More Robbers Target Brazilian Cargo Trucks

Robberies of cargo trucks have increased ten-fold in the past five years, a prominent union said Saturday.

The National Transport Confederation said that losses from cargo robberies jumped from $10 million in 1991 to $109 million last year, causing many insurance companies to drop their policies with trucking firms.

Jose Geraldo Carvalhaes, president of the Brazilian Association for Risk Management, told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper that favorite targets include trucks that haul clothes, medicine and electrical appliances.

The Via Dutra, the 260-mile highway that connects Rio and Sao Paulo, had 51 percent of the country’s robberies, police said.

A special commission of police, insurance and transportation officials has been formed to find solutions. , DataTimes