When Brewery Legitimus co-owner Chris Sayer talks about vehicle safety, he brings more than theory. He brings the photo of a crushed delivery van — the aftermath of a 45 mph side-impact crash that could have killed his driver if not for a properly installed cargo barrier and strapped-down load.
For Sayer’s New Hartford, Connecticut, brewery, the incident forced a detailed review of how beer is secured, how vehicles are maintained and how delivery routes are planned.
“Everything inside that vehicle is in motion,” he said at a panel on safety at the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference in Indianapolis.
Even a small shift in load weight, he noted, can turn a routine turn or stop into a dangerous moment.
After the crash, Brewery Legitimus increased its use of wide straps that run through keg handles, added bottom straps to prevent sliding and began spacing out cargo with improvised box spacers to reduce lateral movement.
The lessons extended all the way down to the basics, such as staying within vehicle weight limits, investing in quality tires and keeping up with maintenance before problems compound.
Sayer pointed out that overloading not only risks structural failure during a crash, it increases wear on brakes and suspension systems long before anything dramatic happens on the road. Weather, particularly ice, has also become a growing factor in New England, as warmer winters produce more freeze-thaw cycles and slick roads.
“Distracted driving is another major change,” he said, noting the rise in erratic behavior from other drivers.
His brewery now schedules deliveries to avoid dangerous weather windows and prevents drivers from operating a nearly empty, lighter-feeling van late in the day when road conditions worsen.
Matt Stinchfield, of North Chair Brewing and a longtime safety advocate, says breweries often underestimate how many tasks involve driving. Deliveries are only one piece.
“Employees drive for a lot of reasons besides just commuting,” he said, citing sales visits, line-cleaning appointments, event travel, runs to supply stores and, in states with self-distribution allowances, legal transport of product.
According to internal Brewers Association data he referenced, more than 80% of craft breweries do some form of product driving.
Stinchfield urged brewers to treat vehicular hazards using the same “hazard assessment principles” used elsewhere in brewery operations.
The process — identifying hazards, analyzing possible outcomes and selecting prevention and protection methods — applies as much to icy roads and worn tires as it does to CIP chemicals or cellar work. He emphasized that conditions can change from route-to-route and rural breweries may contend with narrow, shoulderless roads, while those expanding into new markets face unfamiliar traffic patterns and aggressive urban driving environments. Weather remained a central concern in his guidance as well. Ice, he noted, is consistently underestimated, especially by drivers navigating overloaded, underloaded or otherwise shifting cargo. Even breweries with modest self-distribution footprints face the same risks as commercial delivery fleets: reduced traction, unpredictable braking and the amplified momentum of liquid-filled containers.
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Both pointed to prevention as the most reliable strategy.
Routine walk-around inspections, background checks for drivers, defensive-driving training, realistic route timing and strict maintenance schedules reduce the likelihood of incidents. Physical protections — seat belts, airbags, cargo barriers, proper strapping and dash cameras — help minimize injuries and liability when crashes do occur. Sayer credited the cargo barrier in his van with saving his driver’s life. Stinchfield highlighted dash cameras as a growing tool for clarifying accident responsibility.
The accident Sayer shared serves as a reminder that vehicle safety isn’t an administrative formality, but an operational necessity. It’s a reminder that no brewery is exempt and every task that requires a key in the ignition carries risk. And those risks deserve the same disciplined evaluation a brewer would apply inside a cellar.
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