Cone Truck Safety: 7 Essential Features
Cone trucks are a perfect combination of efficiency and safety. As practical and functional vehicles, cone trucks enable roadside workers to deploy cones and barrels in a quick, secure manner.
However, not all trucks are made equal. In fact, there are several crucial safety features to consider when looking for cone trucks for sale. In this article, we discuss the most important equipment your cone deployment truck should have to maximize the safety of your highway work zone.
What safety features should a cone truck have?
A cone truck should be suitable for use in highway work zones under a variety of weather conditions. To ensure worker safety, your vehicle should be equipped with the following features:
1. Heavy-duty flatbed
Cone trucks should feature a powder-coated, heavy-duty flatbed, large enough to hold the right number of cones, barrels, and any other traffic closure devices necessary. An appropriate flatbed can reduce deployment time as well as reduce worker exposure on the highway. Additionally, a cone truck flatbed should also have easily visible accents in the critical areas to enhance visibility.
2. Convenient access doors
Ease of access is an essential component of using a traffic cone truck. This is why the vehicle should be equipped with convenient, double-swing access doors. Having a sturdy yet easy to use gate can help expedite loading and unloading, as well as reduce potential for injury.
3. Custom man buckets
A custom-made man bucket is a crucial feature of any cone truck. Typically attached to the side of the truck, a man bucket allows the workers to efficiently and safely deploy traffic closure devices without having to work next to a busy road. To maximize safety, the man bucket should be equipped with appropriate lighting and a locking and sliding bar. Finally, man buckets should also have integrated storage options and no-slip coating.
4. Appropriate work lights
Ensuring worksite safety on highways requires adequate lighting on all critical cone truck areas. Shatterproof work lights are one of the best options for increasing visibility of the truck in poor weather conditions. Well-placed lights also help the workers see more clearly when deploying cones and barrels.
5. User-friendly control panel
High-quality cone trucks have easy to use control panels located inside the cab. This allows for easy accessibility, safe cone deployment, and operation of the vehicle.
6. Arrow board
Driver inattention or distraction is one of the most common causes of highway accidents. To combat this, vehicles used in roadside worksites are often equipped with solar-powered arrow boards that inform oncoming motorists of maintenance and construction zones. Arrow boards can be set up to provide advanced directional and warning information of various kinds, such as:
- Guiding traffic through congested areas or work zones
- Providing warning about lane closures and construction work
- Flashing caution to indicate potential danger on the road
7. Reflective tape
Cone trucks should also have high-visibility reflective tape placed at all critical areas of the vehicle. This can help make the truck more visible to other vehicles on the highway.
Looking for cone trucks for sale? Contact Curry Supply today
Choosing a cone truck to add to your fleet isn’t a decision to be made lightly. Luckily, you won’t have to search too long to find high-quality trucks, as Curry Supply is at your service no matter where you are located in the U.S. and the rest of the world. We carry an extensive inventory of cone trucks, TMA trucks, and many other high-quality service trucks characterized by durability and efficiency.
Contact Curry Supply today and take your pick of our ready-made and custom vehicles. We offer convenient nationwide and worldwide shipping to all of our loyal customers. Get in touch now.