Traffic Pro Beds – designing for worker safety
Trucks equipped with secured buckets and conveyor belt system
In late April, ATSSA staff visited Traffic Pro Beds in Frederick, Maryland to tour the company's facility and gain more insight on their business opperations as well as get a closer look at their work zone vehicles. They were awarded second place in ATSSA's 2019 Innovation Awards during the Association's 49th Annual Convention and Traffic Expo.
The Traffick Pro Bed was created by father and son duo Skip and Kyle Tovornik, who are the president and vice president of the company, respectively. The design of the Traffic Pro Bed adds an additional layer of security by keeping workers off the roadways during work zone set up.
"We started this venture 20 years ago with the idea of giving our workers the safest peice of equipment to set up a work zone," Kyle said. "Safety is the number one priority out there and we know how dangerous the roads can be. From distracted driving to drunk driving, you never know what can happen. Our truck bed just adds a little peace of mind for our road crews."
Skip said he first had the idea to develop a product to address the safety issues that come during the initial phase of construction. Around seven years into his 27-year career in the traffic services industry, he came up with the design for the Traffic Pro Bed.
Watching our employees use the Traffic Pro Bed put our minds at ease," Skip said. "I would follow the crews around and watch them at our different job sites. Depending on where they were, it can get really scary, especially on major highways. The number of near misses is phenomenal."
According to Kyle, one of the featurures that make the truck bed product so safe is its left-side bucket that roadway workers can stand in while placing devices on a roadway. The placement of the bucket allows for better communication with the driver and has a restraint system, as many states do not allow passengers to ride on the back of a truck without a seat belt.
The truck bed also has a sign and stand box for equipment as well as its latest feature, the Cone Drive, which is a conveyor belt that pushes cones up to the worker, allowing them to place cones safely and efficiently.