ARA Addresses Rental Equipment Theft

Picture this: a customer comes in requesting a specific piece of equipment they need for the next couple of days. It’s in stock. You do your due diligence, capture their information, set up the agreement, take payment, etc. After a quick inspection and confirming the machine is in good order, it’s brought around to the front. The customer brought their own truck and trailer. Simple. Easy. Straight-forward.

You never see that asset or customer again. The information they gave you was false. The machine is sold on social media the very next day. According to the American Rental Association (ARA) equipment theft comes to a staggering $100 million-a-year crisis for the equipment rental industry. Each month more than 360 pieces of equipment vanishes. This relentless wave not only drains resources but threatens the stability of operations nationwide for both the equipment rental and construction industries. 

The majority of the $100,000,000 value comes from theft by conversion – much like the example above. “Theives aren’t coming into our yards and breaking into our stores,” explains Sean Williams, president of First Place Rental as well as the president of ARA of Illinois. “They’re brazen. They’re coming into our stores, posing as legitimate customers and really have no intention of using the equipment, but just selling it right away.”

The consequences of stolen equipment extend far beyond a single financial loss. Equipment theft drives up insurance rates and rental costs. It also disrupts access to critical machinery, delays vital infrastructure projects and strains entire industries that rely on timely, efficient operations. Once the equipment leaves the rental yard or jobsite with a fraudulent renter or thief, it is rarely recovered. Equipment commonly targeted by thieves, such as backhoes, bulldozers and loaders, is often sold on the black market or to unsuspecting buyers on popular resell sites. 

In an effort to help its members, the ARA have connected with law enforcement raising awareness of the issue nationwide. In April 2025, the organization held a press conference at the Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers’ location in Morris, Illinois. There, the ARA outlined new theft prevention and recovery programs aimed at arming equipment rental businesses with resources to identify potential threats and prevent equipment theft.

“Equipment theft is an issue that affects every single one of our equipment rental members, no matter the size of their operation,” says ARA CEO Tony Conant. “We wanted to attack it from every angle with the Equipment Rental Guard program. When used to its fullest potential, our members will be totally prepared to prevent thieves from stealing their equipment.”

“I think it’s incredibly important for all of us to band together [to prevent equipment theft],” says David Skala, manager, B.I. Rental, Homer Glen, Ill. “This problem is so huge that unless every individual who is involved takes action, there’s not going to be any movement forward. I think all the tools that ARA is introducing are absolutely fantastic, and I’m looking forward to implementing them in our store.”

In addition to raising awareness, the ARA unveiled Equipment Rental Guard (ERG), a comprehensive security suite designed to arm the rental community with the knowledge, tools and resources to verify renters, prevent theft and protect assets. The ERG program includes tools such as training courses, red flag renter text alerts, a national database of problematic renters and stolen equipment, and ID verification. Theft reporting guidance, financial security tools and free legal assistance are also available through the ERG program.