Found out copper theft cost one cable company $600k last year

I was reading a trade report from 2023 and saw a regional provider in Ohio lost over half a million dollars just from people stealing copper ground wire off their nodes. Made me think about how we should be locking up our spools better on job sites. Any of your crews had issues with theft?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_clark25d ago

My buddy works for a utility company in Texas and he said they lost a whole trailer full of copper wire last year, it was like 80 grand worth. They left it locked up in a yard overnight and someone cut right through the fence. Makes you wonder how these thieves even find the stuff, they must have inside knowledge or something. I saw an article saying some recyclers are finally getting busted for not asking questions about where the metal comes from, but it's still a huge problem everywhere. Locking up spools on job sites would help but a lot of these guys just roll in with bolt cutters and a truck, they're gone in five minutes.

benlewis25d ago

Not sure I totally buy the inside knowledge angle @fiona_clark. Copper theft has been a thing for decades, it's not exactly a secret where utilities keep their supplies. Big chain link fence around a yard with spools sitting out in plain sight is basically an invitation. I heard from a guy who does security consulting that a lot of these operations are just organized crews driving around at night looking for easy targets, not some master plan. The real issue is that scrap yards have been too lazy to check paperwork for years, and until they start getting hammered with fines or shutdowns, it's just too easy to cash in a couple hundred pounds of wire with no questions asked.