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Trailer safety protects everyone
Trailer safety is often overlooked, but it’s a vital part of keeping your inventory — and especially your crew and customers — out of harm’s way.
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Sometimes ignored, trailers for delivering equipment, whether by you or your customer, can be a major safety issue. Trailers are the leader in general liability losses among rental dealers, accounting for 30 percent of all general liability losses, according to a study conducted by St. Paul Travelers Insurance. A mishap with a trailer can be an expensive proposition since it affects not only the trailer but also its cargo and most likely the tow vehicle, not to mention other vehicles and personnel in the area.
Jim Ladner, trailer manager at Landoll Trailers, says, “Trailer safety starts with buying the right trailer. Not using the right size in DOT legal condition can be the root cause of an accident. It’s not just the driver that’s liable in the event of an accident; the owner is fully liable too. Owners must be diligent in maintaining their equipment.”
The need to provide good service by quickly delivering or renting a piece of equipment that has recently been returned can mean that trailer maintenance and correct towing and loading procedures can be neglected in the rush to satisfy a customer. To avoid becoming one of the general liability claims, taking the time to assess your trailers and reviewing proper operating procedures with the personnel responsible for them can be a worthwhile investment.
Equipment concerns
Supplementing Ladner’s remarks about the trailer, the tow vehicle (whether it’s the customer’s truck or one of your own) also needs to be compliant with regulations as well as having sufficient capacity to carry the load.
For customers bringing their own trailers to rent equipment, yard personnel need to be alerted to check for mirrors, an adequate hitch and operating turn signal, running and brake lights. If the customer’s trailer isn’t frequently used, it is easy to let the electrical connection corrode so it needs special attention. Personnel should also check to make sure that the safety chains are long enough to make tight turns and that they are crossed to act as a cradle in the event of a hitch failure.
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