NOVUS AG LLC

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

• 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.
• Liquids, gases Theft LowDamage LowMass High
  Liquid surges in a partly filled tank, and tankers ride high, so they roll over more easily. The product itself is hard to steal or damage.
• Grain, feed, hay Theft LowDamage LowMass High
  Dense bulk at full legal weight; tall hay loads can shift and fall. Little worth stealing.
• Dry bulk Theft LowDamage LowMass High
  Sand, cement, plastic pellets and the like, at full legal weight. Little to steal or break.
• Other: FERTILIZER Theft LowDamage LowMass High
  Fertilizer: dense bulk.
• 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.
• Intermodal containers Theft MediumDamage MediumMass Medium
  Sealed boxes: the driver can't see how the load inside is placed or how heavy it is. Containers near ports and rail yards are theft targets.
• Chemicals Theft LowDamage MediumMass Medium
  Drums and totes can puncture or leak. The real exposure is a spill, a liability matter more than a cargo loss. Little resale value.
• Farm supplies Theft LowDamage LowMass Medium
  Fertilizer, seed and feed in bulk or bags: moderate weight, little resale value.

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.