A-STAR TRANSPORTATION COMPANY

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

• Beverages Theft HighDamage MediumMass High
  Drinks are a top theft target, and cans and bottles break. So dense that a trailer reaches full legal weight before it is full.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Dry bulk Theft LowDamage LowMass High
  Sand, cement, plastic pellets and the like, at full legal weight. Little to steal or break.
• 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.
• Paper products Theft LowDamage MediumMass Medium
  Water and crushing are the common losses. Big paper rolls are heavy and can roll; consumer paper is light.
• Utility Theft MediumDamage LowMass Medium
  Utility trucks carry tools and copper wire, which thieves want; the truck's own equipment is heavy.
• US mail Theft MediumDamage LowMass Low
  Parcels and mail draw thieves; the loads are light.

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.