Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/330408
Theft 36 | ZZZFHGPDJFRP | Construction Equipment Distribution | June 2014 problems. Lt. Human, a veteran lawman in the department's Criminal Investigation Division, cites a case where 10 pieces of equipment were found, but only six of them appeared on the NER list. "Yet we had the thieves in custody and they said they had stolen it all," he said. Turns out the other four machines had been incorrectly listed on NER and had not been reported stolen. "Heavy equipment doesn't have a 17-digit VIN number like a car. People will enter a wrong ID number or enter the number in the wrong category. Then you have to follow it up." The department – which recently recovered some equipment by track- ing down its LoJack signal – does not routinely pull over equipment-carrying lowboys on highways. That undoubt- edly pleases truckers, who burn a lot of diesel to get rolling again. However, equipment on trucks already stopped are checked. "We train our troopers to look beyond the ticket, if you will, when someone who is hauling equipment is stopped," Human says. "They look to see if ID plates are damaged or missing. But in general, stopping a truck to look at the equipment, no, we don't do that." Human was asked if something as simple as a license plate on heavy equipment would help with identifi- cation, as it does with stolen cars. "It would be feasible to check plates. I would have to think about how much it would help. It couldn't hurt." Al Cervero is banking on tele- matics – remote monitoring of equipment – to at least slow the disappearance of machinery. "Down the road, more and more contractors are going to move to telematics to be able to compete, though telematics are quite different from antitheft systems. Still, when you are tracking a machine every hour, it is going to be quite evident when something is wrong and there is a situation there. Telematics is going to make it tougher and tougher for thieves." ´6:,3('µFRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH GILES LAMBERTSON is a retired journalist and freelance writer whose interest in the construction industry goes back to his carpentry days. He can be reached at gparkerel@ gmail.com ï /DUJH &RPSUHKHQVLYH/LQHRI6WUHHW6ZHHSHUV ï 8QLTXH 7LPH3URYHQ'HVLJQV ï 1R&'/5HTXLUHGIRU0RGHOV ï 6LJQLĆFDQW3URGXFW'LIIHUHQWLDWLRQ 3URĆW0DUJLQV ï 8QVXUSDVVHG'HDOHU6XSSRUW6\VWHP ())(&7,9(/<6,03/( ())(&7,9(/<6,03/( :HOFRPLQJ1HZ'HDOHUV IRU6HOHFW7HUULWRULHV &DOO-RKQIRUPRUHLQIR_ZZZVWHZDUWDPRVFRP