Truck and Trailer Course a Real Nail-Biter

It makes what could be a nail-biter driving course even more challenging. The scene for the truck and trailer safety operation competition wasn’t some wide-open expanse but the top floor of Michigan State’s University Kellogg Center four-story parking deck.

Contestants, using a Ford F-350 diesel truck outfitted with a trailer carrying a zero-turn mower, would encounter challenges that would make any driver’s knuckles turn white: A “diminishing clearance” portion, where the truck and trailer would be slowly squeezed into a smaller area; “offset alley,” where drivers would zig and zag through the course; and the “serpentine,” a series of five snake-like waves that would keep anyone on their toes.

The contest is just one of several in which attendees of PLANET’s 31st Annual Student Career Days can participate. Others include skid steer operation, wood construction, pavers and irrigation troubleshooting.

For the truck and trailer competition, teams of two would include a flagger and a driver. The flagger also would load the truck with the zero-turn mower.

Joe Pope, regional manager for Ariens, the sponsor of the event, and Mark Naperala, director of marketing for Ariens/Gravely, gave participants a “crash course” Thursday in truck and trailer safety ahead of Saturday’s competition. They also walked contestants through the course.

Naperala impressed upon the participants the importance of safety on the road. “At 55 mph, you must keep a four-second stopping distance,” he says. The course features only right-hand turns since those are the most challenging the truck and trailer drivers.

“It’s one thing to pop a curb,” Pope says. “It’s another when you have 7,000-8,000 pounds of equipment on a trailer behind you.”

The loading portion of the contest is un-timed because Pope and Naperala didn’t want contestants rushing to strap down the load. The contest is based on time through the course and points are deducted for struck cones. Once on the course, only non-verbal communication through flagging is allowed.