Van got stolen on cleaning site, GPS to the rescue!

[DangerkittyToTheRescue]

Wow, totally validates GPS system they just installed on the vans. One of our fleet vans was cleaning at a commercial site in Detroit, a hospital I was told, van got stolen as the crew was cleaning.

Long/short, thief drove off with the parking brake engaged, the Sapphire Pro-1200 was still running, cleaning crew called police and our office, and with the help of GPS, it was found at a local shopping mall.

The van is in our shop, mechanics are checking it out but from what I can gather, everything looks good, maybe a clutch but we'll see.

Man alive, that totally validates the GPS they installed big time.

I just scanned the truck, all the tools are there too. I'll post more as the details come in.

 

[Desk Jockey]

with the help of GPS, it was found at a local shopping mall.

Wow that's great!


Tom has that ever happened to you guys before?

 

[John Olson]

Glad they didn't wreck it. Had a customer have the same thing happen but different outcome. The guy jumped in while they were cleaning and since the machine was engaged he took off like a rocket and couldn't stop it and ran into a tree. Worked out for them kinda. The added another machine to their fleet (good for me) but this was one of their last PTO's and it actually ran really well so they hadn't planned on replacing it. Happened at night in Cali at a movie theater. Would have loved to see the look on the guys faces when the vacuum and water stopped then walked out to see the van gone and the hoses on the ground. Only to look up the street and see the van crushed against a tree. First thought would be Oh shit did it take off on its own?

 

[Mikey P]

Happened a couple of times when I was at Coit.


Not to me but some guys working in Oakland.
One tech was taken along with the van all the way down to Los Angeles before being kicked out.
The other indecent I recall had the wand ripped out from the hands of the guy in the house cleaning

 

[DangerkittyToTheRescue]

Wow that's great!


Tom has that ever happened to you guys before?

Yes! About 20 years ago, old Van-34 was in Detroit (again), same thing, thief hopped in and drove away pulling the cleaning crew down the stairs they were cleaning. saw the hoses wand dragging behind the van as it sped away. Yeah, the garden hose spicket got ripped off house too.

We got it back 3 weeks later, one of our customers in detroit saw it, thieves were loading up aluminium siding they were ripping off a house and called us, customer said he hated the punks, always causing trouble, called the cops on them, busted!

 

[dealtimeman]

one of my sister companies just got fleetmatics in all of their vans, now they can see everything realtime, very impressive.

"why are you at home, it is 11:00 in the mourning and you had a 9:00 am appointment?"

follow up by us

" we need to have lunch and talk about this, please bring your van and all tools, paperwork and any other company property to lunch with you, thanks"

 

[Desk Jockey]

one of my sister companies just got fleetmatics in all of their vans, now they can see everything realtime, very impressive.

"why are you at home, it is 11:00 in the mourning and you had a 9:00 am appointment?"

follow up by us

" we need to have lunch and talk about this, please bring your van and all tools, paperwork and any other company property to lunch with you, thanks"

You don't micromanage your employees do you?

Jim Martin on Desk Jockey's PC.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Never happened before thank gawd.

Then again some of my guys you wouldnt want to try and steal from

 

[Brian H]

We had one stolen about 20 years ago in Detroit as well. It was a 3rd floor walk up, so with all the twists to get up the stairs and into the apartment, the crew never noticed the pull, just the fact that the machine stopped working. The assistant went down the stairs to see what the problem was and just found the hoses that ripped off the truck.

Fortunately for us, it was a vehicle that was due to be sold and the insurance company paid us off more then we would have gotten for it if we had sold it.

The end of that story... A year and a half later, one of our ex employees sees the truck in an impound lot minus tires, engine, transmission, etc. They said it had been there for at least 6 months and it been picked up after sitting for months in an alley a couple blocks away from the job. It has our name and phone number plastered all over the purple truck and no one called us?!!!

 

[Desk Jockey]

It has our name and phone number plastered all over the purple truck and no one called us?!!!

 

[bob vawter]

ya ..i had a Big Red stolen off a job while running.....im sure they didn't even know how to shut that Perkins diesel off.....

 

[encapman]

Never had that problem cleaning at night with our VLM equipment.
I did get a vacuum stolen once though that we'd left outside the front door of the building.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Never had that problem cleaning at night with our VLM equipment.
I did get a vacuum stolen once though that we'd left outside the front door of the building.

Rubbing it in.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Never had that problem cleaning at night with our VLM equipment.
I did get a vacuum stolen once though that we'd left outside the front door of the building.

Funny i just had a set of brushes disappear from a job. They have in-house cleaners too.

Sent the guys back twice to look for them

 

[TomKing]

We had one stolen about 20 years ago in Detroit as well. It was a 3rd floor walk up, so with all the twists to get up the stairs and into the apartment, the crew never noticed the pull, just the fact that the machine stopped working. The assistant went down the stairs to see what the problem was and just found the hoses that ripped off the truck.

Fortunately for us, it was a vehicle that was due to be sold and the insurance company paid us off more then we would have gotten for it if we had sold it.

The end of that story... A year and a half later, one of our ex employees sees the truck in an impound lot minus tires, engine, transmission, etc. They said it had been there for at least 6 months and it been picked up after sitting for months in an alley a couple blocks away from the job. It has our name and phone number plastered all over the purple truck and no one called us?!!!

So the you know first hand the incompetence of the Detroit government?

 

[hogjowl]

Pork holes.
Use em.

 

[Desk Jockey]

 

[JS41035]

one of my sister companies just got fleetmatics in all of their vans, now they can see everything realtime, very impressive.

"why are you at home, it is 11:00 in the mourning and you had a 9:00 am appointment?"

follow up by us

" we need to have lunch and talk about this, please bring your van and all tools, paperwork and any other company property to lunch with you, thanks"

Hire the right people and you never have to check on em. Geez man.

 

[Desk Jockey]

 

[DangerkittyToTheRescue]

. It has our name and phone number plastered all over the purple truck and no one called us?!!!

Man alive Brian, no one called you?!!! That's a load of crap. So sorry.

Update, for what I understand, the hospital also called police and got the direction of the cleaning van on security camera and State Police was able to track it down, so in other words,,, Book-em Dano! At that time of night, there isn't too many vehicles on the road with the back doors wide open, hahahaha. Idiot thieves! So that's a good thing.

Sapphire Pro-1200 looks nothing worse for wear except for a clutch, but we'll see, man alive that's a tough machine. Tore the solution hose right out of the live reel but all that got damaged was a 79-cent brass bushing. I still want to see the truck run for a couple days, just to be sure.

Now the real question is about a kill switch? I'll ask the mechanics tomorrow, see what they say.

Thanks for all the support here, letting me share the New Year drama.

 

[AshleyMckendree]

I dont know about Sapphire, But my Vortex disengage the PTO the second your foot hits the brake or you put it in gear.

Years ago (mid 80s) my dad was cleaning an empty apt, and all of the sudden the wand gets WHIPPED out of his hands and slams around the apartment like its possessed.

The van jumped into gear somehow and took off at 1700 rpm into a dumpster (Thankfully not a child playing in the parking lot)

This was a home made copy of Butler BTW.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Shheeet!

 

[Shane T]

How many of you that run a PTO or CDS chock your wheels? I know it wouldn't prevent it from being stolen but it would help in a case like Ashley's dad had.

 

[Hoody]

I dont know about Sapphire, But my Vortex disengage the PTO the second your foot hits the brake or you put it in gear.

Years ago (mid 80s) my dad was cleaning an empty apt, and all of the sudden the wand gets WHIPPED out of his hands and slams around the apartment like its possessed.

The van jumped into gear somehow and took off at 1700 rpm into a dumpster (Thankfully not a child playing in the parking lot)

This was a home made copy of Butler BTW.

When we ran steam genies we had a fail-safe switch that was hidden. The switch sent power to the machine to allow it to engage and run, but at the same time if the switch was "On" and you tried to put the van in gear it would ground out the alternator and the van would quit running. We would leave the switch flipped "On" in the winter when the machine was off and the van still running for heat while finishing up billing with the client.

 

[AshleyMckendree]

That is a very smart feature!

 

[idreadnought]

Vans have a switch that prevents the shifter from moving unless you press the brake pedal. Wouldn't it be easy to create a cutoff that prevents the shifter from moving?

 

[DangerkittyToTheRescue]

Back in the day, Steam Genie had a toggle switch that was a "kill switch" and PTO operating speed was mechanical activated through a cable to the carburetor accelerator butterfly, no problem there.

Now a days, modern vans run "fly by wire" accelerator so the PTO idle speed is set through an electronic module with sends a signal to the vans ECM computer. So far the mechanics do not know of an idle module with a built in kill switch. The idle module requires that the parking brake be applied before the machine will idle up to high speed, which is a good thing.

So we do have a couple of options as mentioned above. Lock up the vehicle and run hoses through an RV access hole in a door or through a partially open window, or use a CLUB on the steering wheel.

In talking to the mechanics, I mean, all those trucks and all the jobs done and this is only the second time this has happened over a quarter century that someone has jumped into a truck and drove away, seriously we've lost more vans that have parked over dry leaves in fall and caught themselves on fire.

We don't think this was a professional car thief, just some dope that saw an opportunity and did a stupid thing. Man alive, it was at a hospital with pretty good security for crying out loud.

Looking at a van here in the shop, a simple cable lock on the side door would be perfect. Suggestion box, here I come!

 

[Brian H]

We don't think this was a professional car thief, just some dope that saw an opportunity and did a stupid thing.

What do you mean did stupid thing? We thought it was pretty funny!! You should have seen the look on your technician's face as we drove off!!!

 

[DangerkittyToTheRescue]

What do you mean did stupid thing? We thought it was pretty funny!! You should have seen the look on your technician's face as we drove off!!!

LOL, now that's funny right there!

 

[bob vawter]

Have you two ever met.....?
Two of the nicest men in the business!