Thieves Steal Nvidia-Branded Trailers Expecting Valuable Tech — Instead They Get 20 Tons of Sand

Nvidia trailer heist — The unexpected cargo in two stolen NVIDIA-branded trailers was 40,000 pounds of sand used to simulate real freight. PlusAI

Two trailers bearing Nvidia and PlusAI logos were stolen from a California warehouse, apparently after the branding led thieves to believe they contained valuable technology. The trailers belonged to PlusAI, a self-driving truck developer that works with Nvidia on autonomous trucking technology and AI software. They were taken late Wednesday, 23 September, from the company's Fremont facility and found nearby in Newark the following day.

What made the theft particularly unusual was what the trailers were carrying: about 40,000 pounds of sand combined. PlusAI says it uses the sand as a simulated load during research and development testing to replicate the weight of real freight.

The Trailers Disappear

PlusAI discovered the trailers were missing on Thursday morning and reported the theft to police. According to the San Francisco Standard, the trailers had been secured with hand locks, with the locking mechanisms appearing to have been forced open. Security footage showed two unidentified tractor units around the warehouse, according to Lauren Kwan, PlusAI's vice president of marketing.

'Those were not our tractors,' Kwan told the publication. 'Those were from the thieves.' The company's own technology-equipped truck cabs remained inside the warehouse and were not taken.

The stolen trailers were emblazoned with PlusAI and Nvidia branding. Kwan suggested the prominent Nvidia logo may have attracted the thieves because they believed valuable equipment could be inside, although investigators have not publicly established a motive.

Instead, each was packed with approximately 20,000 pounds of sand, bringing the combined load to about 40,000 pounds, or 20 tons. The sand serves a specific purpose in PlusAI's research. 'PlusAI uses simulated loads in its trailers to assist with research and development testing,' Kwan said.

Thieves stole two self-driving trucks with Nvidia logos in California, but the only thing inside was 20 tons of sand

The sand was used to simulate cargo during testing, and police later found both trailers dumped half a mile away pic.twitter.com/KGOjdOMEbN
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) September 28, 2026

A Friend's Text Leads to Stolen Trailers

As the company began filing police and insurance reports, an unexpected tip helped police locate the trailers. A friend of a PlusAI executive spotted the company's trailers outside an office in Newark and texted to congratulate them, unaware they had been stolen.

'I have been proud of you for your adventure and success at Plus. Just saw two of your trucks near my workplace! :)' the message read. The company confirmed the sighting and contacted police. Newark officers subsequently recovered both trailers and returned them to PlusAI later that day.

The Theft Ends With No Technology Taken

'This case remains under investigation, and no one has been arrested as of now,' Fremont Police told Business Insider. Kwan said the trailers appeared to have been opened, but nothing inside was stolen or damaged.

She said nothing like it had happened during her seven years at PlusAI, which employs about 200 people. The Fremont warehouse serves as a testing site for the company's vehicles. 'It was a bizarre day,' she added.

The theft comes amid growing concern over high-value technology cargo. In August, WIRED reported two California incidents in which thieves allegedly targeted trucks carrying millions of dollars in data centre equipment. Tesla batteries and cryptocurrency-mining hardware have also been targeted.

Verisk CargoNet said metals and enterprise-grade computer and networking equipment remained priority targets in Q2 2026. It recorded 677 supply-chain theft incidents across the US and Canada, while estimated losses more than doubled year on year to $304.6M.