MS EXPRESS INC

Theft attractiveness:

How much thieves want it: its value, how easily it resells, and how often cargo-theft reports name it.

Damageability:

How easily the load is ruined on the way: fragile, perishable or temperature-sensitive goods, or goods handled piece by piece.

Inertial mass:

How hard the load pushes in a hard stop, a swerve or a crash: heavy or dense loads, liquid that surges, live animals that shift, and loads that need heavy chains and binders.

Each chip carries its three ratings: T theft, D damage, M mass. Green is Low, amber Medium, red High.

What this motor carrier hauls

• Metal: sheets, coils, rolls Theft MediumDamage MediumMass High
  Coils and sheet are very heavy and concentrated: a coil that breaks loose can go through the cab. Copper and aluminium are stolen; edges dent and rust.
• Building materials, construction Theft MediumDamage MediumMass High
  Brick, block, drywall and roofing usually run at full legal weight. Building materials show up in theft reports; drywall and tile break. FMCSA lists the two boxes as one.
• Machinery, large objects Theft MediumDamage MediumMass High
  Very heavy, concentrated loads chained down point by point. Construction equipment is a known theft target, and loading damage is costly.
• Oilfield equipment Theft MediumDamage MediumMass High
  Heavy, often oversize equipment and pipe. Tools and equipment are stolen in the oil patch.
• Other: COWHIDE RACKS TOWERS LUMBER AUTO PARTS Theft HighDamage MediumMass Medium
  Auto parts: a steady theft target.
• Household goods Theft MediumDamage HighMass Low
  People's belongings in a move, handled piece by piece and easy to scratch or break. Bulky but light. Losses are mostly items gone missing, not whole loads stolen.
• Logs, poles, beams, lumber Theft LowDamage LowMass High
  Long, heavy loads that can shift or roll off, under strict securement rules. Logs and poles have little resale value; finished lumber is stolen at times.
• General freight Theft MediumDamage MediumMass Medium
  A catch-all, from pallets of paper to electronics. Dry vans of consumer goods are what thieves take most; the real mix is unknown.
• Utility Theft MediumDamage LowMass Medium
  Utility trucks carry tools and copper wire, which thieves want; the truck's own equipment is heavy.

All three ratings are FRED's judgment. FMCSA publishes no cargo losses, so theft and damage can't be measured; the theft column follows published cargo-theft reports (Verisk CargoNet's annual reviews), which year after year name food and drink (meat, seafood, nuts), electronics, household items and, lately, metals among the most stolen loads. FMCSA's crash records don't show heavy cargo making crashes more often deadly or injurious, so mass is judgment too. Cargo is not part of the FRED grade.