Tractor and trailer safety reminder as driver shortage bites
© Tim Scrivener Farmers forced to use their own tractors and trailers for harvest transport because of the national shortage of lorry drivers have been reminded to carry out regular safety checks.
NFU Mutual has issued a tractor and trailer road safety checklist to help farmers make sure the machinery is correctly matched and maintenance schedules are followed, including regular checks of brakes and hitch mechanisms.
The rural insurer also reminded farmers to take regular breaks to avoid fatigue.
See also: Driver shortage hits feed deliveries and grain pick-up
Gwyn Barlow of NFU Mutual Risk Management Services said: “Harvest is the toughest time of the year for arable farmers – and this year, the nationwide shortage of lorry drivers is adding to the pressures.
Tractor and trailer road safety checklist
- Make sure tractors and trailers are maintained according to manufacturers’ schedules and records kept
- Check your insurance covers you for additional transport work
- Ensure that tractor and trailer lights are working correctly and are clean
- Ensure cab windows and mirrors are clean and intact
- Regularly check trailer hitch eyes for wear
- Make sure flashing orange beacons are fitted and used when legally required
- Keep trailer loads within manufacturers’ capacity ratings
- Pull in when safe to do so, to let following traffic overtake
- Ensure tractor drivers watch out for impatient drivers trying to overtake when tractors slow down to turn right into fields and farm tracks
- Plan transport routes carefully to avoid congested roads and peak traffic times when possible
- Make sure tractors are correctly matched to trailer weights and have compatible braking systems and comply with the complex laws governing tractor and trailer weights, distances travelled, axle combinations, braking systems and speed limits
- Provide tractor drivers with training on farm equipment and maintenance schedules
- Make sure tractor seat belts are in good condition and used by drivers
- Make sure drivers take regular breaks to avoid fatigue
- Instruct tractor drivers not to use mobile phones while driving
“Travelling across rough fields and through muddy gateways takes its toll on farm machinery, so we are advising farmers to regularly check that brakes are working correctly, lights and indicators can be seen, and windows and mirrors are clean.”
The shortage of lorry drivers is causing disruption to supermarket deliveries and other movements of goods, and dairy and livestock farmers have been advised to monitor their feed supplies closely.
Farmers can use the Tilly Your Trailer initiative, which, after a thorough inspection, confirms the trailers are safe for road use and comply with safety legislation.
Freight train derails in tractor collision
Care is also being recommended when approaching unmanned railway crossings after a freight train driver and a tractor driver escaped with just minor injuries during a collision at a level crossing in Cambridgeshire.
The accident on the Ely to Peterborough line caused three freight wagons to derail and significant damage to the track, signalling equipment and the level crossing.
© Network Rail
The incident happened between March and Whittlesea stations just after 9am on 19 August.
See also: How farmers can reduce risk on train level crossings
Richard Tew, Network Rail’s head of safety for Anglia, said: “This was a very serious incident and we are working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to fully understand the circumstances and why this happened.
“We are thankful that neither train nor tractor driver are seriously hurt and we are thinking of them both as they recover from the incident.”