Moving livestock from one location to another can be as simple as walking them from a barn into a pasture. But when animals are transported over greater distances, it usually involves hauling them in trucks and trailers, and there is nothing simple about that.
The risks of transporting livestock hit Maine over the last week when a tractor-trailer truck carrying 44 dairy cows from an undisclosed town in Maine crashed in Newton, Connecticut. Eight cows were killed instantly and another six had to be euthanized due to their injuries.
The cause of that crash has not been determined, Connecticut State Police said. Townsend Brothers Trucking company of Marion, Ohio, the company responsible for hauling the cows, declined to comment.
In a second incident, a trailer hauling eight cows from a farm in Canaan to Pennsylvania over the weekend caught fire. A motorist flagged the driver down and the cows were safely transferred to another trailer.
In the wake of these two incidents, livestock experts want people to know there is a lot more to hauling animals than walking them into a trailer and driving off. It’s a multi-step process where any number of things can go wrong if proper care and attention is not paid.
Rachel White, an assistant professor of sustainable agriculture with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, said she was fortunate to have been taught to transport livestock by truck and trailer at a young age by a relative who was an expert in hauling farm animals.
White said it is important to make sure a vehicle has the hauling capacity for the load being towed.
“Your little Subaru will not haul a 3,000-pound trailer with a cow in it,” White said. “You would think that would be common sense, but people tend to push it.”
Every vehicle —- from the smallest of cars to the largest of pickup trucks — has an established towing capacity found in the owner’s manual, under the driver’s side visor or on a sticker on the door frame. When in doubt, contact the dealer.
Brakes should be in good working order and, if the truck is equipped with electric brakes, they need to be adjusted to the specifications of the trailer.
Tires on both vehicles and trailers should be inspected for cracks and proper air pressure. And always have a spare tire, tire iron and jack.
Don’t try to push the weight capacity of the trailer beyond its limit. That capacity will be on stickers on the trailer.
Inspect the trailer’s wooden floor, if it has one, and make sure there are no holes and the wood is solid. Also look for areas of rust on the metal frame. Check for hazards inside the trailer that could injure an animal like exposed nails or other dangerous objects.
The more visible a trailer is on the road, the better, so make sure all safety and running lights are in good working order.
“One of the biggest things I learned is that even if you have been doing this for 50 years, every single time you hook up [a truck and trailer] do a walk around,” White said. “Sometimes you may notice you have forgotten something like hooking up a safety chain.”
When it comes time to attach the trailer to the truck or hauling vehicle, make sure the hitching components are a perfect match so the trailer does not accidentally pop off.
Also pay attention to weight distribution as you load animals into a trailer, White said. A majority of the weight should be over the axles. She recommended putting the older and heavier animals closer to the front and the lighter weight younger ones toward the back.
“If you are going 75 miles per hour with unequal weight in the trailer, you are asking for trouble,” White said. “The whole trailer will start to wobble like crazy and can even flip.”
Trailers also need to be level.Having a trailer slanted upward toward the front puts too much stress on a single axle, she said.
It’s tempting to think that livestock would like to have their heads poking out a trailer window or opening to catch a breeze, but White said that puts the animal at risk of injury. Something as small as a pebble could be kicked up by a passing car and strike an animal, causing injury. Also don’t pack animals tightly into a trailer.
It’s a good idea to check the weather and traffic along your route and at your destination to avoid driving during times when temperatures could create unsafe conditions for the animals, White said. It may mean leaving during the early morning or evening hours.
Once you get behind the wheel and start driving, pay constant attention to the road, your driving style and the drivers around you. Choosing routes that are open and as traffic-free as possible will minimize braking and jolting the animals, she said.
Remember that trucks hauling a trailer can’t brake on a dime and the average driver on the road with you may not know that.
“Make sure you are not tailgating, not speeding and take corners super slow,” White said. “Hauling animals is not the time to get road rage so don’t get upset if you have 20 cars behind you because you are going slow — they should have just left earlier.”
Sometimes it’s best to leave the hauling to the professionals and White recommends doing your homework before entering into a contract with a third party. Check out the company or person to make sure they have a good reputation. Social media can be useful in that process. And often you can look up their safety statistics and licensing information online.
“If you decide to haul animals, just know your limits and don’t be afraid to ask someone with more experience for help,” White said. “For the safety of you, other drivers and the animals, pay attention.”
