I guess it was my turn today to forget to tie the ladders down. Just finished a bat job putting gear away and had three calls, in a rush to start another bat job, and forgot to tie my 32ft down. I made it about five miles then at a stop to get on a busy main road ladder goes flying into the intersection. Nice dent on my roof and hood along with a bunch of missing paint. I am lucky I did not kill someone. Be careful out there I am sure many of us are at the burn out point.

One of the best habits to get into is to attach the ladder immediately upon putting it up. Don't take a call, don't talk to the customer, don't put your tools away -- do it now!

I remember one time I tied down the one section of the 32 and not the other. I was going down the free way almost fully extended! Talk about a brain fart.

Did the same mike, talking on the phone with another customer
When packing up my stuff, left the side down on my tool
Box and didn't tie down my ladder! Nothin came off
The tool box tray but the ladder flew off on to the high way
Rite in front of a pick up truck and skidded onto the shoulder!
Brain dead sometimes when your rushing!

that's my habit

Hey - how did the word "for" get into your quote of my post? Wierd.

So maybe subconsciously, this is the reason we drive vans. I can't speak for the rest of our crew but I know in my own case, there have been a couple of times that I failed to lock the ladder down. ( All that rattling was a dead give-away ) All I had to do has pull over and lock it. But if I had driven all the way home like that, the chance of the ladder ever coming off was nearly none!

I did that one time myself!

Hey that's no joke last mothers day I forgot to tie one down and even got the road blocked in time as well as this other car block as well . Just about grabbed the ladder and here comes a car just flying around us both and hit the ladder . Never stopped ether just kept going . I think they were drunk , scared the crap out of me and haven't been right sense . I us the method , you put a ladder on you tie off . Customer came around asking Q and I forgot ladder rule number 1 . I was very lucky I didn't hurt someone and thankful . Been double checking rule number 1 sense . No is perfect but if do kill someone with your ladder it's man saulter been guys sent to prison around here forit

I have always used the Adrian Steel, Grip-Lock Ladder Racks. My last step after using it is to “bungee cord” the ladder to the front corner of the rack. If I can see the bungee cord hanging down, in the rear view mirror, I know that I forgot something!!! Many more styles are available.