Apparatus for Deploying and Retrieving Traffic Barricades

A traffic barrel deploying and retrieving apparatus comprises a roller deck mounted on the tailgate of a flatbed utility truck. An aft-facing cage and a forward-facing cage are appended to the ends of the roller deck. The cages have proximal and distal walls each spaced apart by a gap into which a traffic barrel is received. The aft-facing cage stabilizes a barrel dropped into it as the barrel is left behind by the moving truck. The forward-facing cage includes swing arms and a pivotable and elevatable paddle whereby an operator uses a first swing arm to tip the barrel forward so that the paddle delves beneath it so that a second swing arm sweeps the barrel onto the paddle. The apparatus then elevates the paddle to the level of the roller deck so the retrieves barrel may be brought aboard the truck bed.