Ri$k Happens: Don’t be too prepared

Apr. 18, 2021 - By Mary Ann Gormly, CERP - Loss Analyst, ARA Insurance

Business owners and employees like to anticipate what their customers need in many situations and be ready for whatever might come up. One rental store had a customer who needed a trencher delivered early the next morning to a job site. This customer liked to get an early start and was going to be on his job site at 7 a.m. He was hopeful someone could meet him there at that time.

The rental store owner agreed to come in early to make this their first delivery as soon as the store opened the following day. The trencher was loaded onto the trailer and the trailer was connected to the delivery truck. Everything was ready to go for the early morning delivery when the store closed the evening before.

The rental store owner and manager arrived at 6:30 a.m. to the gate standing ajar and the truck, trailer and equipment missing. He and the store manager looked around the lot to make sure it hadn’t been moved to another location. It had not. The police were called, a claim was reported and their customer was called. They would be delayed making the delivery while everything was sorted out. They had another trencher on hand and were able to get that delivered not long after the agreed time.

The rental store had surveillance video and they saw a hooded figure cut the lock on the fence and enter the rental yard. The truck was located a few hours later but the trailer and trencher were gone. The truck had been hotwired and it was easy for the thief to steal all three items since they were loaded up and ready to go.

This item, provided by ARA Insurance, Kansas City, Mo., contains safety tips and is intended to help readers better understand and manage risk. For more safety and risk management information, customers of ARA Insurance can log on to ReSource. Access is free, so if you haven’t signed up yet, contact your agent or call 800-821-6580.