Current:Home > MarketsWhat does it take to be an armored truck guard? -WealthRoots Academy
What does it take to be an armored truck guard?
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:04:10
As dramatic video showed last week, armored truck guards like the pair who were robbed at gunpoint in Los Angeles have a potentially high-risk job. But how much does it pay?
On Saturday, a group of suspects made off with nearly $30,000 contained in two money bags just after the Brinks truck had made a cash pickup, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Armored vehicles of this sort are highly secure and hard to break into, according to experts. Their exteriors are typically bulletproof and they lock automatically.
"Their purpose is to be high-profile to signal that they're protected," Fred Khoroushi, president of Virginia-based armored vehicle manufacturer Alpine Armoring, told CBS MoneyWatch.
As a result, most armored vehicle thefts are so-called inside jobs, according to industry experts.
"In the U.S., nearly all thefts are an inside job. Normally they know about it, the routes, the drop-offs, the vehicle itself, what the weaknesses are. It's rare that you actually get attacked by a completely outside, unrelated outfit," Khoroushi added.
"They don't get paid a lot"
Financial institutions, jewelry stores and other companies use armored trucks to transport cash and other valuables from from one point to another.
But the vehicles are only as secure as the guards in charge of them, and can be vulnerable if they're coerced into giving a criminal access. In the U.S., "basically anybody" can be a guard, according to Eugene Gerstein, managing partner at Inkas, a defense firm with an armored vehicle arm.
"They are just people carrying heavy bags and boxes with money and their job is protecting. They don't get paid a lot," he said.
Job listings for armored vehicle guards on Indeed.com generally offer $18 to $20 an hour, or up to $47,700 a year for salaried roles. Duties include transporting cash and other valuables, as well as servicing ATMs. Generally speaking, job requirements include holding a valid firearm permit, armed guard license and driver's license. Typically, no college degree is required.
A posting for armored car guards and drivers at Ferrari Express in Lawrence, New York, requires that applicants be familiar with "safety protocols and security procedures, such as understanding the exact processes behind unloading vehicles and training against robbery."
Responsibilities include driving armored vehicles and keeping them secure, delivering client assets, and unloading parcels. The requirements: a valid driver's license, armored car guard or security guard license, and firearms permit. Additionally, candidates must people able to lift and pull heavy cargo. The job pays between $19 and $20 an hour, according to the posting.
"It's pretty fun job that exposes you to quite a bit of risk and occupational hazards," Gerstein said. "It's a lot of heavy lifting and then you drive for hours, and you can get robbed."
veryGood! (48)
Related
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- 4-year-old girl dies from injuries in Texas shooting that left entire family injured
- How to watch (and stream) the Eurovision Song Contest final
- Seattle man is suspected of fatally shooting 9-month-old son and is held on $5 million bail
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Hollywood penthouse condo sells for $24 million: See inside the luxury space
- Carmelo Hayes is ready to prove his star power on WWE roster: 'Time to make a statement'
- As mental health issues plague Asian American communities, some fight silence around issue
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Alabama Gov. Ivey schedules second execution using controversial nitrogen gas method
Ranking
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Southern Brazil is still reeling from massive flooding as it faces risk from new storms
- What to watch this weekend, from the latest 'Planet of the Apes' to the new 'Doctor Who'
- Generation Alpha is here, how will they affect the world? | The Excerpt
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- U.S. announces new rule to empower asylum officials to reject more migrants earlier in process
- Burger King is offering free Whoppers through a buy one, get one deal for Mother's Day
- Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafrenière fuel Rangers' comeback in Game 3 win vs. Hurricanes
Recommendation
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
Stanford names Maples Pavilion basketball court after legendary coach Tara VanDerveer
Why Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller Says She Wasn't Invited to Reunion
Planet Fitness raises membership fee for first time since 1998
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Tesla’s Autopilot caused a fiery crash into a tree, killing a Colorado man, lawsuit says
Billy Graham statue for U.S. Capitol to be unveiled next week
Meet the new 'Doctor Who': Ncuti Gatwa on the political, 'fashion forward' time-traveling alien