ECM thefts are rising. There is a solution to keep first

This submit is a part of a sequence sponsored by the IAT Insurance coverage Group.

Late final fall evening, the thief stole 13 ECM models from a fleet of business vans in Chicago. Nobody checked the feed through the hour of crime whereas the digital camera recorded the theft. Consequently, the burglar escaped with about $100,000 price of stolen items.

An ECM, or digital management module, is a truck’s engine pc that displays and controls the transmissions, brakes and different techniques required for primary truck operation. And not using a truck, the truck won’t begin and the price of changing it’s increased. The brand new ECM can set up as much as 30 hours of effort and prices round $9,000 on supplies alone. The precise price of ECM theft also needs to embrace lack of income from downtime whereas the truck isn’t charged a payment. The dearth of substitute ECMs is added solely to the issue.

ECM theft is rising on frequencies throughout the nation, significantly on Freightliner tracks. It’s because it takes solely 7 minutes to take away ECM from beneath the Freightliner dashboard. Whereas non-fiance ECMs are troublesome to entry, thieves have developed methods to steal them as properly.

Luckily, ECM anti-theft is less complicated than anticipated. By taking applicable precautions, it can save you hundreds of {dollars} in your online business with enterprise disruptions and direct monetary losses.

Defend your online business from ECM theft

By defending the fleet with these 4 measures, we’ll keep one step forward of ECM thieves:

1. Safe the car

Think about including these primary safety measures to your fleet.

• Lock your car, particularly in a single day when not in use.
• Park your truck in a approach that makes taxi entry tougher. For instance, park close to a wall or one other car.
• Rent vacation safety when extra vans are idle and on-site. Thieves usually goal business vans on holidays after they know they will not be used for safety on the premises.
• Set up cameras to alert your online business to backyard actions throughout enterprise hours. Rent somebody to watch throughout these high-risk durations and alert authorities after they detect suspicious conduct.
• Parked autos ought to be stored in vibrant areas the place entry to unauthorized events is restricted. Think about putting in a fence across the lot and utilizing a gate entry system.

2. Use anti-theft bolts

4 bolts shield the Freightliner ECM. Thieves look forward to finding these customary bolts and have the suitable instruments to simply take away them. You may be caught off guard utilizing an alternate anti-theft bolt.

Anti-theft bolts are sometimes ordered. Commonplace instruments do not work for them, making it troublesome for burglars to steal the ECM secured by them.

3. Contains regulation enforcement

If ECM theft happens, preserve regulation enforcement in a loop. Police may examine and get better stolen ECMs if warned shortly sufficient. It additionally helps you observe these theft patterns. This enables regulation enforcement to higher allocate sources to forestall sources.

Phrases shortly flip among the many thieves. In the event that they know that your online business is reporting all of the incidents of ECM theft, they might transfer on to a neater goal.

4. Please name Freightliner

If you’re hit by an ECM burglar, there may be one other potential deterrent towards future crimes. FreightLiner implies that you can’t remotely disable ECM and promote it. To report the theft, name 1-800-385-4357. All you want is the vin truck.

Disabling ECM remotely causes malfunction. That is no use for burglars and reduces the possibilities they’ll goal your fleet once more.

Ask the consultant of loss management

Have a query about the right way to scale back the danger? E mail losscontroldirect@iatinsurance.com You’ll have the chance to see your questions answered on future blogs.

By Tom McCallum

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