Access method design for entry and egress of medium and heavy duty truck cabs and bodies is a critical aspect of vehicle design. Occupational injuries due to entering or exiting the truck cab, or climbing onto and off of the truck body, can be a significant percentage of a fleet's lost-time incident rate. Many vocational trucks operate in both off-road and on-road conditions, and the slip resistance of the stepping surface is an important design aspect.
Examples of vocational vehicles that involve off-road operation include dump, refuse, utility, tree-trimming, and concrete trucks. Stepping surfaces in these applications must provide a balance between traction and the ability to shed water, snow, and mud. While there are a few methods and devices for measuring walking surface slip resistance, they are either complicated, or not well suited to measuring aggressive surfaces. This SAE paper will explore the pros and cons of currently accepted walking surface test methods and suggest a new testing method more conducive to the types of aggressive surfaces commonly used on vocational truck steps.
