What businesses are most at risk of fuel theft?

Fuel theft has always been a major problem for a huge swathe of UK businesses, but recently that threat has become more acute than ever. The rising costs of living, complicated by the conflict in Ukraine and various other factors, have combined to create what economists are calling a ‘perfect storm’ of rising fuel prices. And with greater numbers of people getting more and more desperate, businesses have been feeling the impact.

In recent months, small businesses and public institutions in particular have increasingly found themselves dealing with rising numbers of fuel thefts. Even the military isn’t immune - in April 2022, the Royal Navy discovered that £250,000 worth of diesel had been stolen from one of its ports. 

That last one is an unusual case, but one that definitely illustrates how much of a concern that fuel theft can be for anyone who uses vehicles at work - especially since some sectors have been shown to be particularly at risk recently. Here are some of the most prominent ones. 

Construction firms

Security has always been a core priority of construction firms, given the hugely valuable equipment and material (such as precious metals) that’s typically kept on the average construction site. However, the issue has become particularly complicated since construction firms were prohibited from using red diesel by the government from April 2022 onwards. 

In case you need a quick recap, red diesel is the term used to refer to rebated diesel that’s taxed at a much lower rate than regular diesel. It’s deliberately dyed red to distinguish it from regular diesel, which is referred to as ‘white diesel’. From April 2022 onwards, construction firms have been mandated to use white diesel instead - which has a greater resale value, and is therefore more attractive to thieves. 

That means heavy plant machinery and equipment like dumpers, power generators and excavators are now more tempting targets than ever. Compounding that is the fact that the forced transition to white diesel has left many construction firms in a very precarious financial position, especially after the one-two knock-on impact from the pandemic, so they’ll be particularly vulnerable to any further financial shocks or losses. 

Agricultural businesses

Right now, agricultural businesses are faced with lots of the same challenges as construction businesses; many are finding it equally difficult to adapt to the forced transition to white diesel. And of course, they’re equally vulnerable to prospective thieves siphoning off their fuel from generators, storage tanks, and various agricultural vehicles - especially since, just like in the construction industry - this fuel is business-critical. 

The nature of agricultural firms also poses some additional challenges. For example, farms are typically fairly isolated locations surrounded by acres of farmland. Huge, sparsely populated spaces can be much more difficult to monitor and keep secure than relatively small, enclosed construction sites. And because lots of agricultural businesses are family firms, they may not always have the spare cashflow they’d need to invest in additional security, such as full-time staff to patrol their entire premises.

Logistics and haulage firms

As you might expect, any business with that relies on HGVs to complete business-critical operations is highly vulnerable to fuel theft, as lorries are some of the biggest and most obvious targets for anyone thinking about stealing fuel. Sometimes these can be organised gangs, who’ve occasionally been known to attack drivers in isolated locations while out on the roads. 

However, to be honest, this is relatively rare. In actual fact, the vast majority of fuel theft is often conducted by employees inside the company. It’s called fuel skimming, and it’s estimated to account for 99% of fuel theft. Here’s how it works: when filling up, the driver slightly overfills (or ‘brims’) the tank. Then, they’ll just skim a little off the top for their own personal use, saving themselves a bit of money in the process - savings that have become all the more significant in the current financial climate. 

Most of this fuel is stolen in such tiny amounts that it can take months or sometimes even years for firms to notice, by which time their losses might well be running into the thousands. Even if you’ve got an anti-siphon device fitted, it might not be properly addressing the issue - there are a number of flaws with basic anti-siphon devices, which make them very easy to bypass by anyone with a bit of know-how.

That’s exactly where we can help here at TankSafe, with TankSafe Optimum. It’s the only security device that can offer you 3 in 1 protection, saving you from fuel spills, overfilling, and 100% of fuel theft. You can find out more on its dedicated page on our website, or find out answers to some of the most common questions over on our FAQs page. If it doesn’t address your queries, feel free to chat to us - you can give us a call on 01253 400 401, and we’ll be happy to help however we can.