Here's a newbie mistake...

You can almost guarantee that Swift has a lawyer group down there taking pictures and video of the scene. How far from the restricted bridge is the FIRST warning sign, and from this first sign, is there a place designated for a truck to turn around safely and legally, and why did DOT (in both states) not offer a "truck detour route...marked)?

This, and any other tickets issued at this location, will get a big challenge in court. The DOT and the LEO's are using this as nothing more than a $$$ generator for a depressed economy to the municipalities in the region.

 

Okay, I'm going to play semantics with you here:

I'm now going to play devil's advocate here. You see where it says "should" in that sentence I've bolded and underlined? "Should" means they advise, nowhere does it say "must", which indicates mandatory. While this driver should have used the common sense God gave him (where he paused at one point), did this driver have a way to turn around? Was there any alternate route signage at this point or anywhere previous to this point where the truck could have turned around? And the most important question of all is "did the company have knowledge of this update about the bridge and still route him this way" since it was implemented in Nov '10?

It is the DOT's responsibility to put proper signage and re-routing the trucks, considering it is a truck route. I know all this state can see is $$ big bucks $$ (revenue) at this point, but this is not ethical and specifically targets truckers. Didn't anyone notice how there was a HP conveniently waiting on the other side of this bridge? Of course, this is just how I am perceiving the situation, I don't have full knowledge of the highway coming up to the bridge.

I believe this driver will be able to fight this ticket and he'd be smart to do it too.

 

got a job with maverick,crst,central refrigerated,millis transfer, which one would be the best to go with. need help? dont want to be sent home over the smallest thing.I have a job just working 32 hours a week right now hate to quit that job just to sent home for dropping a 20lb weight

 

last time I went that way, last month, there are signs, but they didn't say that US-60 has a closed bridge. The signs only said the Missouri River Bridge is weight restricted. I live in the area (not native from there though) and I had to call someone to ask if it which bridge it was, first or second one.

There is an easy way around, coming from Missouri, you go past US-60 up I57 into Illinois, take the first exit in IL into Cairo on US-3. Go thru Cairo, left on bridge on 3.

Coming the other way cross the first bridge from KY into IL, make a right at end of bridge, follow 3 north to I-57.

While there are signs in MO on 57, I find them confusing, and I live there. There are 2 bridges close together on 60 before you get into KY, and I didn't know either from the signs,

And coming from MO on 60 there is no place to turn around once you are on 60. I find it horrible that the let the trucks cross the bridge only to give them a fine when they are on the other side. It is clearly a revenue issue for the State of Illinois, not a safety one.

 

even if Swift routed him this way, he still had a chance to find another route. how stupid can someone be to see a sign that says a weight limit and proceed...?? i'm glad you feel sorry for him, but i don't....PLUS he had someone with him, possibly his wife...???? couldn't she have looked at a map or warned him not to take the bridge...??

of course there was a cop at the end of the bridge, and why not...?? at the Pawtucket bridge in RI, there is a trooper at one end and the other.....there are warning signs at the CT/RI state line, there are warning signs at the MA/RI line yet DUMB@ZZ truckers STILL chance it and get caught...and its a $3,000 fine to the COMPANY and a fine to the DRIVER.....now i can only speak of the RI fines...overweight/axle limits on that bridge, and THE COMPANIES are getting whacked with the $3,000 fines......

maybe in this case of that Swift driver, the company gets whacked....??? for the over weight fines, and the driver for disobeying traffic signs...?? and i'll tell you what, if Swift is left holding the bag for his $17,000 fine, you wanna bet he's unemployed right now....????

here is an article regarding the fines for disobeying the RI Pawtucket bridge detours...

http://fleetowner.com/trucking_news/pawtucker-bridge-restrictions-0810/

 

I can't remember the name of the town but its the first town after you cross the Tolls bridge on 138 heading east, I was trying to get to the Preservation Socity.





American Trucker

 

Originally Posted by TruckrsWife
If Swift routed him this way, the ticket could be their problem.

Not in the least...You are responsible for your own routing or checking routing given to you to make sure you can do it legally...I would hope that after this the company adds that segment of road to their do not drive database and doesn't route others that way, it'll save them fuel, loads being late and the loss of drivers...

I spoke to a USX driver recently that said she was given routing she KNEW was bad but insisted they insist they follow the route given(and this was a solution to a previous bad routing no less)...I told her it's on her to continue on a route you KNOW you can't legally drive or won't get you to your destination...She eventually ahd the load taken from her for not reaching destination and didn't see how it was her fault and blamed the company...She also didn't like how I told her it was her fault for not stopping and insisting on acceptable routing or creating her own legal way to get there...

 

Barrington, Tiverton...Newport...Jamestown...????

 

There are a couple of bridges in Canada that have enough warnings attached to them, not only about what the weight limit is, but why. One of them has a 5km/h (3mph) limit because it is basically about to fall into the river below, and there is no other way round. Do truckers go over it at 5? You wish. I've seen people hit it at 100, and get screamed at by the local authority wallah that is sent to watch what happens. The usual reply is "Sorry, man, I didn't see the sign." I interpret that to mean, "I can't read!" because that sign is big enough and bright enough for a blind man to read.

The other bridge is across the Athabasca River, and carries a sour (hydrogen sulfide) pipeline underneath. I dread to think of the consequences of fracturing that pipeline. It would take a brave, or stupid, man to cross it overweight.

Maybe seeing things only in the context of the size of ticket is not the way to go. There might actually be other, good reasons for not being on there with 80,000# of truck and load, like "it's dangerous!"

I've been right up to low, and weight-limited bridges. That in itself is not an issue unless the road is restricted. Crossing, or attempting to cross, is where stupidity begins.

 

newport!





American Trucker