It's 10 PM. Do you know where your trailers are?

That question used to be a public service announcement.

For many small businesses today, it is a real risk assessment.

Trailer theft does not usually happen when crews are working or when owners are nearby. It happens at night, on weekends, and during long gaps when no one is checking. That is not speculation. That is exactly what the data shows.

Trailer Theft Is Primarily a Night and Weekend Crime

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), commercial thefts involving trailers and equipment most commonly occur during overnight hours and on weekends, when assets are parked and unattended.

This pattern shows up across industries. Construction, landscaping, utilities, and service businesses all experience higher theft risk when sites are inactive and discovery is delayed.

In other words, theft is not random. It follows predictable windows when no one is watching.

Trailer Theft Is a $300 Million to $1 Billion Annual Problem

The National Equipment Register (NER) estimates that equipment theft costs U.S. businesses between $300 million and $1 billion every year, and trailers are a frequent target because they are mobile, valuable, and easy to move quickly.

Unlike heavy machinery, trailers do not require specialized equipment to steal. Once hitched, they can be gone in minutes.

Recovery Depends on How Fast the Theft Is Discovered

One of the biggest variables in recovery is time. If a trailer is reported quickly, recovery odds are materially better. As time passes, those odds drop.

The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program and related law enforcement reporting consistently show higher recovery outcomes when theft is identified and reported early. After the first day or two, the trail often goes cold.

The problem is that many businesses do not notice right away.

Delayed Discovery Is the Norm, Not the Exception

Overnight thefts are commonly discovered the next workday. Weekend thefts are often discovered Monday morning.

The NICB has repeatedly highlighted delayed reporting as a key reason commercial assets are not recovered.

By the time someone notices the trailer is missing, it may have crossed multiple jurisdictions, been stripped, or been moved into storage.

Why Locks Do Not Change This Outcome

Locks are designed to slow theft. They are not designed to alert anyone.

When a lock is cut or defeated, there is no notification. No timestamp. No awareness that something moved when it should not have.

That means discovery still depends on a human physically returning to the site, which is exactly what creates the time gap thieves exploit.

The Real Cost Starts After the Theft

Even if insurance covers the trailer itself, the damage does not stop there.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other small business research groups consistently point to disruption as the real killer for small operations: delayed jobs, wasted payroll, emergency rentals, and missed commitments. Insurance may replace assets, but it does not replace momentum.

That is why one missing trailer can turn into a week of operational drag.

The Question That Actually Matters

The question is not whether your trailer is locked.

The question is whether you would know if it moved at 2 AM.

Businesses that can answer that question confidently lose less time, respond faster, and avoid the cascade that follows delayed discovery.

Insurance replaces assets. Awareness protects operations. And at 10 PM, when everything is quiet, that difference matters most.

Sources

• National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) commercial theft insights and reporting on equipment and trailer theft patterns.
• National Equipment Register (NER) estimates on annual equipment theft losses in the United States.
• FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) property crime reporting and related recovery trend reporting.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce small business disruption research and resilience findings.

Turn Nighttime Uncertainty Into Certainty

If you manage trailers across jobsites, storage yards, or multiple crews, knowing where they were is no longer enough. What matters is knowing where they are right now.

AlerTrax gives you that clarity with simple, business-grade tracking. Choose a one-and-done purchase for long-term protection, or get started for just small upfront purchase on a monthly plan.

At 10 PM, you should be able to check, not guess.