What would you give for safety?
What would you give for safety?
Guest writer Dan Kinsman is asking you consider best practices in today’s blog post, asking you to consider, “What would you give for safety?”
I have recently noticed an increase in load shifts, damage, and improper securement of loads of bricks/cement blocks, it led me to ask, “what would I give for safety?” What would be acceptable for our industry to give for safety? If we had to give 500 pounds of tare weight for a safer vehicle, would that be worth it? What if it were 1,000 pounds, would that be worth not having material fall off the trailer due to improperly stacked or secured loads?
In Europe they took a simple approach, they have trailers specifically built for these kinds of loads, and while they can be used for general flatbed freight, they are more tailored to building materials.
These trailers have a short side kit that is made of aluminum, it can be swung down out of the way, but in the event that a cube of bricks or block is not stacked correctly, or one breaks in transit, they will stay on the trailer long enough for the driver to get stopped.
Above we see one of these trailers, offered by German manufacturer Krone. This trailer design is not significantly heavier than their standard design, adding less than 1,000 pounds to the tare weight, but significantly improving safety for the public, driver, and company. Among the many changes in thought for these trailers is moving the anchor points to the interior of the wall, instead of the exterior of the deck, meaning it is safer from damage, much more difficult for someone to tamper with, and it creates a barrier to retain the material should a bundle shift.
Beyond brick and block loads, these trailers would be an excellent trailer for palletized loads of mulch, super sacks, lumber, even roofing and insulation loads could benefit from the increased safety of such trailers. As we look into the areas of the flatbed industry where loads are notoriously difficult to secure, we will further look for solutions that can be implemented to assist the driver in making those loads safe, and eventually, maybe we will see a day when there are no more load shifts nationwide.