Published: Wednesday, November 06, 2024
By Randall C. Resch
Providing tow and services on high-speed highways creates great hazards along the way. That’s something we’ve come to know in more than 108-years since the wrecker’s inception. It’s not that towers have plenty of danger to worry about, but have you ever considered the remote possibility of getting struck and killed by a tire and wheel that’s ejected from a car, truck or commercial vehicle?
Imagine being so “unlucky” to be struck by a six-hundred-pound bounding missile? No matter how safe you might work and at what speed your head is on that proverbial swivel, a loose semi tire and wheel is one that you’ll likely never see coming. The opening video (see link) depicts a loose tire that was milliseconds from slamming the front windshield of a vehicle in traffic.
The internet has plenty of incidents documenting a vehicle’s tire (and wheel) coming off an at-speed vehicle as they travel high-speed highways. A loose tire and wheel are capable of bounding through traffic, over a median’s K-Rail and into the windshield of unsuspecting motorists. If you’re a tow and service company conducting tire change services on high-speed highways, this narrative should be of interest to you.
It's Bound to Happen
Let this narrative serve as a safety reminder for tow companies who change tires on highway shoulders. While the prospect of being responsible for a loose tire and wheel isn’t a daily occurrence, tow owners should have an inkling as to what possibilities exist? According to “Inside Edition”, they stated as many as 1,500-people were killed by runaway tires and wheels in the last three years.
Because a bounding tire and wheel is nothing less than a rolling missile, consider the following scenarios that were the result of either mechanical failure or that of improper installation:
January 18, 1979, 52-year-old Julien Chabot, a tow operator in Bennington, Maine, was killed when the tire of a semi-trailer came off as he was assisting a motorist near Lewiston.
In California, the highway patrol fielded calls reporting a bouncing tire that slammed through the front of a school police officer's car. The CHP reported the tire likely came from a trailer traveling in southbound lanes. The tire bounced over the center median’s K-Rail and then planted in the window of a Los Angeles School Police Department’s vehicle. The tire destroyed the car’s windshield and embedded in the roof, nearly missing the officer, escaping what could have been an instant death.
In yet another incident, April 2019, a Maine state trooper was struck and killed by a loose tire and wheel, that came off a semi-truck. The trooper was legally parked on I-95’s shoulder near Bangor, assisting a motorist that had spun out in the rain when the tire and wheel bounded into where he was standing. In this incident, the semi-truck involved allegedly had equipment and inspection issues that resulted in later convictions.
Ignore the Possibility?
On the working end, conducting tire services requires tow operators or technicians to remove and replace a vehicle’s when by loosening and tightening the vehicle’s lug nuts. To prove a point; how many towers have attended formal schooling regarding the proper procedures in tire changes, most specifically, knowing the proper factory specifications” necessary to torque lug nuts? How can towers guarantee a vehicle’s lug nuts are tightened to manufacturer’s specifications if you’ve not attended formal schooling?
In today’s litigious society, when tires and wheels “self-eject” from vehicle hubs, there’s likely a mechanical malfunction, maintenance issue, or that of a technician’s installation error. When not properly tightened down according to manufacturer’s specs, lug nuts may not be sufficiently tightened to keep a tire on the vehicle causing it to eject. When these considerations are accurate, the deadly duo makes their way into the front windshield of a non-suspecting motorist’s car.
Regardless as to what motor club you’re providing services for, your contract typically makes you the vendor, where you assume liability of whatever actions occur under your tow business and its employees. In the event a loose tire and wheel injures or kills a motorist or pedestrian, will “they” (the motor club) represent (and could be held financially liable) for whatever actions that took someone else’s life?
This topic is a discussion you should have with your corporate attorney? For my sanity and business accountability, it’s my choice to not change tires on the highway noting more than 50-tow operators killed providing tire change services dating back to the 1940’s. In the best interest of your operator’s safety and survival, I recommend no tire changes are conducted on the highways to decrease the potential of becoming a tow industry statistic.
Who’s Getting Blamed?
To increase better odds of not having a tire and wheel come loose due to improper tightening of wheel lugs, I recommend vehicles are towed, transported, or dollied to tire shops, service stations, or dealerships. Let the shops take the responsibility in getting lugs tightened to manufacturer specs.
In the same manner towers shouldn’t and don’t replace driveshafts removed from vehicle’s towed; the same or similar liability applies here. Call it what you may, the odds of this kind of “freak accident” are fifty-fifty. They’re not the odds I’m comfortable taking. Owners, consider what direction your personnel should take when it comes to conducting tire services?
Personally, I shan’t be blamed for not tightening wheel lugs to spec, more importantly, I’m highly adverse to being the victim of some tire and wheel dropping from the sky.
Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 55-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 28-years, he has contributed more than 760-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and is a frequent seminar presenter and wrecker pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee.
Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.
Published: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
By Brian J Riker
While I applaud towers for finding new revenue streams, and moving forklifts or other industrial equipment is one of those streams, it is critical to understand what you are doing and how to do it safely. Recently I have noticed a trend of moving forklifts with light duty rollbacks, and I’m not talking class 6 trucks like Freightliners, Internationals or Hinos, but rather, Ram 4500 and 5500, Ford 450 and 550 size trucks.
This is dangerous, often illegal and just plain dumb to do!
Let’s start with the basics. The average forklift weights around 9,000 pounds with some as light as 3,000 and many well over 10,000 pounds. While these weights sound similar to the average car or light truck, the weight is concentrated differently than a car or truck as is the center of gravity.
A typical class 5 chassis, meaning a Ram 4500, 5500, Ford F-450, F-550, etc., has a gross vehicle weight rating between 16,001 and 19,500 pounds. This is the maximum that the truck chassis, any body mounted on it, tools, driver, fuel and cargo carried can weight to be within the manufacturer’s design specs and to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. When built into a typical rollback, these class 5 vehicles have a tare (empty) weight around 12-13,000 pounds. This gives them an average payload (cargo) capacity of between 3,000 and 6,500 pounds.
So, with an average payload of 6,500 pounds as a best-case scenario, using say a 5500/550 chassis and a lightweight carrier body, one would expect to be able to load an average car or light truck and maybe even a small forklift. Not so fast!
Load distribution is critical. Yes, the typical light duty carrier deck has a capacity rating of 10,000 to 12,000 pounds; however this is measured as an evenly distributed load across the entire surface of the deck, not concentrated in a tiny spot as found with a forklift. Anyone that does heavy haul will know their trailers have an overall maximum weight rating and then a separate rating for concentrated loads expressed in either psi or pounds in any ten-foot area of the trailer deck. Light duty carriers do not have this rating as they are not intended to haul concentrated loads.
What all this means is with a class 5 chassis and a typical carrier deck, you are overloading your equipment beyond its intended use and failure will happen. Probably not immediately, but down the line, often when least expected, a component will fail (often with much lesser force than its designed capacity due to fatigue).
What about class 6 chassis, they are much bigger, so they are safer, right?
Again, not really. Even though a class 6 chassis will have a greater payload capacity, often with an average of 8,500 pounds, this doesn’t mean hauling a forklift is any safer. These trucks are built using the same carrier subframe and deck as the class 5 trucks, so the limiting factor is the design and intended use of the carrier deck more than the chassis, at least with forklifts at or under approximately 8,000 pounds.
The proper chassis for moving forklifts is a class 7 or 8 chassis, with at least a 33,000 GVWR and an industrial carrier deck designed for concentrated loads.
How about securing them, what should I do?
First and foremost, your winch is not a securement device, and likely it isn’t even rated for winching a forklift onto your carrier’s deck unless you have an industrial carrier or larger than standard winch. Remember, your winch is rated for maximum pull on the first layer of wire rope, and the average light duty carrier’s winch only has a rope rated for 4,300 pounds. Once you start up the angle of your deck with an 8,000+ pound forklift you add an angle multiplier that far exceeds the rating of your winch and wire rope.
Driving a forklift on and off a carrier is also risky business. Besides OSHA requirements that you be trained on the use of each specific type of powered industrial truck, your smooth deck surface and the smooth tires found on most indoor forklifts do not make for a safe, high traction environment. If you are going to transport forklifts with a smooth surface deck, dock to dock is the only acceptable way to go as you are remaining level while loading and unloading. And do not use your wheel lift as a dock leveler to bring your deck up to dock height unless it is specifically designed to be used as such, otherwise you are stressing the carrier mounting point at the rear of your truck frame.
Lastly, never load forks toward the cab, but always have the forks facing the rear of your truck. If you were to get into a crash or even just have a hard brake event and the tie-downs failed, those forks will pierce your headboard and cab like a hot knife through butter.
Always follow the US DOT regulations related to the number and types of tie-downs, and no, over the wheel type straps are not intended to be used on forklifts nor are J-hooks or the hook clusters found on your automotive tie-downs. Use the proper type and rated hook, manufacturer’s recommended hook points (on both the forklift and your deck) and proper sized chains, ratchets or binders. Tie down low to prevent tipping over, using an X pattern that secures all four corners and do not use the roll cage as a tie-down point.
Published: Monday, October 28, 2024
By Randall C. Resch
From inside lien sale cars, you never know what gets left behind. No matter what reasons people leave vehicles behind, oftentimes precious memories and collectibles are inside. When towed, wrecked and impounded vehicles go the lien sale’s route, anything part of the vehicle’s contents ultimately becomes the tow company’s property.
As part of individual’s moving locally or out-of-state, household items, clothing, or whatever is piled into a car’s interiors for moving day. Unfortunately, for reasons out of a motorist’s control, they’re involved in an accident, impounded by the police, or the vehicle is stolen.
All That Stuff
When my mid-size tow and recovery business was active, and once vehicles cleared lien, our process would make lien sale vehicles ready for auction. There were two trains of thought: either leave the auction vehicle to include its contents; or separate the contents by cleaning interiors. I’m mildly amused by the sometimes-higher prices paid by over-zealous buyers who hafta’ have a handful of cheap tools left behind on a car’s floorboards.
For consideration two, contents are removed and stored in 40-foot containers. Items are arranged in sections; i.e., sporting goods, camping gear, household items, furniture, stereos, TV’s and electronics, construction tools, automotive parts and clothing. What might seem a labor-intensive process and waste of time, twice a year we offered an “employee’s only sale” to company personnel. At “pennies on the dollar” savings, employees (and their families) get first pick on items that otherwise would cost higher prices.
Obviously, items not chosen by employees don’t go the wayside, but after the employee’s only sale, remaining contents are offered (on auction day) to buyers to bid on contents as an all-inclusive lot, sold to the highest bidder. We stipulate they have seven-days, post-sale to remove all items. Once removed, the process starts over.
Returning Valuable Memories
If you’re willing to do recreational research, the internet is the greatest source to find information if you know where to look. Websites “approximate” or “pinpoint” a trail of residences and relocations. Some sites are free, while others require minimal cost.
The fun is in-the-search when I experience the heartfelt appreciation from family members who ultimately have their loved one’s belongings returned. While some find it creepy to trace one’s existence, to the contrary, I find great satisfaction when research success locates an unsuspecting family through online research. Some of my favorite research projects included;
-- A wallet contained identification, photos of kids and grandkids along with $600 cash discovered within a totaled Mustang. One family’s father was struck and killed by a drunk driver and was subsequently disregarded as a violent ending. As the Mustang was readied for scrap, the wallet was brought to me. Through research, the wallet was returned to the family. With tears streaming down a daughter’s face, she handed me (the found) $600 asking me to give it to the person who found the wallet? Atop that, I added another $400 so to deliver a $1,000-reward honoring my employee’s honesty.
-- A local woman died of natural causes inside an old motorhome. Having lived there for years, and amongst a hoarder’s pile of dirty clothes, spoiled food and trash, was a trophy box of neatly stored photos, a baseball and a vintage baseball glove. While examining photos of a youngish boy in his baseball uniform, scrawled on the baseball glove was the boy’s name and other clues. Researching Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites led me to his whereabouts. I ultimately arranged to return to him these childhood memories.
-- An old steamer trunk contained collectible family memorabilia, including vintage, framed photos from a well-known, southern California private school, a passport, and beautifully written letters dating to the 1930’s. Having contacted the school, the missing contents were ultimately returned to a granddaughter who had long since graduated from school, but was located on the school’s Alumni Page.
-- Perhaps my favorite return of all things was a Burial Urn, discovered in an auction car’s trunk. Having researched websites like Findagrave.com, Ancestory.com and Newspapers.com, the urn was returned to its family.
To experience a family’s special appreciation in having their loved one’s belongings returned I find great satisfaction in “reaching out.” While some find it “creepy” to trace someone’s forgotten existence, to the contrary, there is great enjoyment to be successful locating family members through online research.
While it’s true “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure,” returning lost memories and treasures is something well worth the effort. If you have an inner investigator within you, I invite you to play a sort of “Where’s Waldo” in trying to return what otherwise could wind up in the landfill. I’m confident you’ll find genuine satisfaction in returning those memories to perfect strangers.
Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 51-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 28-years, he has contributed more than 735-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and is a frequent seminar presenter and beauty pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee.
Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.