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I still remember my early days as a truck driver. I thought that all I had to do was climb into the cab, drive to my destination and then drive back - maybe picking up some back loads on the way. It didn’t take me long to realise that driving a truck is a lot more complicated than it seemed. It involves a lot of responsibility. The Buck Stops Here – Behind the Wheel The thing is that our responsibility doesn’t start and stop when we get behind the wheel. As drivers, we are responsible for our vehicle and its load, and if we mess up – then we have to pay the price. Daily Walk About It’s your responsibility, at the start of every day, to check your truck for any damage or faults. This is a visual inspection, carried out using a check sheet, that looks at many vital systems – brake fluid and oil levels, mirrors, steering, gauges and dials, tyres and a whole lot more. This is a legal requirement, and failure to do it every day could result in life threatening accidents. Loading and Unloading If you operate from a central depot, you may get to work to find the vehicle already loaded. Check the load, its weight and weight distribution. If you are present when it’s being loaded, supervise the loading – you know your truck and it peculiarities and your input could be very important. Is it properly secured? Are the proper restraints being used for the load? Are they connected to the chassis or rated connection points? Is the vehicle suitable for the load and restraints being used? If you think that extra restraints or different restraints are needed, insist that they be used. If you will be making a number of stops, check your loading sheet to be sure that safe unloading is possible at every stop. If you are picking up new loads, be sure that the loading sheet takes this into account so that you don’t have to redistribute the entire truck. Work accidents are most often caused by badly loaded cargoes that slip and fall on the unsuspecting driver when being unloaded. Don’t let this happen to you! Back Loads – Be Extra Vigilant This is even more important if you’re collecting back loads. Carefully supervise the loading operation to be sure that the weight is distributed properly. If necessary, take the time to use a weighbridge to determine load and distribution. If you’re overloaded or the weight is badly distributed, insist that the issue is rectified before starting your journey. You are the captain of your truck and ultimately responsible for all those things that are under your control - such as loading. The last thing you want is your load shifting when you’re driving or, even worse, spilling into the road. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage jobs and back loads with available vehicles. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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