Quote:
Originally Posted by NYB
WHY are you welding on your Driver's License number?
Anyone who is dishonest enough to steal your trailer, is probably dishonest enough to steal your identity. Palm Springs is very close to Mexican American border, where illegal entrants and their transporters value valid personal identity numbers to use for fraudulent purposes.
You could weld "rumplestilskin" on an unseen part of the trailer, or better yet, weld an inoccuous series of dots and dashes, like Morse Code, that will likely be left alone and never ground off because it looks like artifacts of the manufacturing process.
I wouldn't weld on the axles or the frame area near where the axles mount. I also wouldn't weld on the top or bottom of the frame, nor it's flanges, as these are the areas of highest compressive and tensile stress that could be undermined by the heat affected zone of the weld. Somewhere in the neutral web of the frame, or in the middle of crossmember or outrigger, would be my choice.
Take a photograph of your heiroglyph, print it in case your harddrive crashes so you don't lose the data, put it in the file with your pink slip.
Measure the distance of your marking to triangulating reference points not likely to be altered, like the sides, front, and rear of the trailer.
The non-sensical geometric or dot and dash marking, the dated/timestamped photograph of the same, and the specific measurements of the marking's location, should be ample and unequivocal evidence of your having once had possession of your trailer, without giving up your driver's license number to a thief.
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I have not welded my DL# on my current trailers yet, I am a little hesitant to do it. I have friend who investigates identity theft and will ask how safe it is to have it on a trailer or other equipment that can be stolen.
I like the idea of the non-sensical dot or dash marking, I have since put the VIN on 4 different places. I have also bought a stamping kit that you use with a hammer to imprint any combination of letters or numbers and have put different things in a few spots as well.
