s first half.

“A big part of its is volume: California has a lot of intermodal density, where a lot of stuff is coming off of ships, going on the rail, or rail on the road,” Danny Ramon, director of intelligence for Overhaul, told the industry news site FreightWaves.

The consulting firm said cargo theft is a rising problem for supply chains, particularly in parts of North America that deal with cross-border trade. Mexico had more than 5,100 truck cargo thefts in the first half of 2024, with more than one-third involving food and beverage products.

Logistics consulting firm CargoNet reported that cargo theft incidents for the entire U.S. supply chain increased more than 57% in 2023 from the prior year, with the value of stolen goods hitting nearly $130 million. 

Strong project demand has construction employment rising in most states, though a dearth of career training programs has contractors and their developer clients scrambling to find qualified workers, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

Citing its analysis of government data, the trade group said construction jobs increased in July from the prior month in 29 states and the District of Columbia, while besting July 2023 in 39 states.

“Construction employment gains remain widespread, thanks to steady or increasing demand for data centers, manufacturing plants, energy and infrastructure projects,” Ken Simonson, the trade group’s chief economist, said in a statement. “But further growth may be hindered by a lack of training programs for construction careers.”

Hiring struggles linger even as the construction industry outpaces many others for pay growth. The trade group pointed to government numbers showing average hourly earnings for construction workers, including on-site and office personnel, climbed 4.4% on an annual basis to an average of $35.77. That compared with a 3.8% annual rise to $30.14 overall for private-sector production workers.

The contractor group has called on the federal government to boost investment in construction training and education programs, and to allow more people to lawfully enter the country to work in construction to provide at least short-term relief for worker shortages.

The trade group said Florida led states for July’s month-over-month construction job gains at 6,300 for a 1% rise, as New York lost the most jobs at 3,800 for a 1% drop. Florida also led for year-over-year gains at 36,700 for a 5.8% increase, while New York led for decreases, down 8,100 or 2.1% from July 2023.

July’s new U.S. orders for manufactured durable goods, items meant to last more than three years, rose 9.9% from the prior month to $289.6 billion and have posted increases in five of the last six months, the Commerce Department reported Monday.

Categories posting notable gains in orders for the month included transportation equipment at 34.8%; defense aircraft and parts at 12.9%; and computers and related products at 3.2%. Others remained sluggish, such as electrical equipment and appliances, down 0.4% for the month while increasing 1.2% from a year earlier.

Overall new orders for durable goods were down 1.4% in the first seven months of 2024 from the same period of 2023, in line with other recent reports showing slowing consumer and business spending this year compared with 2023. However, shipments of previously ordered durable goods for the January-July period were up 1.9% from a year earlier, the government reported.

Durable goods orders have traditionally been viewed by analysts as strong indicators of consumer and business spending trends, and also the overall health of the manufacturing economy. They can also influence long-term demand for industrial real estate, including production and warehouse properties.