Thieves Steal PlusAI and Nvidia-Branded Trailers — Find 20 Tons of Sand Inside
Thieves in California stole two trailers bearing PlusAI and Nvidia logos, expecting valuable cargo, but found only sand used for testing self-driving trucks. Both trailers were recovered by police the same day.
.jpg)
Police in Fremont, California, responded Thursday to the theft of two trailers belonging to autonomous trucking company PlusAI. The trailers carried logos for both PlusAI and Nvidia, the world's most valuable company, which partners with PlusAI on AI software and self-driving truck technology.
The company learned of the theft after an acquaintance texted a PlusAI executive to congratulate them, mentioning they'd spotted two of the firm's trucks near their workplace in Newark, California — a location where the trailers weren't supposed to be. As far as the company knew, the trailers had been docked outside its warehouse about half a mile away.
Sand, not valuable cargo
Police arrived at the scene, and PlusAI staff explained why the thieves may have abandoned the trailers after breaking them open: each one held roughly 20,000 pounds of sand. Company spokesperson Lauren Kwan said PlusAI uses simulated loads in its trailers to support research and development testing. The trailers were recovered with all 40,000 pounds of sand intact.
Kwan added that the company's tech-equipped truck cabs, where a driver normally sits, remained parked inside the warehouse and were not taken. The trailers had been secured with hand locks, which were broken during the theft.
The case remains under investigation, and no arrests have been made, according to Fremont Police Department spokesperson Amy Gee. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Part of a broader trend
The incident comes amid a rise in thefts targeting high-value computer equipment, particularly chips and electronics destined for data centers. This year, thieves have also targeted Tesla batteries and bitcoin mining equipment, with many such crimes still unsolved.
According to analytics and risk assessment firm Verisk CargoNet, metals and enterprise-grade computer and networking equipment rank among the most commonly stolen cargo types in the US in recent months. This case had a happier ending than most — by Thursday afternoon, the sand-filled trailers were back in PlusAI's possession.
