Collection truck rollover prevention tips

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, in partnership with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, issued truck rollover prevention tips April 16 as part of their Safety Monday initiative.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) 2015 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the General Estimates System (GES) report, there were 4,050 police-reported large truck crashes in 2015 that resulted in a large truck occupant fatality. The report showed that 533 of the fatalities were rollover crashes. NWRA’s ongoing research is looking into how many of these fatalities were waste and recycling industry related.

According to a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) study, there are four primary causes of fatal truck rollover crashes:

1. Failing to adjust speed when it comes to: curves in the road, the load being carried, condition of the brakes, weather, road surface and intersections.

• Tip: Slow down. Speed was involved in 45 percent of crashes in the study.

2. Drivers fail to inspect or secure the load or are not able to determine the center of gravity of the load in the cargo area. Refuse and recyclable collections trucks pack the material into the cargo area without the driver knowing if the truck is top or side heavy. This has the same impact as load shifts, which cause the second-most frequent type of rollover. The truck’s reaction to road conditions, turns, stops and acceleration will indicate the truck’s center of gravity.

• Tip: Slow down, stay focused, and steer slow and smooth.

3. Steering or over-steering to the point of rollover, not steering enough to stay in lane, and over- correcting to remain on the road contribute to vehicle rollovers.

• Tip: Slow down, don't panic, steer slow and smooth.

4. Simply being inattentive, dozing or distracted can lead to a sudden direction change and result in a rollover.

• Tip: Eat healthy and get adequate rest, drive safely and follow company policies and traffic laws, stay focused and don’t drive distracted, and turn off all mobile devices.