Top States With Stolen Trailers and Equipment
Introduction
According to an article published by Ron J. Melancon, 1,400 trailers are being stolen weekly. Most states require you to register your trailer and obtain a trailer plate; however, there’s 14 states that do not require you to have a registered trailer plate or tag. Why has there been a recent uptick in trailers being stolen? Well there is, and always will be, a market for stolen goods like trailers, construction equipment, pesticides, and hand tools. Insecure trailers are gold to thieves. Ironically, 6 out of the 10 states that make our list do not require you to have a plate for your trailer. It takes less than 20 seconds to steal a trailer. Trailers are an easy target to take, especially when you are traveling out of state and leaving your trailer in a hotel parking lot overnight. It’s been reported that 50% of trailers are stolen when traveling. Here, we are going to break down the top 10 states with the most trailers stolen and whether or not that state requires you to plate your trailer.
Breakdown
Texas: If the trailer is over 4,000 pounds gross weight (empty plus carrying capacity) it must be titled, but if it is 4,000 pounds gross weight (empty plus carrying capacity) or less, titling is optional.
North Carolina: Yes. Trailers have to be titled and registered in North Carolina
Florida: Yes. Florida law requires trailer tags and registrations to be renewed before they expire.
California: Yes. a trailer plate must be registered and attached to the trailer for identification purposes.
Georgia: No. The State of Georgia does not register or title trailers.
South Carolina: Yes. Every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer and special mobile equipment vehicle driven, operated or moved upon a highway in this State shall be registered and licensed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
Tennessee: Short Answer, No. The State of Tennessee does not require individuals to title and license utility trailers for private use, as long as you are pulling the trailer behind a Tennessee-licensed vehicle
Oklahoma: No. Personal trailers are not required to be registered in this state.
Arkansas: No. Although you'll need to register your trailer, Arkansas only requires titles for motorized vehicles
Alabama: Yes and No. If a trailer has a gooseneck or is attached to the power unit by a fifth wheel, the trailer must be registered with a trailer (TR) license plate.
Summary
Whether you get your news by listening to the radio, watching television, reading the paper, or browsing online, it always seems that someone’s trailer or its contents was stolen from a home, business, or worksite. After looking at the breakdown and the top 10 states you can see a pattern. Trailer theft is more common in states that don’t require registration. Attached is a graph representing why thieves may steal trailers. This study was published by a couple of students from Purdue.
Trailers are stolen on a daily basis,” said Walt Woloszczuk, supervisory special agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Without proper security for your trailer, you risk your high value assets getting stolen. It’s time to get proper protection for your trailer. Protecting your trailer could also help lower insurance costs.
Check out https://www.trailer-alarms.com for more information on trailer security and protection.
-- Submitted by Ashton Thompson