Nothing motivates a jobsite thief like a quick score… If it’s fast and easy to steal then that reduces their risk. Anything with wheels and a hitch is the easiest and fastest target on your construction site.
Here’s seven tips for keeping your jobsite trailers safe:
1) Store Trailers in Your Surveillance Security Zone
If you have security surveillance cameras on your jobsite, keep your trailers within the zones visible by your live monitors. Mark out the visible zones for yourself and then make sure your trailers are in it at the end of every day. Add this task to your end-of-day security routine.
2) Tongue Locks, Hitch Locks, Coupler Locks, etc…
The market has no shortage of trailer tongue locks. They are cheap, effective and easy to use. So use them. Effective security is about layers – adding a lock is one highly-effective layer you can add with little effort.
3) Remove a Tire
It really is that simple: remove a tire and lock it somewhere out of sight. You can also chain the removed tire to the trailer, or simply let the air out of the tires if you have a compressor available. Immobilization is good security.
4) Keep Trailers Well Lit and Visible from the Street
Thieves hate light and street visibility – that’s how they get caught. Study our guide on jobsite security lighting and make sure that thieves don’t feel safe coming onto your jobsite.
5) Defensive Parking
Make it highly inconvenient for thieves to just drive up and hitch by blocking the tongue, or the trailer itself, with other heavy equipment or materials.
6) Chain the Trailer Down
A good chain and padlock can buy you minutes – and sometimes that’s all you need. Better yet, they act as highly-visible deterrents to potential thieves. High visibility, good lighting and a chain can scare off some of the more cowardly thieves.
7) Put Your Name on the Trailer
Is your company logo big and bold on the side of your trailer? Put it there so that everyone knows who it belongs to. This serves as low-grade deterrence and is a good way for police to ID your property in the worst case scenario.
More Pro-Vigil Guides to Construction Security:
Stop Generator Theft: 14 Portable Generator Security Tips
10 Skid Steer Security Tips: The Jobsite Thief’s Favorite Tool
Highway Construction Site Security: 11 Ways to Stop Road Jobsite Theft
Equipment Yard Security: 10 Tactics that Stop Equipment Yard Theft
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