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18 • AUGUST 1-14, 2021 BUSINESS THETRUCKER.COM SAFETY SERIES Little-known hazard TRAILER DOORS PRESENT A DANGER MANY DRIVERS DON’T THINK ABOUT CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT You’ve carefully planned your trip and arrived without a hitch, remaining vigilant about safety. The trip went without a hitch and you’re ready to back up to the dock to unload. You get lined up and walk to the rear of the trailer to open the doors. You’re already thinking ahead to your next load, or maybe a little home time. You remove the seal, move the door latches and …. What happens next can depend on the process you follow. Far too often, the routine act MCCOLLISTER’S AUTO TRANSPORT Fleet expansion Opportunities available for OWNER OPERATORS & COMPANY DRIVERS. New trailers coming in monthly. of opening trailer doors results in driver injury and has caused death. The rear of the trailer is not a place to let down your guard. If the load you picked up was a “drop and hook” load, always check the door hardware — hinges and latches — for cracks, missing bolts or other issues. Trailer doors are heavy and can cause damage and injury if they fall. One problem inherent with enclosed trailers is that cargo can shift. Shippers and drivers have methods to help reduce cargo movement. Pallets are often shrink-wrapped and have bags, McCollister’s enclosed auto transport fleet is continuing to grow due to OUR CLIENTS AND OUR TALENTED DRIVERS. $10,000 SIGN ON BONUS! FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: JOE CSIK, DRIVER SUPPORT OR CATCH ONE OF OUR DRIVERS! 609-526-9490 WWW.MCCOLLISTERS.COM iStock Photo Wind is something to keep in mind when opening trailer doors. A trailer door has plenty of surface area for the wind to catch. That means the door can fly open or closed with enough force to knock a person down, or worse. pallets or other objects placed between them to hold them in place. Rubber pads, straps and load-locks help stabilize freight. For some loads, these measures are enough to prevent shifting. Some loads, however, seem to have a mind of their own. Road vibrations and the stresses exerted on the trailer while moving can cause freight to move, tumble and fall — all unseen until the doors are opened. Just a single box of freight, if falling to the ground from near the top of the trailer, can be deadly. When there’s an avalanche of freight from a tipped pallet near the door, you may not be able to step out of the way in time, especially if you’re concentrating on watching where you walk or reseating the door latches so they don’t dangle. Fallen freight can push against the back side of the door with enough force to push it open violently when the latches are loosened. You could be struck by the sharp edges or corners of the door, or you could simply be pushed backward hard enough to lose your balance and fall. That puts you on the ground — right where those heavy boxes are heading. You can actually use the doors themselves as barriers against falling freight. By keeping the door between your body and the freight, you’ll have a shield that can knock down falling items, so they fall on the ground in front of you instead of on you. Once one door is unlatched, position yourself behind the other door — the one that is still latched. Open the door a crack and look inside. If nothing is in danger of falling, go ahead and fully open the door, hooking the retention chain to hold it open. Some drivers use a bungee cord to help ensure that the door doesn’t come loose while backing in or from wind. A flashlight makes it easier to check for fallen or shifted freight. Modern LED flashlights are inexpensive, and batteries last a long time. It’s a good idea to carry one when you’ll be opening doors. With one door open, inspect the freight behind the other door. If it looks safe, open that door and hook it to its retaining chain. Another consideration when opening trailer doors is wind. A trailer door has plenty of surface area for the wind to catch. That means the door can fly open or closed with enough force to knock a person down, or worse, hit the person, causing injury or death. Make sure you have a firm grip on the door so you aren’t surprised. Roll-up doors, more commonly used for LTL and local freight, come with their own set of hazards. Most roll-up doors are assisted by a spring mechanism that helps make the door easier to lift. If the spring breaks or the mechanism fails, the door can close suddenly, damaging anything or anyone that gets in the way. Roll-up doors also have more hinges and fastening devices that can rust or break, and they can come off of the roller system they are mounted on. When you open the door, check the cables for fraying or damage, and look for damaged or missing tracks, bolts or anything else that should be reported. Some trailers are equipped with side doors. These need to be checked for proper operation, too. Curtainside trailers are generally treated like an enclosed flatbed, but freight can shift unseen behind the curtains, so caution is needed opening these up as well. Driver injuries can also happen because of parking lot hazards. Potholes, loose stones, trash or other objects can cause a trip or a twisted ankle. If you’re concentrating on safely opening the doors and looking for loose or falling freight, you might miss a ground-level obstacle. The best practice is to inspect the area you’ll be walking on; then inspect door hinges and latches; then proceed to carefully open the doors, always keeping a door between yourself and the cargo. Keep a firm grip on the door until it is securely latched open. When backing into the dock — or pulling out of one — be sure to look in both west coast mirrors. It’s easy to focus on the left mirror while backing, but brief looks in the right mirror will help you know if a door comes loose from its chain. Loose doors can cause damage to trailers and other vehicles or can be damaged by striking another trailer or even slamming shut. If you see a door swinging freely, put on the parking brake, get out and secure it before proceeding. There are enough hazards in trucking already, without the dangers involved with trailer doors. Following a safe process for opening and closing them, including keeping your footing secure, will help you stay healthy and ready for the rigors of the road. 8
THETRUCKER.COM BUSINESS AUGUST 1-14, 2021 • 19 Transflo Lite offers free version of workflow tools app for drivers THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF TAMPA, Fla. — Transflo now offers a free mobile version of its cloud-based platform designed for company drivers and owner-operators. Transflo Lite, a free suite of workflow tools that can be used on mobile smartphones and tablets, was released in late July. Using the Transflo Lite app, drivers will be able to scan, send and receive workflow documents, including electronic bills of lading (eBOL) and proofs of delivery (ePOD). These contactless document transfers will help ensure driver safety and limit time spent at shippers and receivers, according to Transflo. In addition to document management, Transflo Lite provides free access to the Transflo SEE TRANSFLO ON PAGE 26 Courtesy: Transflo No-contact document management, driver emergency assistance and many other services are available on the free Transflo Lite app. MUSHY cont. from Page 17 market. The bodies these tractors will be fitted with, whether trash, dump, concrete or other, all require steel for construction. Those who are thinking of turning to the used truck market for relief aren’t likely to find answers. Used Class 8 volumes fell by 6% in June, according to ACT’s latest “State of the Industry, U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks.” More telling is that, despite year-to-date numbers showing that 2021 sales are 23% higher than the same point in 2020, June actually registered a decrease of 12% from June 2020 numbers. While sales numbers were falling, the average price of a used truck rose by 5%. The ACT report states that on a year-to-date basis, average used truck prices are up by a whopping 38% while inventories have fallen drastically. Steve Tam, vice president and analyst at ACT, put it this way: “The simple law of supply and demand has created a scarcity situation, and there is no viable substitute to the venerable Class 8 truck. Hence, prices are through the roof, with no relief in sight.” Circling back to new trucks, Western Star showed the biggest month-over-month sales increase, according to data received from Wards Intelligence (wardsintelligence.com). The company sold 601 trucks in June compared to 447 in May for an increase of 34.5%. The biggest sales increase in terms of numbers rather than percentages, however, goes to International, which sold 3,043 new Class 8 trucks in June, an improvement of 766 (33.6%) over May sales of 2,277 and 76% better than sales of 1,729 in June 2020. Freightliner sales improved by 773 trucks to 7,426 for a gain of 11.6%. Kenworth and Peterbilt were the only two OEMs to register declines in sales for June. Kenworth’s 2,743 was down 6% from May sales of 2,919. Peterbilt sales declined by 2.8% to 2,851 from May sales of 2,933. Volvo’s 1,472 trucks sold in June bested May’s 1,413 by 4.2%, while Mack’s 1,704 was 10.3% better than May’s 1,545. For the first six months of 2021, 39% of new Class 8 trucks sold were Freightliners. That’s up from the 36.3% of the market they controlled in 2020. Kenworth’s 14.1% share of sales is down from the 15.3% they enjoyed last year, while Peterbilt’s 15.3% share has improved from last year’s 14.2%. International enjoys 11.7% of the new truck market compared to last year’s 12.6%. Volvo is next with 9.5%, down a little from last year’s 9.7%, and Mack’s 7.9% is down from last year’s 8.3%. Comparisons are difficult, however, considering the COVID-19 recession of last year and the parts shortages holding back production this year. The bottom line for 2021 is that if you want a new truck, you’ll probably have to order it, and the wait will be long. If you want a used truck, it’ll be hard to find, and the price will be high when (and if) you find it. 8 · We are expanding our Refrigerated Container Fleet with dedicated California loads from Cargill plants in Fort Morgan, CO and Schuyler, NE · 100% Owner Operator Fleet · Priority loads from Cargill plants Top solos grossing $300k · Year round freight · Fleet Owners welcome $5,000 sign on/ Performance Bonus LTL ACQUISITION cont. from Page 17 and a world class culture,” Jackson said. “We were excited to have identified AAA Cooper as a partner that meets all three requirements, and I couldn’t be happier to finally find the right time for both of us to create a partnership,” he continued. “This transaction firmly positions us as a meaningful player in the LTL space, where we intend to grow both organically and through future acquisitions.” Dove noted that joining the Knight-Swift team is “an exciting combination for the AAA Cooper team members and customers.” “It will allow us to pursue new opportunities and accelerate our growth. We will continue to operate as an independent company, headquartered in Dothan, Alabama, and will do so with the support and partnership of the strongest provider in the full truckload space,” Dove said. “This is the fusion of two excellent companies in their respective sectors of the transportation industry, which makes this a win for our people, our customers and for the newly expanded Knight-Swift team.” 8
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