Is job site theft a given that we just need to accept?
I’m curious what percentage of builders actually experience theft each year, and the countless dollars that are written off as “just another loss”. Do we in the construction industry have the right to hold those accountable, or is this something that we have merely learned to accept and allow?
I’ve been a GC for almost 30 years, and every year, tools go missing here and there, some of it my fault for not paying attention to which job I left it on, and some of it my fault for not paying attention to which employee or sub contractor I lent it to, thinking that in the grand scheme, I could just trust that it would all find its way back to me in the long run.
What really gets each of us thinging is that one job site break in where more than just one or two pieces go missing. Should we just expect this to happen and budget accordingly so that we can replace whatever tool we need in that moment that we cant find it? Or do you think it might just be a bit bigger than that?
It seems there is a complete ecosystem in place to handle theft, but the bottleneck falls on us as builders because we have so few records and information to substantiate what actually was ours, and that its nearly impossible to hunt it down and recover it.
What responsibility falls to us as builders to maintain the records we need in a manner that allows us to report things effectively so as to reshape theft throughout our industry? Is it our responsibility to have the information so that we can accurately and effectively report theft in a way that gives law enforcement something of value to work with?
Who truly is to blame for the rampant theft that plagues us? I grew up hearing the phrase “locks only keep honest people honest”, but the older I get, the phrase “Don’t tread on me” resonates more and more.
Replies
I’ve had about $10,000 stollen in tools from me twice. I do not leave tools onsite anymore unless doing a remodel and HO’s are there to scare off intruders. It’s typically, other punk contractors steeling the tools, why pay for it when you can take it from someone else. I’ve also had A/c units tons of copper etc stollen. I would love to be able to keep tools onsite, but the reality of today does not allow for it.
I have two trailers to save gas $ for hauling tools everyday. A really small trailer for pulling everyday tools and a large trailer for the special projects that require my entire arsenal. The small trailer barely effects gas mileage at all. I was tracking tools, but found I was so paranoid about tools getting stolen I just took them home everyday and the expense of tracking was not worth it to me. One of my colleagues refuses to take his tools home every night (it is a pain, but not that hard), he places GPS locators on every piece of equipment over $500. He actually had his entire trailer stolen. The police tracked it way out in the middle of nowhere in a small town in Iowa. Turns out it was a full on crime ring. The police seized multiple trailers and hundreds of tools.
I have also found insuring all tools to cost more than what it’s worth. In my area the deductible is so high for tool insurance it’s not really worth it. Police aren’t much help either, they file a report for insurance, but that’s it, your SOL on recovering the tools.
Just bring tools home every night. I purchased one of those larger garden carts, it’s one of the most helpful tools I own. I can typically place all the tools I need for everyday in the cart and wheel it to where I’m working and just strap the cart down in the trailer at end of the day. The cart saves a lot of time as you make one trip vs multiple loads to the trailer. I do a lot of commercial work as well. The cart is very handy when using elevators for job site access.
I have a business in the U.K. as well. When I work there I do not need to worry about theft at all. I kid you not, I can leave my tools at the curbside over night and they’ll be there in the morning. Wish I could do that in the US. Not sure why this is the case, but wish the US would get back to more of a sense of community and looking out for one another. It’s frustrating.
Leaving anything on an unattended job site is a dream come true for thieves. You might as well throw money on the sidewalk and expect to find it the next morning. When you're done working, take everything home.
We've been lucky in Montana, theft is relatively low compared to the other areas. where are you out of that its a definite decision to bring tools home?
I'm a retired carpenter in Nashville, Tennessee. I started in poor neighborhoods, but spent most of my life doing fussy finish work for decorators and architects in wealthy neighborhoods. No matter where, if I left tools on the job, they were stolen.