The theft took place at Carrier Truck Center after a large hole was cut through a fence to gain entry to the gated compound. Once inside, thieves jacked 10 trucks up on blocks and removed the tires and rims, police said. Police say 48 tires and rims were stolen.
Some of the trucks fell off their blocks, hitting the ground and causing an estimated $30,000 damage.
"It had to be a professional job," Mark Brown, the service manager at Carrier Truck Center, said Monday after surveying the damage. "These things are heavy, probably a couple of hundred pounds each.
"It would have taken at least five guys to do all this."
The thieves also would have needed a compressor with a 100-foot air hose, an impact gun, truck jacks and jack blocks. As well, they would have needed a tractor-trailer or five-ton truck to haul away the tires and wheels.
"It’s crazy," Brown said. "I mean, it’s tough enough as it is these days with the economy and now we have something like this happen."
The trucks had been sold and were about to be delivered to a Cambridge company.
The wheels are described as 10 stud truck rims that are 11R22.5 in size. There were 32-inch Hankook Z35A tires and 16 Michelin XDA5 tires mounted on the wheels.
However, there is nothing at this point to indicate it is connected to a large theft that took place between Dec. 13 and Dec. 15 at an Adams Boulevard compound.
In that theft, several trailers containing large household appliances were stolen after a locked compound was entered. The combined value of the trailers and appliances was estimated at $380,000. (Tire Review/Akron)
