I believe the rule is the same as hitting a deer; if you can't avoid it, DON'T try to swerve. Brake and try to stay straight - at least you'll not get hit while leaning and go down.
A ladder...now that's scary! Dayum!

 

I hit one on my Kawasaki Concours, a fairly large heavy sport touring bike.
Luckily for me it was relatively flat on the road barely felt anything....BUT

I hit one laying on its side with the thread side towards me in a Crown Vic once at 75mph and it felt like I drove over a curb, messed up the underneath of the front bumper a little.....

I think it matters which way the tread is facing as, one way you fight the shape of the tire, and the other way it folds over easier..if u get what i mean here....

 

This is why it's a good idea to practice your skills. Swerving to avoid an obstacle is an appropriate avoidance maneuver. Space cushioning is the technique used to assure you're not swerving in to the path of adjacent traffic. The swerve pushes some riders beyond their comfort zone; practicing familiarizes you with the "feel." A lot of things have to go wrong for an "unavoidable" situation to arise. When it does, by all means hit it straight on... what other alternative would there be?

 

I read once that debris in the road was one of the biggest causes of traffic deaths including cars.

 

I try to get around semi-trucks and the like AQAP. I just know that I don't want to be anywhere near a truck when one of those gators comes flying loose. The only time I've been near a semi when they blew a retread was when I was across the freeway going in the opposite direction and the damn concussion/noise scared the ever living crap outta me.

 

Had a recap come loose from a truck in front of me while in my 4X4 pickup and dang man, i thought it ripped everything out...I NEVER follow a tractor trailer rig..Speaking of objects in the road..the other night i was on my way home from work after midnight, i just passed a car on the interstate, pulled from the inside lane to the right lane in front of the car i passed, running about 75mph..1/4 mile later i passed a huge black dog that was in the inside passing lane laying there dead..I would not have seen it in time to miss it,,close call.

 

stay back and watch for anything and everyone.

 

As I'm following this behemoth down a slight grade at about 50mph. It was bad enough the damn thing had water injected brake linings but... suddenly there is this, what can only be described as a gunshot, one of his trailer tires blows off. A piece of rubber about 3 feet long flies past me missing me by about 10 feet. I never followed any big rig after that. Glad I learned that lesson easily.

 

I was traveling on I 55 in Illinois a few years ago, when suddenly in front of me was a ROAD GATER, I tried to miss it, but knew I couldn't miss it with the trailer I was pulling. So I hit it full force(afraid if I hit it with only one trailer wheel it would flip the trailer) , jarred me like nothing I've ever felt on a bike. I was very fortunate that I didn't wipe out. Got off the bike and shook for several minutes, got back on the bike and finished my trip. Nothing I want to happen again. I hate to follow big rigs and will pass them if possible.

 

I nailed a ladder one time in my truck. Ladder explodes into a million pieces and that Ford just kept right on going.

Only crappy part was I had just bought it (my first brand new vehicle) 10 days prior. Can't have anything nice!