Guides
Long-form guides for tradies.
The deeper reads. Prevention playbooks, recovery walkthroughs, insurance how-tos and the AU tool theft stats hub. All sourced. All in plain English.
Grouped by category
Pick a guide.
Prevention
12 min read
How to stop tool theft (before it happens).
Twenty practical things tradies, builders and fleet managers can do to lower theft risk. No fluff. Grouped by the asset that gets nicked.
Read guide10 min read
How to mark your tools so cops can return them.
A practical guide to engraving, UV marking, etching, and serial-number logging — the layer that turns "unidentifiable second-hand kit" into "match found in the database".
Read guide11 min read
How to secure your ute toolbox properly.
Cup-head bolts, parking position, lid locks, hidden trackers and the install mistakes that cost tradies a five-figure replacement bill. The version that works, with the bits that fail explained.
Read guide10 min read
The best ute toolbox locks (and why locks alone aren't enough).
Disc locks, shrouded shackles, lid bolts, hasps. What works, what fails, and why even the best lock is only one layer. A grounded buying guide.
Read guide12 min read
Site security for tradies: 12 things that actually work.
Twelve practical site security measures — lighting, signage, perimeter, lockup, process — in the order tradies usually skip them. Built from what crews tell us actually moves the needle.
Read guide10 min read
What thieves actually look for when they target tradies.
The psychology of opportunistic tool theft — what makes a target attractive, what makes one walk-past worthy, and what changes the maths in your favour.
Read guide
Recovery
11 min read
Tools nicked? Here's exactly what to do.
A first-hour playbook for tradies who have just discovered the gear is gone. What to do in the first 5 minutes, the first hour, the first 24 hours and the first week. No fluff.
Read guide12 min read
How to file a police report for stolen tools (every state).
A state-by-state walkthrough for Australian tradies. Which portal, what to put in the narrative, what insurers actually ask for, and the common mistakes that get claims bounced.
Read guide10 min read
Finding your nicked tools on Facebook Marketplace.
Where stolen kit ends up, how to search effectively, what to do if you find your gear — and what NOT to do. The line between useful and dangerous is shorter than it looks.
Read guide
Insurance
Data & Stats
11 min read
GPS tracker vs Bluetooth tracker: which actually works for tools.
How the two technologies actually work, where each one shines, and the install patterns Australian tradies use for both. Honest comparison. No strawmen.
Read guide9 min read
Tool theft in Australia: the numbers for 2026.
The current data on tool theft in Australia — annual cost, per-state breakdowns, recovery rates, average claims, top-targeted asset types. Updated as new figures land. Every number cited.
Read guide
No bull, no lock-in
Want one on the gear before next week?
Tell us what you've got and how many. We'll come back within one business day with pricing for your crew.
- 1800 TTT GEAR (1800 888 432)
- hello@tradietooltracker.com
- Mon–Sat • 6am–6pm AEST