The driver was a 67-year-old retired coal miner, Vietnam War veteran and experienced truck driver. He worked in a semi-retired capacity for an equipment rental company and delivered heavy materials, components and machines to construction sites and sometimes helped with the erection of the components. The company was a small, family-owned firm with just five employees. It offered on-the-job and learn-as-you-go training, but had a limited safety program. …
Safety Watch: Transporting Machines
Hauling headaches: Know your load limits when trailering equipment
The accident: A driver was transporting a wheel loader weighing approximately 65,000 pounds on a lowboy trailer, secured by four 3/8-inch chains…
Heavy load: Trailer overloading may harm both your load and the traffic around you
The accident: A pickup truck was towing an overloaded trailer when it caused a multiple-vehicle accident, closing one road for several hours and sending four people to the hospital. The trailer, carrying a skid steer, weighed 9,220 pounds, well over the 3,700-pound weight limit of the trailer hitch.
Safe hauling: Learn your load limits when trailering heavy equipment
The accident: Going down a busy Interstate, a construction supervisor was hauling a backhoe on a trailer. The backhoe flipped off the trailer, falling onto a minivan…
Tricky transport: Hauling equipment safely means more than just load-and-go
The accident: A tractor-trailer hauling construction machines rear-ended a pickup truck with two men inside. The tractor-trailer ended up on top of the pickup before going off the road.
Lethal loads: Unloading a trailer can be deadly unless you follow the proper procedure
The accident: A truck driver was unloading wood chip material from his open-top trailer via a moveable floor conveyor unit. During the unloading process, the load became jammed, and the driver climbed to the top of the trailer to clear the obstruction.