Vandals siphon gasoline and damage 15 U-Haul trucks at Moran Prairie dealership

Fifteen trucks at a U-Haul neighborhood dealership on the Palouse Highway were vandalized last week and are part of a larger trend of vandalizing U-Haul trucks in the Spokane area.

Marc Fessler is the owner of Palouse Move and Shine on the South Hill and part owner of another U-Haul neighborhood dealership at Sunset Coach Works.

Fessler said vandalism is “not that uncommon in the U-Haul world.” However, this instance is the worst he’s ever seen.

The vandals drilled holes in the fuel tanks of the trucks to siphon the fuel, Fessler said.

According to location manager Laura Will, a few customers complained that the truck they rented was leaking gas. At first the company thought it was a leak in the system of a specific truck, but then it happened to a second customer, Will said.

Upon inspection, almost every large truck on the property had a hole drilled in the gas tank, Will said.

The vandals took approximately $1,300 in fuel, and it will cost around $500 to fix each truck, totaling about $10,000 in damage, Fessler said.

However, that bill doesn’t fall on Fessler’s shoulders, because U-Haul insures the trucks, he said.

“You feel a little uneasy knowing someone can get away with that,” Fessler said.

He doubts the vandals will get caught, because they didn’t leave finger prints and he said he had yet to install cameras on the lot. , he said.

“We’ve been having problems all over town,” Fessler said.

Most U-Haul lots are full right now because of the influx of people moving to Spokane, he said, adding that it makes it hard to monitor that many trucks.

The Palouse Move and Shin e is Fessler’s newest venture.

He leased the property in March and plans to live on the property, he said.

He plans to increase security measures on the lot with cameras and additional lighting, but said he suspects vandals thought the lot was an easy target since it’s under construction.

U-Haul neighborhood dealerships are existing businesses like Palouse Move and Shine, which also sells moving gear and will soon be home to a body shop. U-Haul pays the business owner commission to store and lease the trucks, Fessler said.

Manny Mendez, marketing company president at U-Haul Co. of Inland Northwest, works with U-Haul dealers all over the area.

Vandalism and siphoning happens at “most locations,” Mendez said.

Recently, vandals have stolen catalytic converters and broken windows on trucks, Mendez said.

“The problem with that is when you call the police they don’t react – they tell you it’s private property,” Mendez said.

The security issues have affected profit margins, Mendez said.

“The business is still profitable but it could be in better financial health if we could get all of this curtailed,” he said.

“It’s frustrating, but it happens,” Mendez said. “It’s almost become a part of life in Spokane.”