Reasons for Heavy Equipment Theft and What You Can Do About It

The high resale value of heavy equipment makes it an attractive target for thieves looking for a relatively low risk, high reward transaction. The sheer fact that heavy equipment retails for anywhere from $40,000 to $130,000 and in fairly high demand offers the promise of quick cash to those who do the stealing.

There are other things, though, that drive theft of heavy equipment, including the surprising ease of the thefts and the abundant opportunities for stealing heavy equipment. This can be especially the case during certain times of year, such as the months of December and January when many businesses that use heavy equipment experience lower volumes of work leaving these items largely unattended.

The other reason heavy equipment theft is so widespread is the fact that it is notoriously difficult to distinguish. Unlike cars and trucks that come with documentation along with unique VINs (vehicle identification numbers), many heavy equipment manufacturers do not have the same ease of identification.

How Can You Prevent Heavy Equipment Theft?

Since it is so easy to steal and difficult to recover stolen heavy equipment, your thought, if you own this type of equipment, must focus on preventing theft and making your equipment easily identifiable. These are a few things you might want to consider.

1. Etch identifying information onto all your equipment.

This will certainly help to make the equipment identifiable as yours if it is stolen. If prevention is what you have in mind, though, you want to go bigger and bolder by painting your logo on all your vehicles in bright, bold colors that are difficult to cover up and to miss. This makes your vehicles less attractive to thieves interested in quick and easy profits.

2. Invest in GPS equipment tracking.

Not only can GPS equipment tracking, like the LiveViewGPS asset tracker equipment, on your heavy equipment identify the equipment as belonging to you. It also offers real-time tracking so you can direct law enforcement to the exact location of your equipment. If you have etched or branded your equipment, your odds of recovery are even greater.

3. Invest in greater security for your equipment.

The most important thing you can do to prevent theft is to make your equipment inaccessible or not easily accessible to thieves. The more hoops they must jump through to steal your heavy equipment, the less likely they are to try.

Small steps like these will not guarantee the safety and security of your heavy assets and equipment. They will improve your odds of getting it back if it is stolen however, and make your equipment a less favorable target for thieves.

Here at LiveViewGPS, we can help you with number 2 above.  GPS tracking can help you recover stolen equipment in the nick of time, so you can back to using it in your business without missing a beat. To learn more, call us at 1-888-544-0494 or check out our Asset Tracker equipment here.

You Are Here: LiveViewGPS Blog » Reasons for Heavy Equipment Theft and What You Can Do About It