Recently, a very experienced driver who has become a trusted member of a networking group I brought together contacted me privately to air out concerns regarding the possible safety risks at a customer’s location:
I have a tough delivery coming up. I know not to worry but I can’t understand how to get out without rolling the trailer. ... There is not enough room to turn a corner to go back up the hill to the gate. There is a guardrail on the right corner of the building, not enough room to get around the corner without snagging the guardrail.
To get around the guardrail, the the operator feared he'd have to swing wide, which would put him up a sizable embankment where he could easily roll the rig over.
Then he'd have to get back out, with its own challenges. His trailer was a "53-foot spread with a Volvo 860 tractor, low to the ground. I can get in," likely, he said. "But getting out could put me at risk. I’ve raised the alarms but so far, my employer is just ignoring my concerns."
A few days later, I had a conversation with the operator, who'd reached out to his company "requesting a conference call or a discussion on this delivery," he said. "I even asked about a driver manager that is located nearby that could meet me at the customer’s location on the day of the pickup to observe and teach me how to navigate this as the appointment is a week away.”
Sometimes, any of us could benefit through the simple act of sharing concerns. There’s likelihood your inner circle will not hold back their opinions, and truckers have no shortage of those, likewise their own stories not only of avoiding an accident, but when damage was done.
If we're honest, we can recognize our own bad decisions.
