With the arrival of Black Friday, the significant increase in online sales and delivery volume demands heightened attention to logistics operation security. Between November and December, the number of deliveries can grow by up to 30%, according to the Eu Entrego platform. This sharp growth pressures distribution centers, carriers, and marketplaces for agility and productivity, often at the expense of security, resulting in an environment more vulnerable to theft and internal fraud—a scenario that requires intensified planning.
Beyond embedded technology, the human factor is decisive for logistics security. Structured recruitment processes, continuous training, background checks, and engagement of drivers and support teams are as important as tracking and monitoring systems. The integrated action between people and technology is what ensures more agile and assertive responses in critical situations.
The alert is reinforced by the numbers from the Cargo Theft Study, by ICTS Security, a company specialized in security consulting and management, which reveals a paradoxical scenario. Although the number of incidents fell 11% compared to 2023, financial losses surged 21%, reaching R$ 1.217 billion. The survey indicates that gangs have prioritized higher-value-added and easily resold cargo, such as food, cigarettes, electronics, medicines, and cosmetics.
ICTS Security emphasizes that prevention, in addition to involving monitoring processes, must create operational redundancy. This includes measures such as dual drivers on sensitive routes, dynamic real-time route changes, tracking with anti-jamming technology, and the combined use of physical and digital protocols. These practices significantly reduce the impact of interception attempts and make operations less predictable for organized crime.
“Companies need to treat Black Friday as an expanded-risk operation. The recommendation is to anticipate planning and integrate security, logistics, and technology areas into a model of continuous prevention,”, warns Anderson Hoelbriegel, Business Director at ICTS Security. According to the expert, this integration should also involve analytics and predictive intelligence teams, rapid response teams, and cooperation with local authorities, expanding deterrence and incident response capabilities.
The Southeast continues to lead in losses, with 83.6% of national losses, with São Paulo responsible for almost half (47.2%), followed by Rio de Janeiro (18.7%) and Minas Gerais (14.2%). But the study shows a migration of crime to new routes: the Northeast increased its share to 11.7%, with emphasis on the logistics corridors of Pernambuco, Maranhão, and Bahia, while the North went from 0.1% to 0.9%, driven by incidents in Pará and Amazonas.
The survey also shows how gangs adapt to regional countermeasures. In states with greater integration with security forces and stricter legislation, such as Paraná and Espírito Santo, incidents decreased. Meanwhile, in regions with more limited oversight, especially on interstate routes and port areas, a strategic shift of criminal activities is observed.
“The advance of gangs to less protected routes shows organized crime's rapid adaptation to regional vulnerabilities. This requires companies to constantly review their risk management plans,” says Hoelbriegel. “A warning is warranted regarding the growing risk of fraud in the integration between temporary storage and final distribution. The misuse of intermediate logistics spaces for handling or diverting cargo reinforces the need for systemic, physical, logical, and legal management of the entire supply chain.”.
To reduce risks during the sales peak, ICTS Security recommends anticipating risk diagnosis, mapping routes and vulnerable points, and reinforcing access control and electronic monitoring. Preventive planning can reduce up to 60% of incidents. Audits of logistics partners, the use of data intelligence, and team training are also fundamental measures. Logistics security should be seen as a complete cycle—prevention, detection, response, and continuous improvement—where each stage is interconnected and feeds back into the others. This model allows companies to anticipate risks and strengthen their operations sustainably.
Technology has also been a strategic ally in preventing theft and protecting logistics operations. According to Alvaro Loyola, country manager of Drivin Brasil, the use of intelligent management platforms can significantly reduce response time to incidents. “Today, it is possible to identify route deviations in real time and act immediately. At Drivin, for example, our solution issues automatic alerts whenever a vehicle leaves the planned route or makes an unscheduled stop, enabling a quick and coordinated response with the monitoring center. This type of technology is essential to protect drivers, cargo, and company reputation during critical periods like Black Friday,” highlights Loyola.
Na Olist, an ecosystem of solutions aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises, the logistics solution Olist Envios connects retailers to a network with over ten partner carriers. Supported by data analysis and real-time monitoring, the tool allows for quick identification of any delivery abnormality and activation of the last responsible party for the route to ensure swift resolution.
“At Olist, we redouble our care during high-traffic periods like Black Friday. In these moments, every operational detail makes a difference, especially in stages where the package changes hands. A good example is the route between the distribution center and the carrier: if the movement is stalled for more than a day, an alert is triggered immediately. This preventive approach, combining technology and data intelligence, has been key to reducing losses and thefts, in addition to reinforcing the security and trust of our entire network, from logistics partners to the end consumer,” states Glória Bolani Porteiro, Head of Shipping at Olist.
Security and efficiency in cargo transportation
While Brazilian highways increasingly suffer from overload and circulation risks, cabotage emerges as a highly effective alternative. Conducted by maritime transport between national ports, this solution shows near-zero rates in cargo theft incidents, in addition to reducing damage risks and insurance costs.
“With the growing demand for efficiency and sustainability in goods transportation, coastal navigation has become a viable and strategic solution, capable of optimizing cargo flow. By alleviating bottlenecks such as accelerated road wear, high incidence of accidents and thefts, it provides a more balanced distribution of the logistics matrix, reduces urban congestion, improves traffic fluidity, and decreases goods transportation time,” highlights Stephano Galvão, Operations Director of Norcoast, a Brazilian coastal shipping company.
With over eight thousand kilometers of navigable coastline, Brazil is strategically positioned to expand the use of cabotage. “This mode promotes territorial inclusion and reinforces logistics governance in the country, connecting distant regions more efficiently and structuring a more integrated supply chain. By facilitating goods distribution and increasing company competitiveness, coastal navigation also offers more security, as cargo remains longer in a protected environment, that is, inside the ship,” adds Galvão.
