Getting heavy equipment to the job site and back to the yard takes a lowboy operator with skill and attention to detail, as well as the right driving experience. The July AsphaltPro Magazine Woman of Asphalt, Amanda Harrington, has not only operated plenty of trucks and heavy equipment in her 15+ years of experience, but she has also loaded that equipment.
Based on Amanda Harrington’s years of experience, here are the top five tips she suggests lowbed drivers have in mind when loading heavy equipment.
- Park as close to the equipment as possible without blocking driveways or other things you should not block.
- If possible, give yourself enough space between the tractor and the trailer when you split so you can easily maneuver the machine in between them.
- Make sure there is no loose dirt, empty coffee cups, water bottles or any other debris on the machine that could potentially fly off while you are on the highway.
- Take your time and make sure you are lined up straight to, and in the middle of your trailer. You do not want to try and move the machine over or steer too much while you are on the deck.
- After you put all the chains on, walk around your trailer and check your chains again!
You can read more about Harrington’s career and encouragement for others in our industry in “Meet A Woman of Asphalt: Triple A Milling’s Amanda Harrington.”