County

Trooper Tips: What are you carrying in your truck?

RBC I 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.  So 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 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,  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 maybe 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!

By TROOPER GARY CUTLER | Colorado State Patrol

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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