Trooper Gary Cutler, Peak to Peak. Summer is getting closer. You can tell by the occasional warm day that reminds you the lawn mower may need to be tuned up. So, this means yard work is not too far in the future.

If you are like me, my truck is used to carry everything. Some items fit well, and others need to be carefully placed in the back to fit. When you are loading a truck or trailer, make sure you are loading it correctly. Now, let me first define the term “load.” The load is anything that did not come in the back of the vehicle when you bought it, so this means anything and everything that is natural or man-made is in fact the load. Now, let’s move on.

I think we have all been behind a truck with grass clippings or leaves that are blowing all over the road as well as your car. So, when hauling grass, leaves or anything that is small and light that might float away, make sure you have a tarp to cover the load. You are not allowed to have items flying out of the back of your truck or trailer. That goes back to the fact that it doesn’t matter if it’s from nature or man-made, there are other ways to make sure it gets unloaded from your vehicle.

Another item I see being hauled around the area is tree limbs. Remember, when hauling unruly items that want to stick out of the bed of you truck or trailer, it is against the law to have them stick out further than either the fender of the driver side or 6 inches from the passenger side fender.

Here’s another one I see a lot of on the roadways of Colorado. Just because you got it to fit into the back of your truck, doesn’t mean you are free and clear to go down the road with it. If it is so heavy that your suspension is no longer suspended on the rear axle and the front tires are struggling to keep in touch with the road, it’s time to consider making two trips. Once again, that is illegal, not to mention very dangerous.

The final item is making sure you strap down anything you can. It shouldn’t matter if the load is light or heavy; a strap can make sure you don’t cause a crash or the very least damage the item you’re hauling.

Just a couple of quick tips this month on how to load and not to load your vehicle this summer when making your yards look great. So, to summarize, make sure your load doesn’t exit the vehicle early, spread out too far, and that it watches its weight.

Remember, think safety first when traveling across this great state.

As always, safe travels!

(Originally published in the April 18, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)