Trucking professionals: Is your emergency kit ready?

With recent hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific,we wanted to take this opportunity to remind our fellow trucking professionals that emergency preparation matters.

Even if you aren’t tasked with driving up or down the coasts, winter is quickly approaching and that means unpredictable conditions across most of the United States.

While there’s no way to know the future or guarantee you won’t run into trouble, making sure you have an emergency kit on you at all times is one of the easiest ways to provide yourself with peace of mind.

First, consider items that will help you in the event of your truck breaking down or sliding off the road. Make sure you have:

• Tire chains – More than just a good idea, in snowy parts of the country these are often required by law.
• A snow shovel – In case you need to dig yourself out of a bank.
• Ice scraper
• Battery-powered tire pump
• Flares
• Cones and a neon-colored vest

Next, take into account your personal comfort. If you break down for any reason, you’ll want to have a variety of items on hand including:

• Bottled water
• Canned or dehydrated foods
• Plenty of extra batteries
• Warm clothing and blankets
• A satellite phone
• A compass
• First aid kit

Having an emergency kit that’s easily accessible is sure to come in handy. At the end of the day, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.