Heavy Equipment Theft Prevention Tips
Annual losses resulting from equipment theft are as high as $1 billion, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). When your machine is stolen, your business often slows or grinds to a halt. You have to replace it, pay for a short term rental, and lose valuable time working with law enforcement and insurance adjusters.
To help you improve your theft prevention precautions, we put together some key tips and best practices to protect your equipment.
Physically secure your site and your equipment
A crucial part of machine theft prevention is adding security like chain link fences equipped with barbed or razor wire and padlocking the gate every night. It’s important to have fences that are at least eight feet tall and have only one way in and out.
You should also secure the equipment itself. Here are some examples of effective methods:
- Use chains or cables to attach your machines to a fixed object on-site
- Remove the hitch on towed equipment or trailers
- Take off tires on equipment that is not being used regularly
- Install theft prevention devices that disable fuel, hydraulic and/or electrical systems on higher value equipment
- Remove wires and/or the battery on larger equipment
- Install GPS tracking devices on the equipment
Use bright lights and warning signs
Another key part of heavy equipment theft prevention is putting up signs saying “no trespassing” that also outline the fines or penalties associated with coming onto your site without permission. Set up lighting along the entire fence, so the work or storage area is brightly lit at night.
Keep tight records
If your equipment is stolen despite your theft prevention precautions, having well maintained records will make it easier to recover it. Providing law enforcement with information on your inventory and individual machines will help them work faster, so they can recover the equipment, and you can get back to work sooner. It’s important to keep the following information on file:
- Detailed inventory of all your machines, including year, manufacturer, model number, and serial number
- Up to date photos of all your equipment
- Records of all modifications, like changing the paint color
Register your equipment on a national database that works with law enforcement, such as the National Equipment Register (NER): www.ner.net.
Insure all your machines
All your machines need to be properly insured for their total value, so that you can recoup the full amount if they are stolen and not recovered. At Ascendum, we can help you accurately value your new equipment.
If you have any questions about equipment theft prevention, please contact our team today!
