5 months in and already an accident

I've had covid and almost killed me, still not vaccinated, since you wanted to know. Plus I'm willing to bet, I've driven more in reverse than you forward.

Pardon me, do we know eachother? Cause I don't know you kid.

 

Well some of these guys think the moon is a Hollywood projection on the sky dome haha....

 

Well if you have more experience why don't you understand the basic concept of tail swing on a trailer ??

 

Ok, I've asked. He mentions he drives for Melton. Last I know they don't have vans, not flats with sliding tandems. Maybe CA spread set ahead, or sliding rear axle that could make a tandem group. Still, a standard 90° turn would not hit a parked car on his left. Like it or not, question my experience, I don't care. Tractor swung wide in a button hook to accomplish this. Or he didn't hit it and is being taken advantage of.

 

There is no chance a spread step deck swung out with "tail swing" and contacted a parked car. If the front left corner of the the trailer made it passed the car. A spread axle trailer does not have the turning radius of a tandem. But it sure as heck skids its way behind the tractor. Now if the tractor cross/passed the radius sure maybe. The MF didn't walk sideways. You can only do that with a good axle dump and backing up past center.

When I dump air on my spread and isolated the front axle to pivot on, I have about 11 feet of tail. It followers, it dont get wider, radius gets shorter.

To the comment about making a tandem go backwards? Your tractor is well past 90°. Yes that can happen. Your a idiot for doing it. But can happen. Slow speed parking lot maneuvers and driving down the road are to different things.

To the guy with a bent bumper. Your drivers a moron and did not pull straight out, and is not telling you the complete storey.


To the OP, its a minor situation that it sounds like you did not receive a citation and company may not have to pay out. Its tuff being new and nervous. Its happened to all of us. Learn from it, realize you may not even be at fault and roll on. These things happen to new and old drivers. Part of the world we work in. Try not to have to many, but sheet happens.

 

Not with a spread set to rear.

 

I assumed from his post that it was a button hook situation, or a 1 way street with parking on both sides. I had a trainee try to swing out on a 1 way street with parking on both sides and when he didn't stop when I said "stop stop stop!", I pulled the brakes. Dude was pissed until I got him out to look at what was about to happen. It was a right mess trying to un-f the situation. Not supposed to go past the customer entrance, cars behind us that were NOT patient or understanding, plant security guard mouthing off to everyone and esclating tensions. It's the scenario that popped into my mind as soon as I read the OP and one of my standard "trainee dreams", except in the dream the seatbelt keeps me from reaching the brake buttons until we total the car. The other common 'trainee dream' is we're driving down the road, usually downhill, and the trainee gets out of the driver's seat and goes in the back and I can't get out of the passanger seat. One time I had the dream while we were idleing in "negative forget this I'm going home cold" with high winds and the sensory inputs was enough to make the terror was so bad it forced me out of REM and I vaulted from the bunk into the drivers seat and slammed on the brake pedal while screaming maniacally. I scared the bejesus out of the trainee in the upper bunk.

 

Yes the driver is a moron. Beyond a shadow of a doubt he is dumber than a pile of cold dung. Nice guy, means well, but holey cow is he dumb.

But I know where he was when he did it and it's highly unlikely that even his dumb @@@ tried to go left as if he had it would have resulted in him loosing a mirror.

 

Tail swing does not exist. That trailer will never drive sideways outside of the radius YOU PUT IT IN. A Trailers job is to follow you, your tractor. You control the trailers radius. THAT MF did not drive anyplace you didn't put it.

 

Then he should have know his surroundings and pulled out further before turning.

No part of me, is not saying I have not ##. BTW.