Two dead, I-20 blocked after 18-wheelers crash in E. Texas

I'm on 69 headed for 20.... I hate seeing this...

 

Hi KS, that's spot on, that has happened to me more than once. I doubt we'll hear anything about that on 20/20 tonight. ( Abe is getting more air time tonight, 10, 9 central)

 

i kinda agree... to a point. but a new driver may not know how to work their clock like that, and instead may tend to force their body beyond what it can do to please a "demanding" dispatcher. not that dispatchers are ever demanding to rookies at all...ever... i mean not even a smidgen... or an ounce of demand...
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“Two 18-wheelers were traveling west on the outside lane with one behind the other. ... With what I could see, the one behind didn’t judge the speed of the other and didn’t see it until the very last minute,” said Matt Beatty, a Texas DPS trooper.

http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.co...cle_3a0a9f70-9b27-5b6e-9d6c-48feca76c0b1.html


Please don't jump to blame, this drivers where very experienced, with about 10 years with FAF, judging by their unit number.
It is hart breaking to learn the lost of this wonderful people.

 

yes its so much safer out there with all the new regs,i like the old way drive till tired or hungry or whatever then nap time,always worked for me.....still does

 

or maybe because (from what I've seen), still too many dimwits flying along paying more attention to their cell phone/dash-mounted laptop, etc?

 

You know... I am not one of those that blames elogs or evil dispatchers.... now, sure there are times with my dispatcher that I have had to just put my foot down and tell them no.... last weekwas the most recent... had been driving in the rain and wind all day.. was hauling sail boat fuel and the wind was pushing me around... my hours were low and I would have to stay at the sbippers all night for my 10 hour reset if I continued. . There are no facilities at this shippers.. so with onlh 2 hours of HOS and just over an hour away from the shippers I pulled into a small truck stop and called it quits for the night... I sent a message on my qualcomm saying that having been driving in the rain and wind all day was tired and that the wind picked up and is pushing my empty trailer around.. so I am parking safely for the night.... well, then my phone rings.. my dispatcher telling me I cant stop for the night.. I need to continue and just stay at the shippers even if they have no facilities. .. I told him I was having trouble hearing him as my phone reception was bad and asked him to send me a qualcomm message.. then I hung up.. waited and no message.. so I sent him another.. started it with As per our conversation on the phone... I wanted to make sure you are aware that there are no facilities at the shippers.. and there is a company policy that states driver are not allowed to pee in the trucks.. no pee bottles, no porta potty. . We are also not allowed to pee outsidethe truck on customers property... also, dont know if you got a chance to see the new safey video on preventing roll overs.. where they caution drivers about empty trailers and windy conditions. . maybe I heard wrong but it sounded like you told me to continue to drive in the wind with my empty trailer even though I do not feel it safe and to staythe night at the shippers with no facilities even if I need to break company policy. .. also, could you explain about why if I stay safely parked here for the nignt why it would take you all day tomorrow to get me a load.. I was under the impression there were plenty of loads on this account...

Well.. needless to say.. he did not pull any crap on qualcomm, I loaded in the morning and had no waiting for another load when I delivered. ...

I dont think it is always the dispatchers who push... drivers push themselves.. they continue to drive when they are tired...

But, even though I am on elogs and dispatch.. I still make my own decisions.. if I need to pull off and rest or for weather I do..

 

This exactly what elogs have been created o prevent, If everyone is running them it ends the retaliation crap.

I think it is a horrible thing that I would ever think they are necessary, however as I look backwards I can see that there are some very good friends and some family members that might still be here today if they had not been subject to that very scenario.

I have run alot of produce, in the produce world it was normal to say get up in Kingman run into LA for 2 drops, and then hit something around Stockton same day to final, run over to Salinas, wash out and check in at Dole, T&A and spend another 7 or 8 hours or more getting loaded scaled fueled, call to your loaded call and have them tell you the load has to roll...... Mean while you still have not had any meaningful sleep,because you were required to count and temp the load. If you said anything they'd tell you shut up, quit whinning we need that load in chicago 2 days and you can have time off there......

So I have been there and done that and if elogs save one driver from running when there asleep, not to mention innocent lives around them, then bring the on. So far the complains I have seen is exactly why there being mandated, Drivers driving over hours being presured by companies to do so. Even more important now that I have my son and 4 of my nephews out here on the road driving ........

 

Powder Joints.. great post.... I have been listening to Road Dog on Sirius Satellite Radio a lot lately. . Have beco e a real fan of the Dave Nemo show and all the other good stuff on there... anyway, lately there has been a lot of good discussion and information about elogs and HOS....

I think some drivers complain about elogs when it is really HOS they are frustrated with... there have been a lot of callers who talked about and want to go to an 18 hour day in stead of being limited to trying to fit it all in 14 hours.. maybe the extra HOS would allow drivers to pull over and take a nap and not worry about running out of HOS..

As for the dispatchers and companies putting the pressure on drivers there needs to be something done about that.. I know there are times I get assigned a load and there is no extra ti e what so ever on it... now, I am on a dedicated account and I think it is more par for the course on a dedicated that is little to no extra time on assigned loads.. but, when you get assigned a load and have just enough time to get there if all goes well.. there is no time for a driver to pull over a take a nap... or wait out heavy traffic.. or for a heavy rain to pass...

I think with all the talk about new regulations and such.. I wish I would hear them talk about making some regulations and consequences for dispatchers... even shippers and receivers. .. if it cost a dispatcher or load planner money, like a large fine for dispatching a driver on a load with no extra time for the driver to take a rest if needed then maybe loads would be planned and dispatched better...

 

You all are just really too funny and here is why.........

1) with elogs drivers get pushed to go down the road or get wrote up, I know for example one company (werner) my former student just got a written warning for taking more than 10 hrs off on a break.

2) you all feel sorry for these idiots.......really...... (Ok I can see feeling sorry for the 4 wheelers as they are just drones who don't know any better) but for the truck drivers really give me a break you really feel sorry for them I don't. And here is why....

these are the same drivers that run right on other peoples bumpers, and speed through the truck stops or shippers or recievers like their trucks are on fire, or they are the ones who feel that they just can park anywhere they want such as the fuel islands ect......

if they were to stay and remain a professional driver then you know what they would still be here.

You want to feel sorry for people that is fine but feel sorry for those who do try to do all the right things and end up either hurt or dead, Or that 4 wheeler who should have known but didn't. But not these idiots, as it was said eventually things will catch up with you. And looks like it catches up with some quicker than others.