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Download Preventing Injuries in the Trucking Industry, Focus Report (940KB)

The information provided on the linked sites is solely the view of the authors and does not reflect the official views of TIRES and / or L&I.

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Simulation training tools

Chaining up
Find the safety gear that the driver is using!

Lever vs. Ratchet
Is there really a good reason to switch from a tool that has gotten the job done for years?

Tarping
Lifting heavy items can cause injuries to your back and shoulders over time. The driver demonstrates the pros and cons of getting the tarp on the flatbed.

Prevent slips
Slips, trips and falls cause many injuries in trucking. Changes in footwear, tasks and environment matter. Test your knowledge by clicking the slip simulation below.

Jump Force
Know the forces involved in exiting your truck cab or trailer. Try our force simulator: Click here to access..

TIRES on YouTube

Check out these fun and informative videos on risky versus safe trailer exit strategies.

Many documents on this website are in the pdf format. To download a free Adobe Reader® click here.

Truck driver health and safety

Truck drivers face a disproportionately high risk for fatal crash-related injuries and for serious health disorders. The 2004 fatality rate for U.S. heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers was 48.2 per 100,000 workers, approximately 11 times the rate for the general worker population.

For more information go to NIOSH Blog .

TIRES staff reports

TIRES: Helping to Reduce Work Related Injuries in the Commercial Trucking Industries Published in Northwest Transporter, Vol 16, Issue 1, Winter 2013.

Don't Jump! Published in Transport Topics Online, November 2011.

Risk - Part of the Job? (85 KB) Published in The Route, September 2010.

Even on Foot, Trucking is Risky Business Published in Transport Topics Online, June 2009.

US Dept. of Transportation's campaign to prevent distracted driving.

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Get involved in the New TIRES Blog.
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TIRES

Newly released safety training materials

Solid waste haulers "Own Can" customer flyer

Add your phone number, print and leave with your own can customers. (150 KB) editable pdf

Spanish translation of "own can" customer flyer (170 KB)

Safety culture

Pallets crumble, but your back doesn't have to (340 KB) (poster printable on letter size or 11x17 paper)

News Flash: Tiny perp takes down mighty worker (153 KB)

Are we having fun yet? (308 KB) (poster printable on letter size or 11x17 paper)

Trailer/Cab exit

Consider the length of your career...(cab) (530 KB) (poster printable on letter size or 11x17 paper)

Consider the length of your career...(flatbed) (510 KB) (poster printable on letter size or 11x17 paper)

Consider the length of your career...(trailer) (384 KB) (poster printable on letter size or 11x17 paper)

Tarp inspection

Inspect, repair or replace worn tarps (390 KB) (poster printable on letter size or 11x17 paper)

If you beat a tarp at wrestling, who really wins? (187 KB)

Learning from fatalities

Let's make sure this doesn't happen again (143 KB)

Trucking Injury Reduction Emphasis

TIRES is a research project developed by the SHARP program at the Washington Department of Labor & Industries. SHARP’s research shows that trucking has some of the highest claims rates and costs in the State of Washington. Discussion with industry and labor groups revealed a desire to improve these rates. Our combined goal is to decrease the number of work-related injuries in trucking by targeting the most common injury types for prevention activities.

The Injuries

The TIRES Initiative began by focusing on the four most common and costly injury types in the trucking industry:

Slips, trips, falls
Strains & sprains (Musculoskeletal disorders)
Getting struck by or against an object
Motor vehicle collisions

From this data we learned that the root causes of most of these injuries was attributable to four specific work activitites in trucking:

Loading/unloading and material handling
Exiting the cab or trailer
Walking around the yard, terminal or customer site
Tarping/strapping a load

TIRES continues to develop materials for training in the safest methods known to get the important work of trucking accomplished.

How It Works

The TIRES research team is working with industry leaders, safety and health professionals, employers, drivers, warehouse and dock workers, and many others to develop educational materials that identify hazards and provide low-cost, simple solutions to prevent injuries in the trucking industry. We will also be visiting worksites to identify best practices and pilot test new ideas aimed at reducing the target injuries. This work is paid for by a grant from the CDC/NIOSH and the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.