Your Guide to Oversize Transport Success.
Based on our experience working with industry experts, Kenco Bucket Trucks compiled the following guide of best practices to be used as a tool to assist and continually educate transport teams. These suggestions are offered to help make any oversize transport a success. Since there are countless situations that can arise on a transport, these guidelines are an effort to streamline common variables while being open to new and unique circumstances during transit. Knowing your role and these recommendations will help every transport be safe and successful. Think of Kenco’s experts when you have HIGH LOADS and you need OPEN ROADS.
We’re in this Together.
Communicate.
Be sure to check your CB before the trip begins. All parties of the transport per permit are required to possess the ability to communicate with all participants in the transport. All motorcycle officers shall have working CB radios to be able to communicate with the load, pilots, chase and utility trucks so the entire transport team can constantly be linked.
Meet Up Before Heading Out.
A pre-trip meeting should always occur every day prior to departure. It is the officers’ responsibility to ensure all parties involved in the transport are protected from the traveling public:
- Police should review and ensure all parties involved are aware of the route.
- Review route, known challenges, stopping points, hard turns, reversals and goals for the day.
- Discuss contra-flow or “wrong-way” maneuvers in detail.
- Ensure everyone has a clear understanding of assignments.
Take Responsibility.
It’s your responsibility to see a maneuver through. If you call a maneuver to the operator of the transport, you must take ownership of it.
How to Assist a Bucket Truck.
The rear officer is to remain with the bucket truck to maintain a secure intersection while crew complete their task and should assist utility trucks in the rear with making their way back to the front of the transport convoy. The convoy should slow or stop to allow the utility crew to get back in front. Bucket trucks are not effective in high load transports behind the load.
If a utility truck is directed/required to travel on the wrong side of roadway, an officer must be ahead to secure the lane or hold and stop traffic. Officers will then assist to work convoy back to standard flow lanes.
Only the owner of the high voltage utility or their contractor shall handle high voltage conflicts, not Kenco’s technicians. The officer’s role is not to direct Kenco responsibilities.
Kenco Bucket Trucks may not manipulate any railroad equipment.
Utility crews or bucket trucks are not escort vehicles; therefore, we are not to be used for traffic control per state ordinances.
Kenco Bucket Trucks technicians are trained with various levels of certifications. They know their work scope and cannot take direction from others with regards to:
- Lifting of lines
- Loosening bolts
- Manipulating signals
- Stripping loads
- Position in convoy
The driver should not push or rush escort or utility activities.
Officers should give utility workers the proper amount of time needed to perform their assignment. All states require different lifting protocols to handle their equipment and infrastructure and we must follow their procedures. These activities may hinder or slow progress, but it is their equipment we are handling and must be done to their specifications.
If an officer determines a wire should slide or not be lifted, they will assume responsibility for any damage that may occur.
If an MVA occurs, the officers on the transport should contact local officers working the accident to inform them law enforcement was present, what occurred and protect the convoy.
Officer Count Rule of Thumb:
- Two officers for one bucket truck
- Three officers for two bucket trucks
- Projects requiring more utility crews or loads run in tandem necessitate evaluation for uniformed support prior to assignment
Disclaimer: The suggestions provided in this guide are recommendations for you to consider; however, we understand that you will make decisions based on every situation you encounter.
