Author, Matt Gorham, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Contractors’ vehicles have long been a preferred target for thieves. Due to their distinct shapes and often eye catching branding, contractors’ vehicles are generally easy to identify, and they often contain thousands of dollars’ worth of tools, equipment, and materials.

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and plumbing business owners that allow their employees to drive their work vehicles home face an especially difficult challenge to keep their tools and equipment safe. And, the cost of a vehicle break in goes far beyond the financial cost of replacing what has been stolen.

Being the victim of a vehicle break-in will lead to delays in your operations, it can cause frustrated customers, and the affected employees can suffer psychologically, especially if they have had their own personal tools stolen.

Here are the top 5 tips to help navigate the risk of vehicle break-in’s at an employee’s home:

1. Have clearly defined policies and discuss them with your employees.
Before allowing employees to drive their vehicle home, ensure that they understand what is expected of them. Having policies to avoid or minimize losses are only effective if the driver is held responsible for actually following them.

And drivers are more likely to follow the policies if they:

• Are aware of them

• Clearly understand them

• Are accountable for implementing them

2. Leave expensive equipment, tools, and materials at the shop.
While it may be inconvenient for your techs to unload their trucks at the end of the day, creating and reinforcing a habit of securely storing expensive equipment at the shop is much more likely to prevent theft of that equipment.

If taking the equipment home is unavoidable or impractical, discuss with them if it is preferred to bring the equipment inside their home overnight.

Capreece Serna, Senior Safety Services Consultant with Sentry Insurance, offers an important reminder: Anything that is kept in the truck should be placed out of sight from the outside, and do not leave the keys in the ignition, on the seat, or tucked in the visor. Leaving electronics, keys, garage door openers, security badges, wallets, purses, or expensive tools in plain sight to potential criminals can encourage them to break into the vehicle.

It is also important that your techs know what is on their trucks. Having them conduct a quick inventory check at the start and end of their shift can help increase security of your tools and equipment, as well as theirs.

In the event that you ultimately experience a vehicle break-in, having an inventory of what was on the truck will help expedite the process of getting tools and equipment replaced.

3. Lock your vehicles and set your alarms.
This may sound basic, but locks are one of the most effective ways of securing your vehicle. Keep in mind that many technicians are getting in and out of their trucks repeatedly throughout the day, often times without locking their vehicles. This can lead to a false sense of security and unconscious habit of leaving a vehicle unlocked overnight. Having security bars or grates on the interior of the windows or doors will provide little security if the doors themselves are unlocked.

It is also important to recognize that there are different types of locks available. While not fail safe, aftermarket locks can provide an added layer of security on either the exterior or interior of a vehicle. As an example, puck locks are commonly found on the exterior, while cable locks or chain locks can be used in the interior to secure tools, tool cases, or equipment to mounted shelving.

Having an alarm system installed on each vehicle that gets driven home can be another effective deterrent. Would-be thieves are much less likely to target a vehicle with an alarm. However, if they are undeterred, the attention that an alarm system attracts in the event of a break-in can substantially reduce the amount of time they have to find and take anything.

4. Be aware of and monitor surroundings.
There are a number of environmental factors that employees can leverage or put in place to increase the security of the company vehicle. Serna offers the following suggestions whenever possible:

• Parking inside the employee’s garage or behind a security gate,

• If in the driveway, backing up to the garage door to prevent the vehicle doors from opening fully,

• If in the street, parking in a well-lit area or using a physical obstacle to limit door access,

• Making use of motion activated lights or cameras pointed at the vehicle,

• Placing a camera inside the vehicle facing tools and equipment.

5. Review coverage for tools, equipment, materials, and employees’ tools with your insurance broker.
Each of the above tips will help reduce the risk and severity of break-ins. However, eliminating the risk of a break-in altogether is impossible.

Serna points out, “When thieves decide to commit their crime, they are looking for the biggest payoff with the lowest potential for getting caught. The focus of your practices should be to minimize the appeal of your vehicles to thieves, which will also minimize the loss to your business.”

Talk with your insurance broker to develop a coverage strategy that aligns with your appetite for risk and have the carrier take on the remaining risk.

A unique advantage for Rancho Mesa clients is their access to the SafetyOne™ mobile app. Within it, business owners are able to make their vehicle policies available to their employees digitally, as well as provide security checklists through a QR code, while also being able to take pictures of their parked vehicle at the end of the work day, helping to reinforce safe practices, accountability, and employee implementation.

For a complimentary review of your current tool and equipment coverages, as well as your safety practices, you can contact me at (619) 486-6554 or mgorham@ranchomesa.com.