The recent period has been marked by far too many incidents, several of which could have been avoided through self-monitoring.
You should never assume that a pre-loaded cargo is loaded correctly—whether it’s a flatbed, a swap body, or a trailer. As the driver, you—and no one else— must always check it before maneuvering or coupling. If you’re transporting cargo over a long distance, it’s also a good idea to check the cargo once or twice along the way.
See the example in the image below.
A wall is standing completely unsecured on a pre-loaded flatbed. The wall is also positioned at the very edge and is at extremely high risk of tipping over, both during transport and unloading. This can quickly lead to serious injuries or, in the worst case, death—something that could have been easily avoided with one or more self-inspections.
Self-monitoring, then, is not about identifying who has made a mistake or not. It is about safety—for ourselves and for the people we encounter in our daily work.
Conclusion: ALWAYS take the time to check the load you are transporting. NO exceptions.
Contact traffic control if something like this were to happen.
