There is a “Catch” to Truck and Trailer Safety
By Michael Logue, Public Affairs, Louisiana Recovery Field Office

Before the truck hauling a load of debris comes to a halt, contract QA supervisor Marlon Jackson comes to full alert.

“I’ve got a sneaking suspicion,” he says as the truck stops to have its load tallied by the tower.

The ever-vigilant Jackson walks over to the truck, looks down into the bed, tinkers with something, and asks the truck driver to pull forward a little.  The truck driver obeys …. and the trap is sprung.

With the stern voice of a coach, Marlon gently breaks it to the truck driver.  He is in violation of one of the most important safety rules of the debris haulers code.

“Son, your truck is not supposed to roll when I pull this pin.  Go dump your load and get that fixed before you go out again.  Understand?”

When Marlon sees the confused looks on the faces of his rookie visitors, he again conducts class in Landfill Management 101.

“Ya’ll see these wires?”  The group nods.  “See anything wrong here?”

One newbie is quick to catch the problem.  “One of the wires is broken.”  There is no cigar to present, so Marlon gives the greenhorn a big dusty smile.

“That’s riiiiiight. And what happens when that wire is broken?”  The group is silent, predictably about to graduate right into Landfill Management 202.

“This wire and that wire connect this battery pack to this release mechanism,” he emphasizes.  “When the trailer breaks free from the truck, it pulls this chain and causes this device to engage, locking trailer wheels.”

One wire is all that stood between a safe day’s haul and a possible catastrophe on the busy streets of New Orleans.

Much of Marlon’s team spends their day inspecting incoming trucks for working safety systems that automatically stop trailers should they break free of their tractor rig.

Not too much later, Marlon is ready to conduct class again as another truck moves into position next to the tower.

“Bubba, that ain’t gonna get it right there,” he moans.  The wires look okay so the rookies again wait for Marlon’s veteran tutelage.

“That Phillips-head screw!  He has lost the bolt that holds the assembly to the post and used that screw to fix it.  Without that bolt, the entire mechanism would get yanked away when the trailer disconnects.”

The truck driver gets the same instruction: no more loads until the problem is resolved.

The visiting group comes away with a strong sense of respect for the contractor’s team managing the landfill.

“It costs them money to pull a truck off the road,” said one veteran Corps inspector, “But they want to do us a good job.  They know you can’t separate safety and a good job.”

The landfill will see close to one hundred trucks over the course of a day or two and every one of them represents an opportunity to bring the city one step closer to recovery or turn citizens into double victims.

As the group of visitors head to the van, Marlon’s voice can be heard over the din of truckers, haulers, and grinders.

“Looks good, now that’s what I’m talking about!”  He waves another truck on through the tower stop and into the landfill.

New Orleans just came one truckload closer to recovery.