Thieves steal PlusAI and Nvidia branded trailers, find only sand inside
On a Thursday morning, a top executive at self-driving truck developer PlusAI got an unexpected text from an acquaintance: "I have been proud of you for your adventure and success at Plus. Just saw two of your trucks near my work place! :)" The trucks were not supposed to be anywhere near that person's office in Newark, California. PlusAI believed the trailers were still docked outside its own warehouse, about half a mile away. Police were called and recovered the two trailers, which carried logos for both PlusAI and Nvidia, the two companies' AI software and autonomous truck partnership. The trailers had been hitched to unknown cabs and driven off, their hand locks broken open, and then apparently abandoned once the thieves discovered each one held about 20,000 pounds of sand. PlusAI spokesperson Lauren Kwan said the company uses simulated loads of sand in its trailers to assist with research and development testing, and that the trailers were recovered with 40,000 pounds of sand intact between them. PlusAI's actual truck cabs, where a driver sits and controls the vehicle, had stayed parked inside the warehouse and were never taken. Amy Gee, a spokesperson for the Fremont Police Department, said the case remains under investigation and no arrests have been made. Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment, and the article does not explain why its logo appeared on the trailers beyond the two firms' partnership. The theft fits a broader pattern of rising crime targeting high-value tech equipment: in August, WIRED reported on two separate California incidents in which thieves deliberately struck security-escort vehicles guarding high-value tech shipments and diverted the trucks, with millions of dollars of data center equipment still unrecovered as of that report. Tesla batteries and bitcoin mining machines have also been targeted this year, and analytics firm Verisk CargoNet lists metals and enterprise-grade computer and networking gear among the most common cargo theft targets in the US recently. In this case, unlike those other unresolved thefts, the trailers were returned to PlusAI by Thursday afternoon, the same day they went missing.
Key facts
- Thieves in Newark, California hitched cabs to two trailers bearing PlusAI and Nvidia logos and drove them away from outside PlusAI's warehouse.
- Each trailer held about 20,000 pounds of sand, simulated cargo PlusAI uses for research and development testing; the thieves broke the trailers open and apparently abandoned them.
- Police recovered both trailers with 40,000 pounds of sand intact, and they were back with PlusAI by Thursday afternoon; PlusAI's actual truck cabs stayed parked inside the warehouse and were never taken.
- Fremont police spokesperson Amy Gee said the case is under investigation with no arrests made; Nvidia did not comment.
- The theft echoes a wider rise in crime targeting tech equipment: WIRED reported in August on security-escort vehicle thefts tied to data-center equipment shipments, with millions of dollars still unrecovered.
Why it matters
The incident is a small, oddly funny footnote to a larger and more serious trend WIRED has been tracking: organized theft increasingly targets high-value technology cargo, from data center chips to Tesla batteries to bitcoin miners. This time the thieves guessed wrong, but the branding on the trailers, tied to Nvidia's name as the world's most valuable company, suggests criminals are actively watching for shipments connected to the AI and autonomous vehicle supply chain.
Who it affects
PlusAI, a self-driving truck developer, and by association Nvidia, its AI software and autonomous truck technology partner, whose logo appeared on the stolen trailers. It also touches the Fremont Police Department, which recovered the trailers the same day, and more broadly any company shipping high-value tech equipment that could be mistaken for an easy target.
How to use it
There is no product or purchase here; this is a news account of a crime and its recovery, not a tool or service to adopt.
How solid is it
The account rests on named, on-record sources: PlusAI spokesperson Lauren Kwan and Fremont Police Department spokesperson Amy Gee, plus a direct quote from the text message that tipped off the executive. Nvidia declined to comment, and some details, like a full date for the theft or the identity of the executive who got the text, are not given in the reporting.
Risks and caveats
No suspect has been identified and no motive is confirmed beyond the apparent assumption that the trailers carried valuable cargo. No dollar value is given for the trailers or any damage from the break-in, and it is not stated why the trailers carried Nvidia's logo beyond the companies' broader technology partnership.
“I have been proud of you for your adventure and success at Plus. Just saw two of your trucks near my work place! :)”
— acquaintance of a PlusAI executive, in a text message