SGT. 1ST CLASS CHRISTY HARTLEY
Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 424th Medical Battalion
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania

When off duty, it’s easy to take the need for safety training for granted. Such was the case when I made a cross-country move after transitioning from regular active duty to the Active Guard Reserve (AGR) with the U.S. Army Reserve. By the conclusion of this trip, the potential consequences of my actions — and the critical need for prior training — became crystal clear.

The story begins as I walked out of a U-Haul office with a one-way rental contract for a 6-foot-by-12-foot cargo trailer. I was moving from small-town Ohio to San Antonio, Texas, for my first AGR duty assignment. I backed up my red Ford F-150 — equipped with 35-inch tires and a 6-inch BDS suspension — so the U-Haul employee could hook up the trailer. The employee quickly and skillfully lowered the trailer onto my drop-ball hitch, connected the brake lights and three safety chains, and sent me on my way. I had pulled several trailers in the past but never actually learned to hook one up myself. I always assumed someone would be available to do it for me, and as luck would have it, they were happy to help again this time.

I headed home to pack and load the U-Haul. With only about two days to pack and five more to travel and unload in San Antonio, I was on a tight schedule. Once everything was loaded, I gave out hugs and asked my dad for a last-minute check of the trailer and safety chains. With years of experience pulling trailers for his construction and excavating business, he gave it a look and declared it good to go. Because the trip was so long, my mom would ride with me. We planned to stop in Missouri to visit family before making our way down to Texas.

We safely completed the 1,600-mile trip and pulled into Fort Sam Houston. The next morning, I decided to unhook the trailer and leave it in the hotel parking lot so I wouldn't have to haul it around post while in-processing. Having watched others do it several times, I figured it couldn't be that hard, despite my lack of actual training. However, I ran into some trouble trying to detach the hitch. Defeated, I simply reconnected the safety chains and headed off to work, unaware of the hazard I had just created.

After lugging the trailer around post all day, I finished work and went to pick up my mom so we could finally unload. Rush hour was winding down as we drove south on I-35 past Brooke Army Medical Center. The eight-lane highway was busy, but traffic was flowing at the 65-mph speed limit. I was traveling in the far-right lane when I suddenly felt the trailer jerking violently from side to side. I watched in horror as it broke completely free.

Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion. In my rear-view mirror, the surrounding cars and trucks looked like miniature toys swerving frantically left and right to avoid the runaway trailer. It shot off to the left of my truck, skidding on its tongue and sending a shower of sparks across four lanes of traffic. The trailer slammed into the concrete median, ricocheted back across all four lanes, and eventually slid to a stop on the right-hand shoulder. I managed to pull over my truck right behind it at the bottom of an on ramp.

As traffic screeched by with horns blasting, my heart pounded as though it might burst out of my chest. Miraculously, no one was injured, no other vehicles were hit and the trailer itself was entirely undamaged! The Texas Highway Patrol arrived shortly after, properly hooked up the trailer to my truck and escorted me back to the installation.

My decision to attempt to unhook and reconnect that trailer without proper training was an unacceptable risk that could have proven fatal. Training and competence are absolutely key to ensuring safety for everyone on the road. I risked my life and the lives of countless others through my complacency — a hard-learned lesson I will never forget.

FYI

With the peak of summer PCS season fast approaching, Soldiers across the Army are making moves to new assignments. For those planning to transport their household goods themselves, make sure you are prepared before hitting the road. The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center website has a towing safety guide produced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at https://safety.army.mil/Portals/0/Documents/OFF-DUTY/PMV-4/DRIVINGSAFETYBRIEFTOOLS/Standard/Towing_a_Trailer.pdf. The U-Haul website also contains a lot of helpful information, including tips and instructional videos from how to hook up a trailer to your vehicle to staying safe on the road. Check it out at https://www.uhaul.com/Towing/.

Did You Know?

Military OneSource’s website is a one-stop shop for PCS moves and can connect Soldiers with relocation tools, 24/7 expert support and other important information. Check it out at https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-pcs/plan-to-move/pcs-and-military-moves/.