Slip-and-fall Safety Questions.

How well-designed are the footing surfaces on newer commercial trucks these days? Slips/falls are the second-leading cause of accidental death according to this following source.

https://nfsi.org/nfsi-research/quick-facts/#:~:text=For%20people%20aged%2065-84%20years%2C%20falls%20are%20the,60%25%20involve%20people%20aged%2075%20years%20or%20older.

I rented a Penske 26' truck in May of 2019 to move from Boise, Idaho to Lawton, Ok. On the last day of unloading the truck, the ramp in back and the cab steps were damp from rainy weather. I was wearing my not-so-cheap Nike Air Monarch athletic shoes. I almost slipped off the cab step once but caught myself by grabbing the door in the nick of time. I also slipped on the loading ramp. I had to run down the ramp with a loaded dolly to keep from falling down. I finally put on my rubber flip-flops to finish the job. They have a gummy soft rubber sole that worked quite well on a slippery metal ramp. The Nike soles are hard rubber and slick for such an expensive shoe. They suck on icy streets and sidewalks to boot. I have some other shower shoes now but they don't have good traction like my older gummy-bottom ones did before they wore out. I have rented Uhaul trucks for moving too but never in wet weather so I can't say as to the level of footing they offer people clambering over them in the rain. I emailed Penske twice about the slippery trucks but they never responded. I complained to some federal consumer agency too about these slippery trucks but they never followed up with a response to me. I gave this company a 1 star in both Yelp! and Google reviews regarding the Penske dangerous lack of footing. I was an American soldier once and younger. Army trucks, at least the 900-series 5-tons, do have sensible cab steps though the military is often stupid about many other things. They have a crisscross diamond hole pattern with sharp serrated knife edges that bite into the soles of hard-rubber combat boots. Never slipped once on these in rain, ice or snow. The tailgates on army trucks, however, have slick sheet metal. No texture for good footing. Civilian commercial trucks should have sensible surfaces on step areas and walkways too. Years ago I had a landscaping trailer with a slick tail metal gate so I riveted on some wood laths parallel for good footing.

Tell us of your solutions for getting a good footing on wet/icy vehicles and/or ground surfaces.

Guess whos back? Back Again Todd is back tell your friends

You have found yet another great reason not to be a truck driver. It's probably not a career that is going to be a good fit for you. There are tons of opportunities in this great country for careers. I'd move on from your studies of trucking. It is far too dangerous a job for you.

Although, this comment could prove me wrong...

I finally put on my rubber flip-flops to finish the job.

That sort of indicates you were born for this occupation.

Rubber flip flops in winter conditions? Did you get frost bite or worse? How many toes were amputated?

Ever hear of "Ice Cleats"? I wonder how well they work on flip flops.

Rubber flip flops in winter conditions? Did you get frost bite or worse? How many toes were amputated?

Ever hear of "Ice Cleats"? I wonder how well they work on flip flops.

No, it was actually warm during that Oklahoma May though rainy and thundering. I had my socks on with my gummy-bottom flip-flops. I had to get the rest of my stuff out of the truck during periods of no rain or light mist. They did in fact keep me from slipping on that wet metal ramp wheeling a dolly down it. I would have prefered some closed-toe footwear with the same degree of superb traction. Maybe some deck shoes like boaters wear?? This thread was meant to face a serious occupational issue. More drivers are probably hurt and collect workman's comp from slip/fall injuries related to bad footing on their vehicle exterior surfaces than from vehicle collisions. I would think that footwear solutions and vehicle foothold solutions would have been well addressed in 2021. Ideally there should be serrated knife-edge surfaces all over a rig where people customarily step to bite into those boot soles. I know this from having witnessed some military vehicles firsthand and driving some. These stepping surfaces should cut your feet up like diced ham if you were to walk over them barefoot.

Trucking companies rely on the driver to have enough common sense to wear what it takes to be safe in ALL conditions. They can't baby sit drivers that have no common sense.

Amerucan trucking industry commonly requires a three point contact method of getting in and out of trucks. Instead of mastering this method you preferred to punish Penske (a company with good trucks and good customer service) with one star...

Semi's have better footing steps than moving trucks....Some add artificial grass etc to their steps as well to wipe their feet off.

Amerucan trucking industry commonly requires a three point contact method of getting in and out of trucks. Instead of mastering this method you preferred to punish Penske (a company with good trucks and good customer service) with one star...

Most people who rent trucks to move have not been trained as professional commerical drivers. They don't teach us those sorts things in high school driver ed. There were no warning signs about three-point hold posted on that rental truck. There was no safety briefing from the truck rental agency. For all I know, Uhaul trucks and others can be just as slippery during the rain. The three-point hold does no good on the loading ramp anyway. Two hands have to be on the dolly so good foot traction is of the essence. I suppose if truck rental companies start get major lawsuits against them, rental trucks will start to have superior anti-skid surfaces on them for human footing. There is no excuse under Mother Nature's golden sun not to have anti-slip surfaces on rented moving trucks or commercial freight trucks, for that matter. I posted those things on Yelp! and Google Reviews because I don't want innocent folks to get hurt on those stupid things in that fashion. Suffice it to say, I will always have to have good anti-slip footwear handy any time I should rent a truck in the future. There's no telling when and where Mother Nature will throw rain on people who are moving. I notified Penske not once but twice by email about the slippery truck incident and they were too chicken to repsond. I only rented a Penske because of better-than-Uhaul rates online and the fact they had diesels in their fleet which are still cheaper to run than gasoline trucks.