Texas Leads U.S. In Heavy Equipment Theft

An analysis of heavy equipment thefts in the nation reveals that Texas is the number-one state for such activity and John Deere is the make that is stolen the most.

The findings were announced last week in the National Equipment Register's fourth annual Equipment Theft Report. NER database services record heavy equipment ownership and theft information.

NER's 15-page report provides statistics based upon thousands of equipment-theft reports it records, a database of over 80,000 losses, and insurance industry data from the Insurance Services Office.

In addition to Texas, the other top-10 states for theft were listed in order as: California, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

States with the highest volume of construction and agriculture have the highest number of thefts, the report said.

By type of equipment, the report listed the skid steer loader, tractor and backhoe loader as the three most targeted by criminals.

After John Deere, the most common makes reported stolen were Caterpillar, Bobcat, Kubota, Case, New Holland, Multiquip, Ditch Witch, Massey Fergusson and Komatsu.

Makes most often recovered by law enforcement were Bobcat, Caterpillar, Case, John Deere, New Holland, Kubota, MultiQuip, Gehl, Ditch Witch and Ingersoll Rand.

The top-five makes of equipment recovered accounted for 70 percent of all recovered thefts.

By year of manufacture, the report said, 2006 would be the top if pro-rated for the number of months that the average 2006 model was "available" to be stolen.

The newer a piece of equipment, the more likely it is to be stolen. If given the choice between two similar machines that are just as easy to steal, a thief will choose the newer, more valuable machine, the report noted.

In fighting equipment theft, NER said that the area needing most improvement is in making accurate information available to law enforcement 24 hours a days.

NER said it has helped law enforcement recover $12 million of equipment with Texas and California, accounting for the most recoveries in 2006.

Stacy Kaufman, NER's director of sales and marketing, explained that "it is impossible for law enforcement to target every machine that they see, nor is it economical for insurers and equipment owners to invest in sophisticated security for every machine, so it is vital to know where to focus resources for the response to equipment theft to be cost effective and therefore sustainable. This report allows that to be done."

NER member insurers and their policyholders can request graphics and free copies of the report by e-mailing info@NERusa.com, or calling 212-297-1805.