Get your livestock truck insurance updated! Once again, it’s livestock hauling season all throughout the year in Australia. With drought lifted and pasture lands turn an invigorating green, hauling off cattle, lamb, sheep, horses, goats, llamas, and other livestock has become even more energised this time around. After a slump due to drought in the last two to three years, this is quite an exciting year for various regions in the country as livestock farms become more alive in supplying choice cuts in meat as well in by-products like cheese and milk.
Risk-Averse Livestock Fleet Management
However, hauling livestock like cows to green pasture lands can be challenging. Loading, for instance, is nothing short of frustrating. You would not want to stress or scare these precious animals as it can mean trouble for you and your farmhands. One wrong move and they can bolt out from the truck’s chamber. It would have been easier if such incident happen while in the farm as they can be managed in a controlled environment. When on the road, the risks can be guttural leaving you scampering for damage protection from livestock truck insurance coverage.
Though tractable, livestock animals have minds of their own and the scary part is that they weigh twice or thrice your body weight and can move swiftly without recourse. Horses or cattle, for instance, can horrendously jeopardise transporting activities for grazing when they feel agitated. To properly control and manage livestock hauling, hiring and continued training of reliable farmhands and truck drivers must be implemented.
Root Cause Analysis
According to livestock truck insurance claims review experts, many people like farm workers, drivers of livestock trucks, and the general public can get hurt when these gentle beasts’ temper is unleashed. More than broken bones, incidence of fatality has also been reported. However, these risks can be heightened due to the following:
- inexperienced or lack of competency in assessing risks
- fatigue
- stressed/irritated livestock
- unsafe loading and unloading practices
- defective livestock truck mechanisms
Addressing these problems and other underlying issues will help find out the root cause of livestock’s temperament and other risks which may have triggered such. So, when loading livestock into a truck or trailer, the following crucial aspects must be kept in mind.
- Proper Livestock Handling. When sending off livestock from one grazing area to another, adequate safety and control systems must be in place to guarantee not just safety of the livestock truck and its load but also to the workers handling the transfer activity and other motorists plying the same road as you. Cattles, horses, goat, and other breeds have minds of their own that no matter how domesticated, they can still become agitated and stressed leading to problems in security. Keep in mind that even skilled livestock handlers have their experience.
- Preventive Maintenance. Even when a livestock truck may sit idle in your garage or vehicle shed due to inclement weather, it is critical to double check the vehicle accordingly. Do a 360-degree checks —from tires to brakes, chamber flooring or ceiling and all other parts of the livestock truck. Latches and safety chains must be carefully secured and fastened according to standards. Keep in mind that a squeaky clean truck livestock trucks requires preventive maintenance efforts.
- Load Limits. Of course, it is of utmost importance that your livestock truck or trailer must be capable in transporting such astounding weight and have done so within its stipulated load limits. Be reminded that aside from the truck’s weight and that of the animals being loaded, other supplies like extra feed, tack boxes, and so on must be considered.
Livestock hauling carries a lot of risks requiring airtight safety measures and insurance to protect your business and that of your freight. Amid all risk mitigations, driver engagement and commitment to safety and responsiveness holds the key to incident-free hauling during grazing season. So, focus on workforce training and create safe work practices avoid undue livestock truck insurance claims or any frustrations later on.