The safety guy
Evergreen Safety Council sits down with Allen Taylor, the safety guy! Learn more about his experience with our training courses.
3/14/2022
The equipment being transported in Oversize/Overweight moves is costly. Damage to cargo, injuries, and fatalities are not just risks in themselves. These types of incidents often trigger multi-million dollar lawsuits. It takes teamwork, communication, to help ensure that the load you’re moving reaches its destination without incident. That’s why every Oversize Load move must begin with a pre-trip meeting.
This meeting is an opportunity to get to know your move team and go over move details. It gives you time to discuss logistics such as team member responsibilities, the route survey, and emergency protocols before the move begins.
Pre-trip meetings are typically conducted just prior to the move itself, on the same day. If the move is very complex, however, a more general meeting might be scheduled on another day prior to the move. Regardless, your team should hold a pre-trip meeting every morning if the move will take place over multiple days.
All personnel who will be driving or escorting the load should be at the pre-trip meeting. Usually, this includes the load driver, Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operators (P/EVOs), and steerperson.
Depending on the route and restrictions, others may need to be present or on the phone during the meeting, such as representatives from law enforcement, public utilities, bucket truck or repair companies, or state or local permitting bodies.
We recommend that you use a pre-trip meeting sheet to guide your discussion. You can download one here.
Four essential activities take place during the pre-trip meeting:
The pre-trip meeting should always start off with introductions. In order for communication to go smoothly throughout the move, you should know each person by name, voice, vehicle, and role. Exchange all emergency contact information before beginning transport.
You should also identify any additional support personnel, and make sure everyone has their contact information.
All team members must verify that they carry the correct licenses, certifications, and insurance that are required for the job.
Everyone’s vehicles and equipment, as well as the condition and dimensions of the load, must be checked. (We recommend that pilots and steerpersons use a detailed inspection checklist for their own vehicles and equipment.)
It’s important for the team to review the permit and route survey together. If it is a multi-day move, focus on the route for that day only, and discuss how you will communicate and maneuver through each stage of the day’s move. You’ll need to do this each day of the move.
Make sure you understand the permit conditions, including any special restrictions not noted in the route survey. Note any specific state or local rules that may affect the move. Plan for breaks, fueling, and other stops along the route. If the move will take multiple days, estimate daily travel distance as accurately as you can. Discuss safe places to stop if needed.
The most important part of emergency planning is to make sure your team knows exactly how to communicate and stop the load immediately if anything goes wrong. Any member of the team can speak up about a concern and immediately stop all movement by calling “STOP! STOP! STOP!”
Your team should also know exactly what to do in the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of a piece of equipment, including tie-downs and load shifting. The basic protocol is to stop and park the load as soon as possible, implement emergency traffic control procedures, and contact the repair or support personnel who will be responsible for addressing the problem.
The team should also plan for emergency situations that are likely to occur along the route. These might include inclement weather, railroad emergencies, construction zones not noted on the route survey or permit, or overhead obstructions that the load cannot pass under.
Before the meeting ends, all team members must confirm they have observed and discussed the items above. If using a pre-trip sheet, they may initial or sign at the bottom.
In many states, pre-trip meetings are required by law. But even if they aren’t, they’re essential to your team’s safety and success. Taking just a few extra minutes to conduct a thorough and interactive pre-trip meeting will actually help save you time and money down the road.
Evergreen Safety Council sits down with Allen Taylor, the safety guy! Learn more about his experience with our training courses.
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