North Texas truck yards see an increase in thefts involving roofing shingles
MIDLOTHIAN, Texas - Longtime operators in the trucking industry believe there is an organized theft ring in North Texas, stealing flatbed 18-wheelers that are hauling roofing shingles.
Since September, at least four big rigs have been stolen from secure truck yards.
Video from a truck yard near Midlothian in Ellis County this past Sunday morning shows two trucks being driven away from the property while it was still dark outside. Both were loaded with roofing shingles.
Last month, two trucks were taken in the same fashion from a Farmers Branch trucking yard.
A flatbed filled with shingles can run anywhere from $130,000 to $150,000.
"They park their trucks in a secured yard thinking that their truck and trailers gonna be safe. Their livelihood is gonna be safe in a secured place. And you have these thieves that come in there, and they take the whole truck, the trailer, and the load of shingles," said Melinda Daniel with Rusty Daniel Trucking, Inc.
"They impacted my life. They impacted my family. They hurt my bottom line to the fullest with this one incident. It’s like a chain of events transpired because of this one incident," said Kevin Bishop, an independent owner and operator.
Bishop’s truck was recovered. But the damage was extensive as the thieves tore it apart to find and take out any kind of tracking device.
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He said he missed out on about $4,500 this week with his truck out of commission.
The two trucks that were stolen in Farmers Branch have not been found, increasing the loss for the company that owns them.
Like anything else that’s stolen, there’s a market for roofing shingles. Someone will buy them on the streets, cheaper than from the building material store.
But the loss is ultimately passed on in higher prices to honest customers.