Several of us reporters were riding in a public relations manager’s car, arriving on the sprawling parking lot of the Las Vegas Speedway, the venue for introduction of a truck maker’s revised vocational model. On one section of the lot were orange cones marking a circuitous route that we and other guests would follow in the ride-and-drive portion of the intro. We glanced to our left and lo—there was a mixer truck lying on its side, amid scattered and flattened cones. “What?!” we exclaimed, almost in unison.
My news instincts kicked in: “How about driving us over there so I can get a picture,” I asked the PR guy.
“No, no,” he answered with a nervous smile on his face.
“I’ll shoot from behind so the truck make doesn’t show,” I offered in a sympathetic tone.
“No, I don’t think so,” he repeated and continued to the site of the upcoming press conference, some distance from the accident scene. Unsaid but obvious: That kind of photo would not make good publicity for the truck builder. Too bad, as it would nicely illustrate a story on what to avoid while driving a concrete mixer truck.
In this case: Be extra careful in right-hand turns because a revolving drum carries the dense material upward on its left side, adding sideward instability to a mixer body’s already high center of gravity. For this demo the barrel carried pea gravel, but the outcome was the same. The guy who spilled this rig had gone into a right turn too fast—a simple but catastrophically expensive error.
Later I learned that the brand-new truck chassis and body were totaled because repairs might have cost more than the unit was worth, and no one would knowingly buy a vehicle that had been wrecked this way. It would have been worse if the driver had been injured, but he wasn’t. It turned out that he was a ready mix operator and a prospective customer—which was why he was invited to this event—but he was management and not an experienced driver. To add insult to the equipment injury, he went home without buying anything.
Safety steps for concrete mixer trucks
So “be extra cautious in right turns” would be a lesson for any safety course mixer drivers might attend. It wouldn’t be No. 1 because the driver of any type of heavy truck should first do a pre-trip inspection. To start, they set the parking brake and/or chock a wheel or two so the truck can’t roll away from or over them. With the engine off, they will tilt the hood and make sure it’s locked in place. Then, they will look at and pull at hoses and belts, then check all fluid levels. And of course, they will check the truck’s body—whether mixer, dump, or anything else—for condition and proper operation.
Before and after the inspection they will climb up and into cab. Falls are one of the top causes of injuries to drivers and having been told that, they will use the proper three-point procedure: Three of their four hands and feet are always in contact with the steps and handles. If they have one hand gripping a handle, both legs must be on steps; if one foot is on a step, two hands should be on handles. They should do the same while exiting the cab, and not jump down even if they are young and agile. The same three-point rule applies if they climb a ladder to peer into a mixer drum’s funnel or into a dump body’s interior.
The American Concrete Pumping Association has a safety manual posted online that discusses those and other safety pointers. Some rules are specific to concrete trucks, but others apply to operators of any large vehicle.
For dump trucks, the Texas Department of Insurance advises drivers to stay in the cab, belted into the seat while dumping a load, and dump only on level ground. Be aware that material can shift while spilling out—especially if some of it’s frozen—tipping the truck to one side or the other. Also avoid dumping in strong side winds, watch for overhead obstructions—particularly power lines—before raising the bed, and be sure the bed is back down before returning to public roads.
Safety on job sites
Trucks crawling around at job sites too often hit or run over workers. It’s wise—even mandatory depending on the circumstances—to have someone guide the driver who’s backing the truck to the load-discharge spot. The guide will be to the rear and side of the truck where the driver can see him in one of his mirrors and will use hand signals: “Come on back,” “a little left” (or right), “stop.” Ensure that the driver and guide understand the signals.
Injuries are costly to victims and their employers: medical care, rehabilitation, lost time, workers’ compensation payouts, increased insurance premiums, and litigation to name a few. Industry figures estimate a single accident’s cost at $10,000 to $1 million or more, especially if it becomes a wrongful death case. Avoiding an accident might cost a little time, but otherwise the monetary loss is zero.
Steer Tire Blows? Get on the ‘Gas’
There’s a myth that says if you suffer a steer-tire blowout, it’s all over. The truck will veer left or right, sending you into a guardrail, ditch, grass or—far worse—an oncoming vehicle or one in the next lane. That won’t happen if you know what to do.
It’s simple: As soon as you hear the tire blow, stand on the accelerator—not the brake pedal—and continue steering until you can pull over in a safe spot. Do not use the brakes, because then you will lose control. If there’s another vehicle just ahead, you’re not likely to hit it because the collapsing tire will retard your speed.
I know this trick works because I did it during a demonstration at a Nevada test track many years ago. A tire manufacturer sponsored the event to dispel that “you’re doomed” myth and promote safety. Instructors put me behind the wheel of a conventional-cab tractor hitched to a loaded trailer.
The truck had manual steering, which you’d think would be especially susceptible to the disruption of a blown tire. But it wasn’t because when the right-side tire blew—a blasting cap punched a hole in its sidewall—I floored the “gas” pedal and the rig continued straight ahead. There was little lateral pressure on the steering wheel, and I gradually let off the accelerator and we came to a safe stop.
How can this be? Yes, a blown tire produces side force that moves the truck to the right or left. But, immediately stomping on the accelerator sends power to the drive wheels, counteracting the side force and keeping the rig moving forward. And, centrifugal force can delay the flattening of the tire until the vehicle slows.
I wrote a column about this and a couple of months later I got a call from a trucker. “You saved my life,” he said. “I read your article and when it happened, I knew what to do.” Yeah, that made me feel pretty good.
It’s better to drive on a flat tire to a safe place than stop in a travel lane or alongside a road or an expressway. If a tire goes flat, it’s ruined anyway. Even if the wheel is damaged or destroyed, that’s far cheaper than the driver getting hurt or killed while parked or standing alongside a road.
Preventing the blowout is a better idea. Do it by careful inspection and keeping tire air at the proper pressure. Though defects can cause blowouts, most are due to underinflation that generates destructive heat.
—Tom Berg
About the Author
Tom Berg
Tom Berg is widely acknowleged as one of the top truck writers in the industry. He has covered construction for more than 34 years, and has test-driven well over 150 trucks for Construction Equipment.