Heading to an OC Landfill? Make sure you cover your load! Not only is covering your load an important safety issue, it’s the law.
OC Waste & Recycling is partnering with California Highway Patrol (CHP) to help spread the message on how to properly cover items when transporting them to landfills. Accidents occur when items in truck beds or on trailers are too loose and uncovered. Covering and securing loads ensures a safe trip for you and all other vehicles around you.
“The CHP responds every day to reports of debris on the roadway,” stated Rafael Reynoso, Public Information Officer, CHP. “Many traffic crashes could be avoided if drivers made sure their load was properly covered and secure before they pull out of the driveway.”
A safe trip to the landfill begins before you leave the loading site. Take extra time to make sure loads are secured with a rope, straps, netting and covered with a tarp. This prevents any part of the load from becoming loose, detached, or airborne while the vehicle is moving. Remember a load is secure when no cargo or debris can slide, shift, fly out or fall onto the roadway.
When securing your load, don’t be fooled. Heavy items and small loads can still fall out or become airborne. Large truck tires, spools of wire, and pieces of wood that aren’t secured can bounce out. Even small loads can shift during transportation and become a safety hazard.
Here’s are some helpful tips to secure and cover your load:
- Tie down and secure large items when transporting.
- Make sure that any covering is tied down, can’t shift, catch the wind or pop out.
- Place lighter items underneath heavier items to help keep them in place.
- Balance the weight to make it even; avoid being top heavy.
- Make sure your truck or trailer bed does not have a hole or tear where debris can escape.
- Remove any loose material that may remain in the trailer or truck bed before leaving the landfill.
Posters with all the information you need to know are available to download in Spanish, English and Chinese.
