Report: 48% of Fleets Want Asset Tracking Amid Cargo Theft Surge

Nearly half of fleet professionals aim to adopt asset tracking systems, with 48% saying they are looking to get the tech.
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Published on February 11, 2026
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Asset tracking software is the most popular fleet technology today, according to new data from Tech.co’s monthly industry surveys.

In December 2025, 48% of fleet professionals said their fleet was looking to adopt asset tracking systems — a big jump up from the 27% that said the same just one month earlier.

Why the sudden shift? It’s likely due to rising risks of cargo theft. Asset tracking software provides a centralized, easy-to-manage list of assets, and alerts that can help locate them if they’re stolen.

The data comes from Tech.co’s regular survey of more than 260 professionals in the US shipping and transport sector, aimed at getting a snapshot of their thoughts on challenges and priorities in the industry.

Our poll data for December 2025 is just in, and practically half of them are aiming to adopt asset tracking systems, with 48% saying they are looking to get the technology.

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That’s the highest that interest has ever gotten across 2025, according the monthly surveys that we first started in April of that year. It suggests asset tracking is solving major hurdles for logistics professionals.

Cargo theft has been an increasing concern in the logistics industry for some time. According to one assessment from Verisk CargoNet, this type of theft has already risen a massive 82% between 2020 and 2024.

More recently, cargo theft has surged at the end of the last year, due to the “closures, reduced staffing, and increased freight dwell time” during the holiday season.

GPS-powered asset tracking systems can combat the threat, with trackers for recovery in the case of a theft of tractors and trailers themselves, as well as alerts that can catch asset misappropriation by flagging unauthorized movement or geofencing violations for any equipment that has an asset tag on it.

Given this information, perhaps it’s no surprise that nearly half of the hundreds of fleet professionals we surveyed were considering asset tracking.

This shift in technology is just one part of a broader trend. Amid a long downturn in freight volumes, fleets are increasingly interested in proactive strategies in order to stay in the black.

Early in 2025, Tech.co’s industry surveys tracked a rising interest in managing finances. Now, that interest is dropping (down month-over-month from 20% to 15% in December), replaced by a focus on adopting technology (up month-over-month from 16% to 18% in December).

This might look like redoubling efforts to maintain federal compliance standards and upgrading or replacing aging vehicle components. It definitely includes investing in asset tracking.

Written By

Adam Rowe: headshot

Adam has written at Tech.co for ten years, currently as Fleet & Logistics Editor. He also worked at logistics newletter Inside Lane and was a Forbes Contributor on the publishing industry, for which he was named a Digital Book World 2018 award finalist. His work has appeared in publications including Popular Mechanics and IDG Connect, and his art history book on 1970s sci-fi, ‘Worlds Beyond Time,’ was a 2024 Locus Awards finalist. When not working on his next art collection (out September 2027), he’s tracking the latest news on dash cams, fuel cards, and the future of fleet.

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