General Information
When trailer connections cannot be reached conveniently from the ground, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations require secure back-of-cab access supports.
Grab handles are mounted where they can provide hand support, to maintain three points of hand-and-foot contact with the vehicle. See Fig.. Steps are mounted on the fuel tank, battery box, or frame, depending on the available space. When a deck plate is necessary, it is mounted across the top of the frame rails.
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Steps
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Grab Handle
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Deck Plates
Fig. 1, Back-of-Cab Access (typical)
Warning: Wet or dirty shoe soles greatly increase the chance of slipping or falling. If your soles are wet or dirty, be especially careful when climbing onto, or down from, the back-of-cab area.
Always maintain three-point contact with the back-of-cab access supports while entering and exiting the back-of-cab area. Three-point contact means both feet and one hand, or both hands and one foot, on the grab handles, steps, and deck plates. Other areas are not meant to support back-of-cab access, and grabbing or stepping in the wrong place could lead to a fall, and personal injury.
Be careful not to get hands or feet tangled in hoses or other back-of-cab equipment. Carelessness could cause a person to trip and fall, with possible injury.