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Secure the load before the wheels turn

A useful pre-trip check for construction, landscaping, maintenance, and utility crews hauling tools or equipment.

For Construction, landscaping, maintenance, and utility crews
Secure the load before the wheels turn — construction crew safety meeting
Run it before the work starts

Here’s the conversation to have.

A loaded truck or trailer is part of the work just like the saw, skid steer, or hand tools. Gear shifts, straps loosen, a gate gets missed, and somebody ends up dealing with a problem on the road or while unloading. Take the walk around before the wheels turn.

Look at the load, the tie-downs, the anchor points, the gate, and anything that can roll, slide, bounce, or blow out. If the load does not look right from the ground, it is not ready to leave. Fix it before the crew is headed down the road.

Before you turn the crew loose

What needs to be checked.

  • Match the trailer, tie-downs, and anchor points to the load. Do not exceed ratings or use damaged securement gear.
  • Secure equipment and material so it cannot shift, roll, slide, or fall during the trip.
  • Check gates, ramps, pins, lights, and anything loose before leaving the yard or jobsite.
  • Make a last walk-around part of the handoff: one person confirms the load is ready before the vehicle moves.
Ask the crew

Don’t just read it. Get an answer.

1. What on this load can move or come loose once we are on the road?
2. Are the tie-downs, anchor points, and trailer rated for what we loaded?
3. Who does the final walk-around before the driver pulls out?
Reference material

Use these when you need the rule or want to dig deeper.

This is a starting point for the tailgate talk. The crew, the equipment, and the job conditions in front of you decide what has to happen next.