U.K.-based FuelDefend Global Limited is bringing its top-of-the-line, fuel anti-siphon device to the U.S. truck market. Dubbed “NeckIt!,” the device features fuel-fill holes that are just ¼-inch in diameter in a short, all-metal device that attaches securely inside the neck of the fuel tank.
According to company chairman and CEO, Russell Fowler, Neckit! is highly secure, easy to fit and fasten into the neck of the fuel tank and cannot be levered or pried out, yet it still allows for fast fueling. Initially, NeckIt! will be available through Kenworth and Peterbilt truck dealerships; sourced to them through Paccar Parts. Other dealerships are also expected to come on-line later.
FuelDefend maintains a warehouse in Nashville, TN to serve the U.S. market. More than a half-million units have already been sold around the world, according to Fowler, and are in use by fleets such as Coca-Cola in Nigeria, FedEx, UPS and DHL.
“Fuel costs the equivalent of $10 to $11 per gallon in the U.K., so fuel really is like gold all over Europe,” Fowler said. “The addressable market for stolen fuel is growing everywhere, for use in cars, trucks, agricultural equipment and stationary equipment.”
He also cited numerous examples of recent fuel thefts, noting that there are “one-off” thefts where someone drains your fuel tanks, but that there are also “small, regular skimming operations,” where someone siphons “just a few gallons of fuel,” on a regular basis. In either case, the results can be very costly.
FuelDefend is also launching its locking DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) tank caps into the U.S. market. The caps were originally launched in Europe, which began using DEF to help reduce oxides of nitrogen emissions before the United States adopted the technology.
