This is not a trucking accident. But we need to discuss it.

Let's all come together on our day off and fix it.

 

That would be a hell of a sight to see...

Trucks blocking off both sides. Fat truckers all getting out and just beating on the road with hammers with their asscracks showing.

Cops finally get thru traffic and one of em tosses a hammer over to em. " good you finally showed up to help!!!!" Then resumes beating on road...not helping anything whatsoever!! All the while Kevin Rutherford is on the radio goin " now those guys do the hard work!!!"

Yes those selfless truckers would be legends.

So when you picking up at sears truckduo? We are gonna need a lot of hammers....

Don't worry we can always take em back after we get done with em and get a refund. Bol counts as a store receipt right?

 

Are there a few (relative to the size of the system) areas for improvement? Yes. But I don't see this as a huge problem where most bridges and roadways are in "complete disrepair". You don't know how good our roads and bridges are until you've driven elsewhere. I can't imagine driving in a world where 20% of all miles driven in a day are through construction zones. No thank you. Keep fixing a little here and a little there.

The biggest problem is the lack of prioritization and/or "money driven prioritization" where money is directed to those with the "proper connections and pull" rather then where it is truly needed. How many times have wee seen a road that was in good shape get "fixed" again, and a road that has real problems goes overlooked for years/decades?

The second problem is when they do major upgrades, they do them half-as 'd to the "lowest bidder". And it turns out the end result (a year after completion) is as bad or worse then it was to begin with.

 

" and i think to myself...whatta wonderfull world.."

 

Good thread Joe, here's what I would like to see done,

Finally a really good reason to strike that would/could involve the general public, which is what trucking has lacked all along, it has always been spun as an us against them issue (truckers/general public).

Pull a political strategy right from the guys that may these stupid laws, strike for safer highway and infrastructure and stick a little "pork" in there while you are at it, you know, like fixing HOS and eliminating CSA once and for all, get rid of IFTA and have an equal across the board fuel (or mileage) tax and make it a law that ALL of that money, every last #### cent has to be spent on infrastructure, if you want a bicycle pathway in your town, get the money from somewhere else.

One more thing, all those overflowing prisons? Bring back the chain gangs, your in prison for a reason (at least most are) do something productive for society, pisses me off that I'm working and paying taxes 7 days a week so some lowlife can get 3 hots and a cot because he was a dumb ###.


Just my little rant for the day.

 

Apparently, infrastructure is failing the trains, too. A bridge collapsed in Maryland.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/28812225/pedestrian-bridge-falls-metro-marc

 

I run primarily upper Midwest, this post will be shorter if I give you a list of roads that don't need a significant overhaul. With the exception of some areas around Chicago and Rockford (both toll roads ironically) Illinois seems to have their act together. Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and Michigan there's not much good to mention. Only good thing about Ohio is I delivered a load of orange barrels to the turnpike authority last week so maybe there's hope.

 

Dang you they put those things to use this week ran though at least 6 5+miles work zones and only one had any work in it and that was less than 1/2 mile.
You brought them and they put them all out.

 

Nevermind.......

 

I think that this turned out to be a pedestrian bridge over the top of the railroad tracks. They said if it had been a later time of day, it would have had a lot of foot traffic on it from students going to the University of Maryland. Lucky no one was hurt on any trains or students.