September 3, 2023
The National Equipment Register (NER) is encouraging those in the equipment and event rental industry to be vigilant against theft during the Labor Day weekend. NER reports that over the last five years, there has been a rise in theft incidents reported during the holiday weekend.
The top five targeted states have been:
- Texas
- Florida
- North Carolina
- Georgia
- California
Dealerships, worksites and storage facilities have been the most targeted locations with mowers, skid steers and wheeled tractors being the most frequently stolen equipment.
NER offers numerous security tips and best practices, including:
- Testing cameras in daylight and after dark to confirm you can capture images of license plates, faces and vehicles.
- Confirm that alarms and lighting are operating properly. Frequent false alarms may be a test of a business owner’s responsiveness.
- Watch for vehicles “casing” the property.
- Moving light or highly targeted equipment into service bays or away from fences.
- Not leaving anything on a trailer and securing all trailers.
Click here for NER’s full list of tips and best practices.
To help protect those in the equipment and event rental industry, American Rental Association (ARA) members can register up to 1,000 pieces of mobile, off-road equipment with NER’s HELPTech database for free. When companies register their equipment, NER will send theft deterrent warning decals that let potential thieves know the equipment is registered in a searchable, national database.
Participating members may be eligible for a theft-deductible waiver of up to $10,000 through their insurance company.
Learn more about ARA and NER’s partnership.
Click here to report equipment rental and purchase frauds to NER online or call 866-663-7872.
