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Although vehicle theft has become less common over the past few decades, the average number of vehicles stolen per year still numbers in the hundreds of thousands, according to FBI data reported by the Insurance Information Institute. As a fleet manager or business owner, your chances of becoming a statistic increase with each of your numerous vehicles. The good news is that stolen equipment trackers and GPS trackers help prevent theft and assist in reclaiming equipment. Keep reading to learn more.

Whether your fleet comprises everyday cars or construction equipment such as backhoes, most instances of theft fit into several broad categories.

Key takeaway: Thieves may steal your vehicles for parts, for fun or for what’s inside them. They may carry out their theft via premeditated setups.

While the vehicle theft scenarios above are concerning, they’re easily preventable for the most part. Follow these best practices to keep your fleet secure:

Key takeaway: Preventing fleet equipment theft requires a combination of common sense, smart judgment calls, vehicle testing and GPS theft trackers.

If your equipment is stolen, GPS fleet tracking programs can help you locate and obtain it. Follow these steps to use GPS fleet tracking for this purpose:

Once you obtain your GPS theft trackers, make sure that you’ve installed your tracking devices in each of your vehicles. Create a checklist to run through every time you obtain a new vehicle, and include GPS device addition on this list. This way, your stolen equipment trackers will cover your entire fleet, not just part of it.

Thieves are often smart enough to look for GPS theft trackers. Reduce the chances of thieves finding your devices by smartly concealing them. Many devices are designed for hiding, but others may require more creativity on your part. Don’t forget that you can conceal your GPS devices on the outside of your vehicle, too.

The best GPS theft trackers don’t just refresh every minute or so – they constantly update your vehicles’ location on a map. This capability comes in handy when you’re looking to catch thieves in the act. It’s nearly impossible for a thief to claim your vehicle is theirs if you can show they’re sitting in a car located exactly where yours is on your GPS tracker.

If your fleet drivers only work during certain times of the day, you’ll know something is off if your vehicles are on the road outside these times. If that’s the case, set odd-hours alerts to notify you if your vehicles are moving outside typical work hours. Such an alert is a near-certain indicator of theft, and you should act on it right away.

Some equipment shouldn’t leave certain worksites. You can create a geofence around this equipment to alert you if this equipment is located outside your premises. In this case, you can reasonably assume a case of theft and take action as needed.

As a fleet manager or business owner, you may feel tempted to personally handle all actions toward equipment recovery. However, if your fleet driver is far away from your main location when theft occurs, you can only do so much to help them. That’s why you should set up your GPS theft tracker so that your drivers can take action, too. The sooner your drivers can act, the more quickly you can retrieve your equipment and get back to work.

Finding the right GPS theft tracker for your team is simply a matter of patience and research – and on the latter front, our best fleet tracking software guide can help. We’ve selected top picks for small businesses, asset tracking, value and safety, alongside separate picks for midsize businesses and GPS reporting features. Look through our picks after learning how to choose a GPS fleet tracking system. A more theft-proof fleet is possible.