Vehicle thefts fell sharply across California in 2025, but thefts of commercial trucks barely moved. Here's what the agency numbers show by metro, which work vehicles get taken and where auto coverage ends.
Quick answer
CHP counted 133,372 vehicles stolen in California in 2025, down 24.3%, while commercial-truck thefts fell only 5.06%. Theft of a listed truck or trailer is generally a comprehensive question, so units carried for liability only usually have no theft coverage. Tools and equipment taken from a truck typically fall outside auto coverage and need their own policy.
Two agencies track California vehicle theft. They count a little differently, but they tell the same story. NICB's report published March 18, 2026, counted 136,988 thefts in California in 2025, the most of any state. CHP's 2025 Vehicle Theft Facts counted 133,372 vehicles stolen, a 24.3% decline from the year before.
Work vehicles didn't share much of that drop. CHP counted 1,802 commercial trucks stolen in 2025, down just 5.06%, plus 7,331 trailers. Recovery shows a gap too: 84.0% of all stolen vehicles came back, against 80.0% of commercial trucks. A recovered truck can return without its tools, wheels or catalytic converter, so getting the truck back and closing a clean claim aren't the same thing.
Location explains much of the rest. CHP placed 55.8% of the state's thefts in Southern California, and Los Angeles County alone accounted for 47,191. Each unit on a commercial auto policy is generally rated partly on where it's garaged, and the metro section below lists what NICB and CHP report for each area we cover.
Official sources
Older pickups lead the list. CHP's 2025 figures name older Chevrolet Silverados as the most-stolen personal truck for a fourth straight year, and plenty of contractors run exactly those trucks as job pickups. Trailers come next: They hitch to most pickups quickly, they often sit unwatched overnight, and the equipment on them can be worth more than the trailer.
Catalytic converters are the part thieves want. NICB's 2023 report showed catalytic converter theft claims climbing from 16,660 in 2020 to a 2022 peak of 64,701, with California and Texas together accounting for more than 32,000 that year. Thefts have fallen sharply since as precious-metal prices dropped, but California still accounts for the largest share of the claims NICB sees. Trucks and vans that sit high off the ground can make the converter easier to reach, and a missing one can idle a work truck for days while a replacement is found.
Equipment is the other target. CHP lists Bobcat as the leading brand among stolen construction equipment, and compact loaders often ride on the same trailers that disappear.
Official sources
NICB ranks metro areas by theft rate and by volume, and CHP reports by county. Where neither gives a figure for a metro we cover, we describe the area instead of guessing.
Bakersfield / Kern. NICB's 2025 ranking put the Bakersfield–Delano metro area second in the nation for theft rate, at 477.27 thefts per 100,000 people. Local fleets work oil fields, farms and the I-5 and SR-99 corridors, and many trucks spend the night at remote sites. See Bakersfield and Kern County fleet insurance.
Fresno–Visalia. Neither agency report breaks out a figure for this area. What it does have is long distances between yards, packing sheds and fields along SR-99, so trucks and trailers often spend nights at sites nobody is watching. Our Fresno–Visalia truck fleet insurance page covers the area's trades.
Stockton–Modesto. Distribution centers and ag operations along I-5 and SR-99 mean big lots full of trucks and trailers, often with more units than people on site after hours. Gates, lighting and cameras count most where a yard is large and quiet. See commercial auto insurance in Stockton–Modesto.
Sacramento Region. Suburban job sites spread from Elk Grove to Roseville, and crews often leave trailers and pickups at a site overnight rather than drive back to the yard. A hitch lock and a hidden GPS tracker cost little next to a missing trailer. See Sacramento-area fleet insurance.
East Bay. NICB's 2025 ranking put the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont metro area first in the nation for theft rate, at 477.51 per 100,000 people. That area takes in the East Bay's industrial flats, port-side yards and job sites from Oakland to Fremont. More on East Bay truck and fleet insurance.
Los Angeles County. CHP counted 47,191 thefts in Los Angeles County in 2025, and NICB ranked the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area first in the country by volume, with 53,911. For a fleet, that makes overnight parking the first thing to review. See LA County truck fleet insurance.
Inland Empire. NICB ranked the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metro area ninth in the nation by volume in 2025, with 14,111 thefts. Warehouse districts and new subdivisions mean trailers and trucks parked on large lots and at active job sites. Our page on commercial truck insurance in the Inland Empire covers the local market.
Official sources
Underwriters can't see your yard, so many ask about it. Clear answers about where trucks park overnight, who holds keys and what protects the lot can make an account easier to quote, and they matter more in the metros above.
Our fleet safety and claims defense page covers what each of those measures does once a claim comes in. Trailers generally need their own line on the policy to have theft coverage; see commercial trailer insurance for how they're written.
Theft claims tend to go more smoothly when the policy already matches the yard. Check these before you need them.
Physical damage insurance explains how theft and other comprehensive losses are valued. If your crews work rebuild sites where trailers sit out overnight, our guide on fleet insurance during a fire rebuild covers that work, and our look at California's high-claim truck corridors covers the risk once trucks are on the road. Then get a quote for your trucks and trailers with each garaging address listed.
Rarely on its own. In high-theft California metros, a trailer parked overnight at a job site is better protected with a wheel lock and a hidden GPS unit, and it usually needs its own policy line to have theft coverage.
A yard with a locked gate and keys sitting in every cab can hand a thief the whole fleet once the fence is cut. Keep keys in a cabinet or lockbox and log who takes trucks home.
A recovered trailer can come back repainted or stripped of its plate. Current photos, VIN records and equipment serial numbers kept in the office make it easier to identify the unit and settle the comprehensive claim.
An older pickup carried without comprehensive is usually a full loss to the business if it disappears. In a high-theft metro, decide unit by unit whether that's a risk you'd rather insure or absorb.
Official resources
Requirements change without notice. Confirm what applies to your fleet with the agency before relying on it.
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