Drivers of large transport vehicles require specialized training for the trucks they will be handling. Flatbed truck drivers have additional safety concerns due to the openness of their trailer and need specific safety training. These trucks typically carry irregular and more massive loads, and there is often less protection to keep the load stabilized. The following are eight safety precautions flatbed truck drivers should know.

Falling from a flatbed truck can cause serious injuries. Many companies don’t have an effective flatbed safety strategy, or even carry proper fall protection equipment for drivers until after an injury has already occured. There are four major factors that increase your risk of a potential fall from a flatbed truck or trailer that you should know about.

Climbing onto and off of a truck or trailer is a fact of life for transportation workers. Often, you drive the truck hundreds or thousands of miles, only to help the receiving workers retrieve the goods. This can mean getting up and down off the trailer many times throughout a day, each time increasing your chances of an accident. Most flatbed trailers are designed to carry goods, but not to make it easy or safe for you to climb up and down. The following information details why using a trailer ladder is a safe and efficient method of accessing your truck.

Shopping for flatbed trailer safety systems can be challenging, as you will find many options offered online and in stores. Looking through all of the choices may be difficult when you have to narrow your search to match your specific equipment. To locate the right solution that will be ideal for your needs, you should consider which types of safety systems work for you. When you start searching for the best safety solutions for your operations, the following nine tips can help.

When it is time to test your safety equipment, you want to take a serious approach to your methods for the sake of your entire company. Safety checks are required to ensure that your company’s risk exposure is minimized, and that the value of your equipment is maximized. Cutting corners or attempting to trust that one type of test will work across the board could put your company at risk for serious injuries. You should consult with a vendor who understands your needs and will tailor safety solutions to meet them. You can help protect your truck drivers by analyzing hazards and job safety and knowing the value in upgrading your equipment, among other approaches.

Securing cargo on a flatbed trailer is extremely important to ensure you don’t lose the merchandise and for safety reasons. It is important to understand the basics of strapping down cargo and how to distribute the weight of the load. Truck drivers should also know which tie-downs to use and how to safely access their flatbed trailers.

Truck drivers have the highest rate of fatality in the United States. According to the Department of Labor (“DOL”), deaths in the trucking industry increased in the early 2000s from 16.7 to 17.5 fatalities per 100,000 drivers. However, the DOL has also observed a steady decline since those high figures in illness and injuries. Injuries and illnesses dropped from 6.8 per 100 full-time employees to 6.1 during this time.

Safety is the number one concern for any company. If your employees are safe, they can do their jobs efficiently and on time. A single accident can throw off the workflow schedule, caused missed deadlines, and damage business partnerships. In short, good safety is good business.

Trailer ladders are relatively simple tools to use. However, more than 100,000 people a year are treated for injuries from falling off a ladder, according to The Consumer Product Safety Commission. With such alarming numbers, you cannot assume your workers are familiar with their safety ladders.

There is no precise guide for all truck drivers to follow when loading and unloading cargo off or on a flatbed truck. Despite this, a few comprehensive procedures can be followed to make these processes safer. The variety of loads transported on these trucks varies, so every truck driver should understand their own procedures. The following are four important safety measures that should be put in place when loading and unloading flatbed trailers.