Get out and look!

I stopped at a Pilot in Richfield, Ohio the other day (1/26/16) to throw my lunch in the mic. Yes' I'm a local driver. When I pulled into this rather tight truck parking Pilot, I noticed a truck was parked at a 45 degree angle to his trailer blocking other trucks. It turned out that the driver swiped (tail swing) the truck parked on the left and they were waiting for the police to show up and file a report. The name on the truck implied that it was more than like likely a low time driver. I will save the company further embarrassment by keeping their name anonymous. I believe that truck stop incursions happen for one of two reasons. Poor training and/or Lazy with a capital L. Trucks were backed up against a building facing other trucks that were backed up against a fence. The room allotted for maneuvering was minimal and would pose a challenge for a seasoned driver much more a low time driver. The truck stop is partly the blame for painting the lines the way they did. They should have been painted at a 45 deg angle.

Accidents are no small matter and they do go on your record for a significant period of time. Some will mean termination. Drivers need to take this more serious. Some drivers don't ask for help; someone to keep a watchful eye because they have too much pride and don't want to look inferior. Some drivers are very lazy. You can always tell because they are creeping back slower than a turtle. (literally) The reason being is because they don't know what is really going on back there and are backing with blind faith. Very bad idea!! One tool you can add to your collection if you find yourself in this situation frequently and are not afraid to ask for help is a cheap pair of Walkie Talkies. Communication is vital. I was not there to see it happen but I do know this. All accidents are preventable.