Second Life:
Orange Vests Repurposed for
CDL Skills Test Examiners

ITD recently retired its classic orange safety vests in favor of high-visibility yellow ones so workers would not blend in with orange cones and barrels on the side of the road. That left hundreds of the old orange ones, still perfectly good and safe, sidelined.

Other partners are exposed to risks while in the field working on ITD’s behalf. So a team from the department started thinking about uses for the old vests that would extend our mission of safety.

Orange safety vests retired after ITD's "shift to yellow" were collected by the districts and at most of the Safety Stand Down sites at Headquarters and sent to Business and Support Management in Boise. DMV will send or deliver the retired vests to contracted ITD Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDL) Skills Test Examiners throughout the state.

“The DMV's contracted CDL Skills Test Examiners face significant danger in conducting business on behalf of the state,” explained Jasmine Platt of the CDL Program. “These certified contractors must operate in front of, beside, and even behind commercial vehicles controlled by novice drivers. Visibility is critical and may save a CDL Skills Test Examiner's life.

“In fact, improved visibility could have prevented the past death of a CDL Examiner in Colorado. Even with proven risks, we have never provided these contractors with any safety equipment besides a whistle to signal an approaching commercial motor vehicle (CMV).”

“The donation and repurpose of retired orange vests saves the DMV about $4,400, expresses the CDL Program's appreciation for their contractors, and ensures ITD’s prioritization and message of safety is demonstrated in the state-sanctioned examination of all new commercial drivers,” Platt explained.

ITD may also use the surplus orange vests to outfit members of the various Adopt-A-Highway litter pick up groups who work on ITD’s behalf alongside the state’s roads and highways.

Published 10-12-18