Roadside technicians face ‘high risk' situations

When it goes wrong on the road, you'll hear the vehicle cross the rumble strips, and then the hazard triangles "click" to the ground. The next moment is all about survival.

Roadside tire service technicians face serious dangers each time they go out on a call, but good strategy, vehicle positioning and visibility can make all the difference.

"This is a high-risk situation," said Kevin Rohlwing, Tire Industry Association (TIA) senior vice president of training. "When it all goes bad, you'll be thankful you took the time to do it safely."

Last year in Colleton County, S.C., a pickup truck pulling a trailer hit a Colony Tire service truck at full speed on Interstate 95. The technician had just crawled out from under the disabled semi when, according to news reports, it is believed the driver of the truck fell asleep at the wheel, causing a collision.

The driver of the pickup died in the crash, and his daughter survived in critical condition.

"(The technician) heard the rumble strips, he heard that sound … and he had plenty of space to escape," Rohlwing said. "He jumped to the right, the accident hit, and all of the damage was contained to one area. It is unfortunate that the driver passed away. … But the technician walked away without a scratch."

He said the technician did everything right when everything went wrong.

Rohlwing made his comments during a road-service safety seminar at the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. He was joined by T.J. Trum, general counsel at Pomp's Tire Service Inc., and Russ Devens, director of safety and risk management at McCarthy Tire Service.

"Positioning of your vehicle is paramount," Trum said. "Unfortunately, too few technicians appreciate why we ask that every mobile service vehicle be parked approximately 30 feet behind the vehicle to be serviced."

While that may mean a technician will need a lot of compressor-line hose to reach, say, a steer-axle position on a Class A truck, "there are real reasons related to safety and your own survival that those recommendations on behalf of TIA exist," Trum said.

The service vehicle should be parked 30 feet directly behind the disabled vehicle with the tires facing straight ahead. The service vehicle should be behind because it makes the "work area" more visible to oncoming traffic.

"Why do I park behind the vehicle? One, I've only got one space to worry about and that's the death zone (the 30 feet of space between the service truck and disabled vehicle)," Rohlwing said.

There are plenty of risks that can't be controlled, such as the position of the disabled vehicle, the type of work that needs to be done, weather and soil conditions, and oncoming traffic.

"I can control the location of the safety vehicle. I can control taking a site assessment of the condition of the ground," Rohlwing said.

Often technicians may cut corners to make a job faster or because of bad weather. Trum said techs need to "really work hard not to be tempted" to take shortcuts.

"It's so subtle, but those triangles are critical, and they are often overlooked," he said. "The triangles are reflective to help guide traffic over, but as the technician, what are those triangles really for? … You hear that 'click, click, click' as drivers run those over, and that is your panic warning to get out of the way."

Rohlwing said it's important to make drivers see something before they see the technician.

"You have to activate everything — your flashers, strobes, beacons, everything. You want to be seen," Rohlwing said.

Technicians should be wearing reflective clothing on the top and bottom.

"The days of the vest (or no vest), those days are over," Devens said, adding that an investment in proper safety clothing is a must for shop owners.

The top hazard for roadside technicians is oncoming traffic. Drivers may be distracted or intoxicated, and many often don't follow the law and move over for emergency personnel.

On average, 23 roadside workers and first responders die each year, and hundreds more are injured while responding to disabled vehicles, according to AAA Inc.

Every state has a "move over" law requiring highway motorists to slow down and move out of the way of hazards. In all 50 states, the law applies to first responders and service trucks, according to 2021 AAA data. But only seven states require motorists to move over for a disabled vehicle.

Find the law in your state.

"There's an element here, too, of not only educating your technicians and managers, but your customers as well about the importance of site assessment," Trum said. "If the conditions aren't right, you have to be willing to turn down that call (unless it is moved)."

If the conditions aren't safe, the driver must move the vehicle to a better location.

"If it's not safe, move the truck," Rohlwing said, "and that (mentality) should come from the top down."

At McCarthy Tire, Devens said management created a policy — signed by the CEO — for technicians to follow if the vehicle needing service is in an unsafe location. He said unless the business owners back it, many techs may not feel they have the authority to make that call.

Both Devens and Trum said their companies will turn down jobs in extremely dangerous situations.

If you don't have a big enough work area, work behind your service vehicle, "so you can see oncoming traffic," Devens said.

When working on the road side, TIA recommends technicians:

• Move the truck if not in a safe spot; 
• Always park 30 feet behind the disabled vehicle with the tires straight ahead;
• Use warning devices — strobes and reflective gear — to alert oncoming traffic;
• If room is need to work, move behind the service truck so there is a clear view of oncoming traffic;
• Know where the safe zone — and death zone — is at all times; and
• Never sit behind the wheel without a seat belt.

A culture of safety should be led by the business owner and management team. The investment of time and money will be well worth the peace of mind knowing you are keeping your team safe, according to Rohlwing.

“I’ve seen attitudes change from owners on down,” he said. While the business was once all about speed, he said the “pendulum” has swung to safety.

From an ownership standpoint, Trum called it a “series of micro decisions,” like setting the tone for employee’s safety and properly outfitting service trucks and technicians to be visible.

“You’ve got to set the tone of your culture for safety right from the get-go,” Trum said. 

At McCarthy Tire, Devens said, he will do random spot checks of technicians on the job to ensure they are doing things right.

“For the most part, they want to do it right,” Devens said. “As long as they know we have their back, they are willing do it.”

Contacting the state Department of Transportation (DOT) can completely "change the dynamics of the situation," Nolan Calvin, owner of Nolan's Point S in Gresham, Ore., said. Nolan offered the advice after seeing the original version of this article.

"One of the most important options when in a perilous situation is the state DOT," he told Tire Buisness. "Each of my service personnel have the DOT phone number in their vehicle, and at their discretion call and advise that an unsafe situation requires their assistance."

Nolan said in his experience, DOT responds with assistance in about 30 minutes, and the added visibility makes a big difference.

Have roadside safety best practices to share? Email David Manley at [email protected]