So I could have died last night

[compman25]

Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77

Originally posted by: foghorn67

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
FWIW, truck drivers are the safest drivers on the road.

no way, they wouldn't be doing 85-90 on the freeway if they were safe...and they would all be in the slow lanes.

and they wouldnt be tailgating you in a blizzard on the highway.

Not that I condone tailgating in any situation, but if the car would get out of the trucks way they could follow the truck in a much clearer path. I drive over Snoqualmie Pass 5 nights a week here in WA, it really sucks when you have cars going 5 mph when I can go 40 mph safely over the pass. When you're hauling 100,000lbs you can get good traction and move along, and it makes a nice path the cars can follow in.

 

[mobobuff]

At least he pulled over and was concerned. Also, he may not have been the person who secured the tarp to his trailer.

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: mobobuff
At least he pulled over and was concerned. Also, he may not have been the person who secured the tarp to his trailer.

His tarp, his load, his responsibility. Even if the guys who help me tie down the equipment have helped me a dozen times, I still walk around and check it all.
I take it down the road a few miles and check it again. Things have a way of loosening up after the rig and load settle into each other.

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: skyking

Originally posted by: mobobuff
At least he pulled over and was concerned. Also, he may not have been the person who secured the tarp to his trailer.

His tarp, his load, his responsibility. Even if the guys who help me tie down the equipment have helped me a dozen times, I still walk around and check it all.
I take it down the road a few miles and check it again. Things have a way of loosening up after the rig and load settle into each other.

I completely agree.

 

[irishScott]

When I visited Virginia Tech back in HS, I was driving back home on 81 (think it was 81) when a truck switched into my lane, trailer section almost pushed me off the road. Had to break hard to slip behind and avoid a crash. Thank god there was no on behind me for a good distance.

Speeding trucks FTL.

 

[zeruty]

In this case, the driver did not secure the tarp himself. His wife/co-driver said that she had concerns about the tarps before the left the port where they picked up the load, but the workers at the port told them to "go with it." If she had concerns, they most definitely should have inspected the tarps themselves, ensuring it was adequately secured. I've worked with truck drivers in the past, and I know that the person driving the trailer is 100% responsible for their load. If the weight isn't distributed properly and an axle is overweight, the driver gets the ticket. If there is a problem with the trailer, such as burned out lights, even if the driver had never that particular trailer before, he is responsible for it! And the driver is definitely responsible for ensuring the load is secure!

And yes, the driver pulled over and was concerned, but that doesn't change the fact that a tarp flew off of his trailer and could have caused us to wreck. It could have flown off and caused another driver to wreck. Imagine a 16 year old driver... No experience, no idea what to do. They could easily have slammed on the brakes, and caused a multi-car pileup. Sure the fault would be with the truck driver, and the drivers behind for following too close, but if you die in a rear-end collision, it doesn't really matter who's fault it was, you're dead. And... if I hadn't been riding with my mom, God knows what would have happened...

The worst drivers I've seen around here are metro bus drivers! They cut off cars and pull out in traffic, either they don't look, or they don't care. I see this on a pretty much daily basis. I have seen car drivers have to slam on their brakes in order to avoid running into a merging bus. Also one time, i was turning left at a light... I had a left green arrow, so I slowed appropriately and was driving through the intersection, making the turn... when a metro bus went through a red light and entered the intersection.That bus would have t-boned me at 30mph if I had not floored it. I was watching the bus as I approached the intersection, but the bus was slowing down, so I assumed stopping for the red light... but apparently not

 

[yelo333]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
FWIW, truck drivers are the safest drivers on the road.

QFT. Like anything, there will be the exceptions. If everyone drove like a truck driver, we wouldn't have nearly as many accidents.

 

[judasmachine]

damn man, glad everyone kept their cool and no one was hurt.

 

[Dudewithoutapet]

Originally posted by: Alone

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
FWIW, truck drivers are the safest drivers on the road.

Except when they're passing out on the highway.

QFT, I've driven long distance at night because I actually like it and can stay awake, not so much for the truck drivers though. I've seen them swerving sometimes when they doze off a lil I guess. It can be really scary since they're so big.