X

Search for Knowledge!

Sort by Category

Categories

Sort by Date

«July 2025»
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
293012345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789

Latest Knowledge

Latest Knowledge

  • All
  • Mishap Reporting & Investigation
  • On-Duty
  • Aviation
  • Military Ops & Training
  • Government Vehicle
  • Workplace
  • DA Civilian
  • Explosives & Weapons
  • Off-Duty
  • Automobiles
  • Motorcycles
  • Recreational & Specialty Vehicle
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Privately Owned Weapons
  • Home & Family
    More
    When Cutting Corners Becomes the Norm 0 Workplace
    USACRC Editor

    When Cutting Corners Becomes the Norm

    The true danger of normalizing deviance lies in its subtlety. Initially, deviations might seem minor and inconsequential. Examples include skipping a procedural step due to a time crunch, deferring a minor maintenance procedure because...
    Staying in the Fight 0 Military Ops & Training
    USACRC Editor

    Staying in the Fight

    Combatives training is an important part of being a prepared Soldier. It provides the skills to help you protect yourself, as well as your battle buddies, in combat. Unfortunately, this training can sometimes take Soldiers out of the fight if...
    DITY Dumb or DITY Do? 0 Automobiles
    USACRC Editor

    DITY Dumb or DITY Do?

    Just like long checkout lines at the commissary on payday, the permanent change of station (PCS) move is a certainty for service members and their families. While many would prefer to let professionals handle the heavy lifting on Uncle...
    Light Up the Night Safely 0 Home & Family
    USACRC Editor

    Light Up the Night Safely

    Unfortunately, a lot of folks don’t take the major hazards related to fireworks seriously. Some people enjoy igniting firecrackers or cherry bombs and holding them in their hand as long as possible before throwing them — sometimes at...

    No content

    A problem occurred while loading content.

    Previous Next

    From Truck to Trash

    From Truck to Trash

    JOSEPH ZUMWALT
    Defense Contract Management Agency
    San Ramon, California

    I was a young buck sergeant at Fort Irwin, California, in 2004 when I purchased my first four-wheel-drive vehicle, a 1986 Chevy Blazer. The Blazer had a 10-inch lift kit and I was running 39-inch mud tires. I thought it was the greatest truck in the world and felt invincible behind the wheel. After all, I now owned a monster truck that could go anywhere.

    Three weeks after I bought the Blazer, I decided to take it rock crawling in the hills just outside the installation. I didn’t do any planning or coordination — I just hopped into my truck and headed out. I turned onto the first dirt road I found because it looked like a good place to start. At first, it was easy — just small rocks and flat terrain. As I got farther down the road, the rocks got bigger and I encountered some challenging hills.

    I was having a great time when I came upon a washed-out creek bed full of large boulders and loose rocks. While the climb was steep and scary, I decided nothing was going to stop me. I hit the gas and made it about two-thirds of the way up before I had to slow down for a big rock. My experience was limited to what I had seen on TV. That told me I’d need to give the engine plenty of gas to get over the rock, so I floored the pedal.

    Upon contact, my truck’s front end jumped up and cleared the rock. Unfortunately, when it came down, my truck’s driveline slammed onto the rock and, in a split second, my transmission and transfer case exploded into pieces! I shut down the truck immediately as a thousand “what-do-I-do-now?” thoughts went through my head. I was alone in the mountains, unsure how I was going to get out of the mess I was in, but, ultimately, I did.

    It’s now six years later and I often think of my accident when I see young Soldiers driving lifted Jeeps and trucks. I wonder if anybody has taught them the do’s and don’ts of off-roading. I wonder if their trucks are up to the challenge and pray they won’t get stuck like I did. I did many things wrong that day and had to learn the hard way. So you can save yourself the grief I went through, here’s a list of things to consider before you go off-roading.

    Don’t

    • Go off-roading alone. Always go with a group, preferably accompanied by as many trucks as possible. If you get stuck, you’ll have someone to help you.
    • Assume your truck is indestructible. What you don’t see on TV are the pit crews standing by in case anything breaks.
    • Head into the hills without a map or planning where you are going. Exploring is fun, but doing it blindly is stupid.
    • Make vehicle modifications unless you are qualified and know you can do them safely.

    Do

    • As a minimum, carry water, food and a first aid kit along with a sleeping bag and emergency flares.
    • Carry tools and spare parts for things that commonly break.
    • Carry a GPS navigation aid along with maps and a reliable way to communicate. In the hills, cellphones often don’t work, so a CB radio can be a great backup.
    • Join a local off-roading club and learn from other member’s experiences. Chances are they have done everything you want to do and can help you learn safely.
    • Tell somebody where you are going. Show them on a map and let them know when you expect to be back.
    • Ensure you have safety equipment such as a fire extinguisher, roll cage and functional seat belts.
    • Assume something could go wrong and have a plan in place to work through it.

    In my case, everything worked out well in the end. I was lucky and made it out with a bruised ego and an expensive repair bill. However, it could have been much worse. I could have rolled down that hill, gotten lost in the back country or succumbed to a heat-related injury or other hazard I hadn’t considered. Worst of all, I went out alone without letting anyone know where I was going. Had something bad happened, it might have been days — if ever — before anybody found me.

    Off-roading should be fun, not fatal. If you apply the do’s and don’ts I listed, you’ll be laying a good foundation for safely enjoying your sport.

    • 1 April 2015
    • Author: Army Safety
    • Number of views: 10550
    • Comments: 0
    Print