July 4th Heavy Equipment Theft Trends Infographic and Security Tips and Best Practices

NER® wishes all our clients and Law Enforcement partners a happy and safe Independence Day. We also encourage everyone to take steps to make it a crime-free holiday.

The Independence Day holiday is one of the most active equipment theft periods nationwide, as summer demand for equipment is on full throttle. All areas should consider equipment theft to be a threat just before and over the holiday.

The infographic shows that job site and dealer/rental store burglaries are the most common cause of thefts. Machine thefts from storage locations including contractor’s shop yards and farm outbuildings are also prevalent.

Equipment rental fraud and conversion thefts plague the industry. This trend is not stopping in 2024 as detailed in these Georgia and Texas alerts. NER anticipates that fraudsters and “smash and grab” thieves will be active throughout summer holiday weekends.

Prevent equipment crimes with a few small steps and minor attention to details to deter an opportunistic thief. Below are a few fundamentals for both law enforcement and equipment owners.

Please report any theft or fraud to NER online, or email NER at info@ner.net

Law Enforcement personnel are encouraged to verify the status of equipment in-transit over the holiday which may be an undiscovered theft. Contact NICB 24 hours a day for access to NER’s equipment ownership registration data and fleet records 800-447-6282. Or register to search NER’s data online at https://application.ner.net

Industry personnel are encouraged to contact local Law Enforcement (911) about any suspicious activity; being in the industry you know when something isn’t right – don’t let it go.