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The Covid-19 virus is affecting almost everyone in the United States, but many are unsure of proper maintenance with their construction equipment and fleet vehicles. We where at DPL Telematics have created an easy to use guide on preventative measure related to the corona virus.

As always be sure to check out the official CDC website as a reference point for this information, and if you are believe you have any symptoms be sure to contact a health care professional for what to do.

Quick Covid-19 Safety Guide

Handling Door Handles – The Virus can potentially live up to 2 week son metal and plastics. So before entering any vehicle you should open the doors with a disinfectant wipe that has alcohol in it. If you do not have a wet wipe clean your hands with a hand cleaner with at least 60% alcohol after touching the handle. If that is not available open the door using a throw away paper towel.
 
Steering Wheels, Keys, Buttons, and Switches – This is another place the virus can linger. Clean the items using a wipe with alcohol in it, if not are available use hand sanitizer heavily to help kill the virus, if none of those are available be sure to avoid touching your face, head, or clothing while doing this. As the virus and spread from those items easily.
 
Exiting The Vehicle – 30% of all people infected with the Corona virus will show no symptoms and still be able to infect others. The best method to help prevent spreading it is to clean all items you have touched with a wet wipe that has alcohol in it. Afterwards go to the nearest wash facility and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to remove all traces of the virus on you. Also be sure to wash your clothing as soon as you get home to make sure to kill any parts of it that may have attached themselves.
 
We at DPL Telematics hope these quick precautionary measures can help you, your staff, and / or your business. As well we encourage you to seek professional help from a medical doctor if you have any other questions or feel you may be displaying symptoms of the virus. Information pulled from CDC website and trained doctors.

So far police have no leads on the case.

North Little Rock, Ark – A family of 7 is near homelessness after their trailer was stolen early Tuesday morning. The families trailer contained all the tools they needed to continue their construction company containing, tools, lights, painting materials, and more. The construction company is the family of seven’s only source of income and without it they have no clue how they will pay their mortgage and support their 5 children.

f you have seen a 2018 7×14 tandem axel Rozorback Doolittle trailer please contact the North Little Rock police department as quickly as possible. Story originally from Fox 16.

So far police have no leads on the case.

Huntsville, AL – On the evening of October 2nd to the Morning of October 3rd, construction equipment valued at over $54,000 dollars was stolen from a construction site. Police where called to a construction site located on the 7100 block of State Highway 75 at 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon after employees noticed the stolen equipment. The equipment stolen was a Kubota Skid Steer Tractor, it comes with multiple attachments allowing the user to complete different tasks.

“Unfortunately, construction site thefts are common,” HPD Lt. Jim Barnes said. “We also do not have video to go on, but it has been entered as stolen”. The excavator is believed to have been stolen using a tow trailer, so anyone with any information on the theft is encouraged to contact the local Huntsville police depart with any information that morning, or in general leading to the recovery of the equipment. Story originally from The Item News.

GPS foils the criminals plans.

Milwaukee, WI – The police officers of Walowrth country were able to return stolen contruction vehicles to a Walworth County company by using the built in GPS systems in the equipment. The thieves originally hit in the middle of the night and managed to avoid almost all of the security cameras during the incident. While the vehicles did not have keys in them, the thieves managed to get around that by simply taking out the ignition systems for the current vehicles and adding in their own customized ones. This gave them easy access to starting the vehicles and driving off. The vehicles owner, Stricklen-Rechlicz, said she could not make out anyone on the video surveillance, but it did show a semi-truck parked nearby, which was used to load the skid steers onto.

Working with the local police, Stricklen-Rechlicz, was able to use the vehicles built in tracking systems to find both of her stolen skid steers. One was found in a home, and the other found in a truck yard. Both property owners deny knowing were the skid steers originally came from, or having any part is the theft of them.

“To have to replace something that expensive and that useful to what we do… yeah, it would have been hard,” said Stricklen-Rechlicz.

So far one person has been arrested based on the information gathered during the vehicles recovery operation, but this was a multiple person job.

“If they victimized me and my company, how many others have they victimized?” asked Stricklen-Rechlicz.If you have any information on either of these 2 thefts please call the Walworth County Police at 262-275-6585. Story originally from Fox 6 Now

Detectives are hoping local tips help.

Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Sound Sound police are seeking help in finding an excavator stolen August 5th, 2019, from local Tacoma Construction businesses. An employee, who works for one of the construction companies said “If they had a John Deere key, they could just take it, fire it up, like they did, and scrape the basked back and take off, and that’s what they did, dragged it all the way”.

The dump truck was a 2011 John Deere 50D excavator. Based on machinerytrader.com these tractors sell for around $40,000 USD with near standard base models and can go much higher depending on extra features included.

“There are people that are out literally making their living by stealing property and high-end gear all night long,” said Detective Ed Troyer.

This is actually the second excavator stolen in the past few months. The last one stolen was a Kubota mini excavator back in June. The Kubota models tend to sell for around $40,000 USD as well. The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force is not aware of any connection between these thefts, but it is very odd for major thefts like this to happen so close together.

“Usually what happens is they’re either sold on Craigslist for a really reduced rate to offload them quickly, or they’re already preordered by someone else who’s going in and stealing these vehicles on their behalf,” said Lt. Jason Ashley. If you have any information on either of these 2 thefts please call the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force at 253-329-2442. Image thanks to Construction Equipment Guide.

Please call Pine County Police Department with tips.

PINE CITY, MN – Shafer Contracting is seeking the public’s help in finding a stolen dump truck on the evening of Monday July 15th 2019. Employees noticed the dump truck missing last Monday evening and contacted the Pine County Sheriff department immediately. It was also believed to have been seen on Highway 70 heading west, according to a reported eye witness.

The dump truck is a 2005 Sterling model. The exterior front of the truck, otherwise known as the cab section, is red in color. The back of the truck, other known as the dump box, is a yellow/orange coloring. There may also be some dried cement on the back. The cab doors have a Minnesota license place of YAV1090.

Thieves seek out dump trucks as they are easy to rebrand and then sell to companies located in Southern American. The parts also are worth a good amount when sold to others worldwide. If the dump truck is not found within a short period of time, there is a high likelihood it is either not in the states or already dissembled, making its recovery very difficult.

If any type of tracking system was included in the dump truck it would have been found within hours by local police and the owners would have their property back. If you have seen this dump truck or know any other information regarding its whereabouts, please contact the Pine Country Sheriff’s Office at 320-629-8380. Image thanks to CBS3 Duluth.

Local police seeking tips.

BURLINGTON, N.C. – An excavator was stolen according to the Burlington police department during the early hours of Monday May 13th. The excavator was a Kobelco Mini and is valued between $40,000 to $100,000 USD, depending on the features and quality of the excavator. It is believed the victims left the vehicle unlocked and it may have had the keys inside of it. Some insurance agencies will deny a client's claim if they determine the keys were inside the vehicle. Insurance companies can claim the owner did not take sufficient steps to keep their property safe from theft.

Due to the size and mobility of Kobelco excavators there is a high demand for these worldwide. People in the US, Canada, and Mexico attempt to purchase these from black market dealers. These mini excavators are normally taken apart via “chop shops”, and afterwards shipped throughout the world, and reassembled to hide all traces of theft.

“The Burlington Police Department has seen a rise in these types of incidents over the past few months. The victims in these cases left their vehicles unlocked with keys inside the vehicle,” police said. “Citizens should be mindful that to prevent the theft of their vehicles that they must ‘Lock It or Lose It.’”

Police have stated that anyone with any information on this crime should contact them immediately at (336) 229-3500. Time is important with high end thefts of construction vehicles before they leave the country. Image shown is an example of a Kobelco Excavator from Kobelco-usa.com.