The most common injuries that truck drivers experience are caused by slip and fall accidents. A study of these types of injuries showed that over half of accidents occurred while drivers exited their vehicles or tried to get down from their trailers. Another ten percent of injuries occurred while drivers were trying to secure their loads.

Construction workers and commercial truck drivers often climb on and off flatbed trailers in order to pull supplies and equipment from various shipments. It is a difficult task to safely climb onto a flatbed trailer, as there are many slippery surfaces, few handholds, and inadequate steps.