Week in Review: Thieves Double Down & Regulators Dial Back

This week, we’re watching everyone scramble to fix what’s broken in the supply chain world. The feds just launched Operation Boiling Point to tackle the cargo theft epidemic plaguing America, while across the pond, U.K. criminals doubled their haul to £111 million ($149 million) because “safe” truck stops apparently aren’t. And speaking of scrambling, the FDA gave companies a 30-month reprieve on FSMA Rule 204 compliance after realizing most were nowhere near ready. On the bright side, though, Elsevier dropped an AI tool to make regulatory paperwork more bearable, and we’re seeing real sustainability moves from Dell, PepsiCo, and SAP that go beyond corporate feel-good talk. Let’s dig in.

The Feds Fight Back: Operation Boiling Point Gets to Work

Cargo theft costs America $15 to $35 billion every year, so Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) rolled out Operation Boiling Point to tackle the criminal crews making bank, with 7,100 special agents on the case.

The Criminal Playbook

HSI’s Financial Crimes Unit runs the show, working with industry partners such as the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, National Retail Federation, and Transported Asset Protection Association. These theft crews use fake paperwork and bogus pickup orders to grab entire shipments of pharmaceuticals, electronics, and personal care products. Once they score the goods, professional fences take over—scraping off security stickers with lighter fluid and heat guns and then selling everything through websites, social media, or wholesale companies. Some operations ship stolen merchandise overseas through freight forwarding services, making the trail even harder to follow.

Where Crime Pays Best

Los Angeles, Dallas, Memphis, Chicago, and Atlanta see the worst action because that’s where cargo moves in serious volume. Theft crews hit ports, truck stops, and rail yards, grabbing everything from clothing to building supplies before legitimate buyers even know it’s missing. The criminals behind these operations often include violent gang members who’ve figured out that stealing cargo—and pocketing massive profits from goods that should be reaching stores and customers—pays better than street-level crime.  

Britain’s £111 Million ($149 Million) Problem

Cargo theft is an overseas problem too, and the U.K. is getting especially clobbered. Thieves hit British freight 5,373 times in 2023, stealing goods worth £68 million ($91 million), with losses exploding past £111 million ($149 million) in 2024. Criminals literally doubled their take in 12 months, leaving insurance giant TT Club and government officials wondering what hit them.  

“Safe” Parking That Fools Nobody

Nearly a third of U.K. thefts happen at truck stops labeled “safe,” which sounds like calling the Titanic unsinkable. These facilities offer drivers basic amenities but can’t ensure absolute security. Think bad lighting, missing fences, broken CCTV, and access control that could be a welcome mat for thieves. The Department for Transport even found that 32% of drivers suffer mental health problems, partly because parking options are so inadequate that they turn sleeping drivers into sitting ducks.

When Security Works

The Hollies and Red Lion Truck Stops proved that spending money on genuine security pays off. Both saw crime drop, occupancy rates climb, and happier drivers after installing proper lighting, controlled access, decent fencing, and surveillance systems. TT Club recommends coordinated action across the board: match-funding for security upgrades, tougher planning rules, public money for specialized police units, and a national network of truck stops that criminals can’t crack. The blueprint exists, but trucking companies and the government need to take action.

Ready or Not, FSMA Rule 204 is Coming for Your Data

The FDA just threw you a lifeline. FSMA Rule 204’s original January 2026 deadline got pushed back 30 months, but don’t mistake this extension for a free pass. Companies handling high-risk foods such as shell eggs, leafy greens, and finfish still need to build robust traceability systems that can deliver Critical Tracking Events and Key Data Elements to the FDA within 24 hours of request. The clock started ticking the moment this rule was announced.

A 30-Month Gift That Keeps on Giving?

The FDA extended the deadline because it realized most companies were woefully unprepared to capture, store, and share mandated traceability data. You must maintain records for at least two years in searchable electronic spreadsheets, link everything to traceability lot codes, and coordinate with every trading partner in your supply chain. The extension recognizes what industry insiders already knew: building data infrastructure that can track products—from harvest through transformation, shipping, and receiving—takes serious time and coordination. 

Data Cleanup: Less Glamorous than Spring Cleaning, Twice as Important

Your current data system may contain outdated information, mismatched UPC barcodes, and proprietary identifiers that make trading partners scratch their heads. Companies still using internal product names need to transition to registered Global Trade Item Numbers that everyone can understand. Retailers will thank you since standardized identifiers work seamlessly with their ordering, inventory, and checkout systems. So, start your master data review now, and embrace tech to give you a leg up—because discovering data discrepancies during a compliance audit is no fun.

Elsevier’s New AI Tool Makes Regulatory Paperwork Less Brutal

Elsevier just rolled out its PharmaPendium AI tool, and it does something every pharma professional has long dreamed of: asking normal questions about FDA and EMA rules, and getting straight answers in seconds—instead of digging through endless approval documents.

Finally, Someone Who Speaks Both Human & Bureaucrat

AI has already digested over 5 million pages of FDA approval packages, EMA filings, Advisory Committee transcripts, and Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs. You ask it questions like you’d ask a colleague, and it gives you what you need, whether that’s a quick summary or a full submission-ready table. It works across small molecules, biologics, antibody-drug conjugates—the whole spectrum. But the best part is it only pulls from verified regulatory documents, so you’re not getting some random AI hallucination that could wreck your approval.

Real Companies Are Already Seeing Real Results

Early testing showed search times dropped by 66%, but here’s what matters most: teams stopped missing important stuff. Olivier Barberan from Elsevier says that’s the X factor: not just speed, but actually catching everything you need to catch. Companies from Big Pharma down to smaller biotech shops have tested it across different drug types, and the feedback has been solid. Your searches stay private, humans still check the essential details, and regulatory teams can focus on decisions instead of document hunting.

When Big Companies Walk the Walk: Dell, PepsiCo & SAP Get Their Green On

Finally, major corporations—namely Dell, PepsiCo, and SAP—are putting substance behind their sustainability promises and showing how real commitments with actual numbers create supply chains that work better for everyone.

When Companies Set Real Deadlines, Magic Happens

Dell looked at its environmental impact and decided to cut absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from goods procurement by 45% by 2030, and create water management plans with supplier training programs to make sure it happens. Michael Dell explains why this works: “Sustainability and ESG commitments are now widely recognized as business imperatives that impact everything from supplier decisions to business strategy.” PepsiCo additionally went all-in with its pep+ initiative, overhauling everything from climate adaptation to packaging to “deliver a more sustainable, people-centric future,” as CEO Ramon Laguarta says. 

SAP Figured Out the Missing Piece

The problem with most sustainability efforts? Companies have no clue how to measure progress—so SAP built software that tracks environmental impact through better business process management. SAP’s chief sustainability officer, Sophia Leonora Mendelsohn, explains it perfectly: “Sustainability data is business data. The companies that treat it that way will be able to demonstrate real results in regulated and competitive markets.”

The Common Thread: Always Know Where Your Stuff Is

The events of this week all boil down to one thing: companies that can’t see their supply chains increase their risk of product loss. Real-time tracking and real-time shipment visibility are the difference between getting robbed blind and staying ahead of whatever comes next. At Tive, we’re proud to be at the forefront of it.

Arm yourself with innovation: let Tive lead the way in transforming your supply chain operations. Embrace the future of logistics—get started with Tive today.