U-Haul Trucks and GPS
An even more relevant question with higher priority is – do U-Haul trucks even have GPS trackers?
These are key questions that you need to be asking if you are contemplating moving to a new place.
The truth is that GPS trackers may not be present in most U-Haul trucks. While certain independent U-Haul service providers ensure their trucks are equipped with a GPS, most truck rental companies don’t bother.
Approximately 9 out of 10 truck rentals don’t have GPS devices on their trucks.
This creates a major quandary. How will you recover your stuff if the truck gets stolen?
Whether you are looking to move within your county or move to another state, you need to protect your valued possessions using GPS devices installed on trucks.
U-Haul trucks are not a high-risk target for crooks. However, one thing is for sure. If a chance presents itself, then unscrupulous actors will take advantage.
Hence, albeit small, there is a risk that your truck and with it your valuables can get stolen. Hence, it is important to have a GPS device installed on rental trucks like U-Haul to mitigate the risk of such a theft.
You should talk to your rental service provider and query them about the availability of GPS devices on their U-Haul truck fleet.
Also read: Can a Car GPS be Used on a Boat?
However, if there is no GPS device on the U-Haul truck (and the chances are high that there will be no GPS) then you can think of installing one yourself.
Instead of a GPS device, you can also think of using a phone with a reliable data link. You should, of course, install the device somewhere safe inside the vehicle where crooks won’t be able to find it.
Of course, a cheap extra phone may be an inexpensive solution to having GPS onboard your U-Haul truck. However, they do have limited battery life.
So you will have to make sure that their batteries are fully charged so that they can last for at least an entire day.
Whether you go for a GPS device or a phone, you must make sure that you install it in a hard-to-access spot so that thieves can’t find it.
While installing a GPS is a great way of tracking truck movement and foiling theft, you will need to resort to other common-sense procedures so that such an incident does not transpire.
Park the Truck in Strongly Lit Areas
If you need to park your truck at night, then make sure that you choose a well-lit spot. It is best to park it in an area covered by security cameras.
The combination of good lighting and cameras can deter crooks who might contemplate lifting your truck.
Also, try parking in busier areas where there is steady pedestrian traffic. Thieves don’t want to be caught in the act while they are up to no good.
Also, if some crook tries to make their move and steal your U-Haul truck, there may be some witnesses who could identify them in a busy place.
Most crooks won’t even try to make off with your vehicle in a busy spot since they know that they could be identified.
Don’t Advertise Your Valuables
Don’t advertise your valuables by leaving them on the front seat or under the windscreen.
If a crook finds some valuables lying about in your truck then they will then know that there is more where that came from.
So don’t tempt any unscrupulous actors by leaving your valuables in plain sight.
They may not steal the truck itself. But they could try to break in so that they can make off with your valuables.
Use a Padlock
Make sure that there is a padlock to secure the cargo bay of the truck. Also, make sure that the keys are safe with you.
The last thing you would want is to lose the keys so that you have to break open the lock. In addition to frustrating it would be embarrassing.
Bottom Line
Where is the GPS tracker on a U-Haul truck? Most truck rentals don’t offer one. So you can think of installing one yourself.
