Tag: Trailer Yard Safety

Common Risks of The Trailer Yard and How a Trailer Dolly Can Help

Trailer Yard
Trailer Yard Management Made Easier

Your trailer yard may not handle traditional road traffic, but there’s still a significant risk of injury to workers and damage to products and equipment. An electric Trailer Dolly from DJ Products can help improve safety by minimizing or eliminating some of the common risk factors found in trailer yards.

1. Poor maintenance

Although yard tractors rarely leave the yard, they’re still designed for legal on-road use. This means they include a number of controls and gauges that need to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis. Our Trailer Dollies are battery-powered, eliminating the costly expense of fuel and corresponding systems. There’s also no need to worry about cab-tilt systems, transmissions, and other intricate features.

2. Pedestrian safety

As road-legal vehicles, yard tractors must be operated by qualified workers who hold a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL). In addition, both driver and vehicle are subject to all Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR).

If no licensed driver is available, your yard activities can come to a screeching halt. Even trained drivers have to navigate a number of difficulties, such as poor sight lines and narrow clearances, in order to avoid injuring pedestrians.

No special licensing is required to operate a Trailer Dolly. Any worker, regardless of size, can become fully operational with a minimum of training. Our tugs are also compact enough to easily negotiate sharp corners and tight clearances.

3. Driver injuries

Some of your workers have undoubtedly suffered injuries associated with operating yard tractors. Common injuries include slips and falls while entering or exiting the tractor and catching hands in pinch points.

Workers simply walk behind or in front of Trailer Dollies, so there’s no chance of falling out of a cab. These movers are ergonomically designed to reduce the strain that often leads to repetitive motion injuries.

Protect Workers with a Trailer Dolly from DJ Products

A demonstrated concern for employee welfare provides a boost in worker morale, leading to greater productivity. Contact us at 800.686.2651 and let one of our friendly Sales Engineers help you find the right material handling solution for your specific application.

4 Benefits of Utilizing a Trailer Dolly

Trailer Yard From Above
Benefits of a Trailer Dolly

Are employees at your warehouse or distribution center still using shunting to manage trailer movement? Leave this costly and time-consuming method in the past where it belongs. Here are four major benefits that our trailer dolly can bring to your business, now and in the future.

1. Improved Efficiency

According to DOT (Department of Transportation) regulations, a person must hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in order to operate a shunt truck. How many times have you experienced frustrating delays waiting for a qualified driver?

No special licensing or certification is needed to operate our trailer dollies. With a minimum amount of basic training, any of your employees will be ready to move trailers around the yard by themselves. This process also eliminates the possibility of sizable fines if the shunt driver’s hours are not logged properly.

2. Safer Working Conditions

Shunt trucks have the same potential for accidents as any other motorized vehicle. This is compounded by the fact that these trucks are operating in a confined area with sight lines that are frequently obstructed. The compact size and easy maneuverability of trailer dollies neutralizes the most dangerous aspects of shunting. In addition, fewer workplace injuries means improved productivity and profitability.

3. Better Equipment Control

There are a number of reasons why a CDL is needed to operate a shunt truck. One of the primary reasons is the difficulty of safely operating these unwieldy vehicles, especially in a crowded and constricted yard. Size and maneuverability, the same features that make our trailer dollies so safe, enable smooth movement of trailers weighing thousands of pounds.

4. Reduced Expenses

Whether you employ a full-time CDL driver or contract with a third-party service to handle shunting duties, you’re incurring a significant ongoing expense. There’s no need to hire additional staff to use our trailer dollies, and costs are further reduced due to less maintenance and no need for expensive fuel.

The Trailer Dolly: An Effective Solution for Any Application

Learn more about the advantages of a battery-powered trailer dolly from DJ Products. Contact us to speak with one of our knowledgeable and friendly Sales Engineers.

5 Tips to Keep Your Trailer Yard Employees Safe in 2023

Trailer Yard Safety
Trailer Yard Safety Tips

Our Trailer Dolly from DJ Products is a cost-effective and efficient way to maintain safe conditions in your trailer yard. Here are five more useful tips to reduce the risk of injuries to your employees.

5 Tips for Improved Trailer Yard Safety
1. Create a pre-trip checklist

There are specific steps to make sure a trailer is ready to go out on the road. In the hustle and bustle of daily activities, don’t rely on memory when performing the safety check. Create a written list that includes steps such as:

 

2. Grease the bearings

When bearings aren’t sufficiently lubricated, the resulting heat can cause them to seize up. In the worst-case scenario, the wheels can fall off while driving. Take the time to clean and repack bearings once a year or every 10,000 miles.

3. Ensure that the trailer rides level

Taking measurements to determine the amount of “drop” needed for the ball mount is just part of the process. For total accuracy, hook the fully-loaded trailer up to the truck and make any necessary adjustments.

4. Test the emergency brakes

Emergency brakes are a vital fail-safe in case a trailer becomes detached from the towing vehicle. Most e-brakes are triggered by a breakaway switch that’s activated when the key, attached to the truck by a cable, gets pulled out. It’s easy to test the e-brakes by doing a dry run in which you remove the key and attempt to pull the trailer forward. If the brakes are working correctly, the wheels will remain stationary.

5. Have the right tire jack on board

The best spare tire available is useless if the jack isn’t up to the job. For best results, make sure your trucks are equipped with dedicated trailer jacks.

The Trailer Dolly and Other Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

No matter what the application, we have a tug, pusher or mover to handle your needs. Call 800.686.2651 or use the handy online chat feature to learn more from our Sales Engineers.