Stolen cars, on average, are recovered at a rate of over 85%. Conversely, only about 20% of stolen construction equipment is recovered. Additionally, equipment theft is on the rise. Typically a crime of opportunity, stealing equipment became a new pastime for idle hands during the pandemic, and now that economic downturn is upon us, more machines are disappearing. Now’s the time to get vigilant about protecting your own fleet. 

In this month’s interview, Melissa Somers, executive director of the Crime Prevention Program of Southern California, goes over the many tools and strategies of theft prevention every dealer should have in place––what she calls the Shrek Effect. Just as ogres have layers, it’s the combination of multiple layers of technology, machine marking, developing the right relationships, and common sense protocols that makes your equipment a harder target. 

Think you know what to do if your machine is stolen while on rent to your customer? There may be some surprises that you’ll be wise to think through before it ever happens. Somers will get you thinking about your rental contracts and what you might want to check and modify to more thoroughly protect your rental assets.

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