There probably isn’t a contractor in this country that at some point hasn’t been a victim of jobsite theft. In 2014, there were 11,625 heavy-equipment thefts reported to law enforcement, up 1.2% from 2013, according to the latest data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau in a report coproduced by the National Crime Information Center.
Total construction equipment theft now stands at around $1 billion annually. And only 23% of the heavy equipment stolen last year was recovered, the NICB report stated.
A survey conducted last year by Cygnus Business Media Research on behalf of LoJack, which makes theft-detection and –prevention devices, found that 83% of construction equipment owners polled had experienced equipment theft.
Courtney DeMilio, LoJack’s National Vice President of Commercial and Fleet, points out that theft can have a greater, negative impact on a business. “Loss in job productivity, the inability to complete a job, a diminished professional reputation—all while the owner is spending a substantial amount of time and money to replace the equipment,” she says.
The Canton, Mass.-based LoJack recently released its annual “Construction Equipment Theft and Recovery in the United States” report, based on its tracking, from January through December 2014, of theft reports in 28 states where equipment theft was reported and where construction equipment outfitted with a LoJack device led police to recover the stolen assets.
Graphics courtesy LoJack
From that sample, the report identifies backhoe loaders, skip loaders and wheel loaders as the most popular equipment targeted by thieves. “There is little visual differentiation from one backhoe to another, and they all share a common key,” the report explains. “Therefore, they are prime targets for thieves based on the ease of theft and how hard they are to track once one is stolen.”
Skid steers, generators/air compressors/welders and portable light towers; and excavators are also most susceptible to robbery.
The report notes that thieves typically go after newer and brand-name equipment. In 2014, 54% of the tracked equipment stolen was less than five years old. And 65% of the thefts were of products made by top manufacturers such as Bobcat (24% of the equipment stolen), John Deere (20%), Caterpiller and Case (tied at 8% each), Takeuchi (6%) and Magnum (5%).
The report gives several reasons why construction equipment and tools continue to be vulnerable to thieves. For one thing, titling and registration of equipment aren’t mandated, so it’s often hard to report theft and harder for law enforcement to track what’s stolen. There’s also no standardized identification numbers on this stuff, like the Vehicle Identification Numbers on cars and trucks.
In addition, jobsite security is not always as tight as it could be, and the sites themselves can be remote. And because equipment and tools are constantly being transferred between sites, owners can be lax in their inventory accounting.
“The thief isn’t always somebody unrelated to the job, as often he or she can be a member of the company that owns the equipment,” DeMilio tells BD+C. But inside jobs aside, the industry has a “natural exposure” to theft because jobsites are on predictable schedules, leaving opportunities open for thieves will often scope out sites looking for weak spots.
Not surprisingly, theft is more prevalent in states where there’s more construction activity, with California and Texas having the highest occurrences. But unlike cars, which when stolen often end up in other states, 95% of the stolen construction equipment and tools that are recovered are found in the same state they were stolen in.
DeMilio says contractors and owners need to keep their equipment off the street in secured areas patrolled by guards. They should also be in close contact with police “so they are aware of the area and can be monitoring during off hours.” She recommends that owners adopt technology that includes cameras, electronic access pads, GPS geo-fencing, and covert RF recover devices.
LoJack, naturally, pitches the efficacy of installing detection and telematic devices on construction equipment so that owners are alerted to unauthorized use during off hours, and police have a better shot at retrieving stolen goods. It points out that 56% of stolen equipment with a LoJack system was recovered within 24 hours after being reported, and 5% was recovered within an hour.
Related Stories
| Oct 31, 2013
74 years later, Frank Lloyd Wright structure built at Florida Southern College
The Lakeland, Fla., college adds to its collection of FLW buildings with the completion of the Usonian house, designed by the famed architect in 1939, but never built—until now.
| Oct 31, 2013
CBRE's bold experiment: 200-person office with no assigned desks [slideshow]
In an effort to reduce rent costs, real estate brokerage firm CBRE created its first completely "untethered" office in Los Angeles, where assigned desks and offices are replaced with flexible workspaces.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 29, 2013
Increased backlogs, margins lead to renewed optimism in global construction
After prolonged economic uncertainty, a majority of executives in the global engineering and construction sector have fresh confidence in the growth prospects for the industry, according to KPMG International's 2013 Global Construction Survey. A general increase in backlogs and margins is giving cause for optimism across the industry, with further growth anticipated.
| Oct 29, 2013
BIG opens subterranean Danish National Maritime Museum [slideshow]
BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has completed the Danish National Maritime Museum in Helsingør. By marrying the crucial historic elements with an innovative concept of galleries and way-finding, BIG’s renovation scheme reflects Denmark's historical and contemporary role as one of the world's leading maritime nations.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.
| Oct 28, 2013
Metal roofs are topping more urban dwellings
Given their durability and ease of use, metal roofs have been a common feature on rural houses for decades. Now they’re becoming an increasingly popular choice on urban dwellings as well.
| Oct 25, 2013
Hoffmann Architects announces launch of U.S. Capitol Dome restoration
The Architect of the Capitol will undertake comprehensive restoration of the 150-year-old cast iron Dome, which has not undergone a complete restoration since 1959-1960.
| Oct 23, 2013
Gehry, Foster join Battersea Power Station redevelopment
Norman Foster and Frank Gehry have been selected to design a retail section within the £8 billion redevelopment of Battersea Power Station in London.