How Truck Drivers Can Safely Handle Roadside Breakdowns
Breakdowns don’t make appointments—they tend to strike at the worst possible time, worst possible place, usually on a shoulder with two feet of clearance and no cell service. Whether you're hauling LIN, LOX, Propane, or Anhydrous Ammonia, a roadside hiccup can go from inconvenient to unsafe pretty quick.
How to Manage a Breakdown
- Get it Parked: If things go sideways, ease off the road like a pro. Wide shoulder, straight stretch, avoid hills and blind curves. Be mindful of soft shoulders or your flat tire could turn into a rollover.
- Hazards - Vest - Senses: See and be seen. Wear your shiniest vest. Don’t forget your reflective triangles. FMCSA says to place one at 10 feet, another at 100, and a third at 200 feet. Also, be sure to stagger them in in a diagonal guiding traffic into the open travel lane and not into the back of your truck.
- Is it Hazardous?: Cryo leaking? Smell ammonia? Back door frozen shut? If you’ve sprung a leak or your tank won’t vent or won’t stop venting, you could have a problem that requires outside intervention. Don’t play the hero—back away and call dispatch.
- Call for Help: When you call for assistance, be sure to have the route number, direction of travel, mile marker, cross street, load type, and a brief rundown. If you’re out in the sticks in unfamiliar surroundings, use google maps.
- Don't Get Hit: Getting out of the cab? If you need to walk around, see and be seen. Hi-vis, flashlight.
- Prep Like a Pro: Doing a good pre-trip and knowing your equipment is the best way to avoid these situations in the first place.
Breakdowns happen. They don’t care about your logs, your pay, or your patience. But staying calm, visible, and safe can keep a minor inconvenience from turning into a hazmat incident on the news. Keep your gear squared away, your head on straight, stay sharp, stay safe.
