Here's a newbie mistake...

Xactly, if he had pondered, he knew and chose, now he has to take responsibility for that choice...

 

Calling the cops might have been a viable option, which brings into question his training or lack of it. But who's to say he didn't call Swift and ask to speak to his DM for advice? Now the question becomes did he speak to his DM or did his call go directly to voice mail? I know for a fact that DM's at Swift do have many of their calls forwarded to voice mail, so should this driver have stopped traffic, while he waited for a call back, say maybe one, two or five hours from now? Heck, he might have had to wait til the next day for a call back.

I was not excusing him for proceeding, if you'll go back and read you will find I said he should have used the common sense God gave him. But how do you expect he was going to turn around at this point? Right, let's just continue to blame the dumb truck driver and let everyone else skate. DOT has an obligation to the safety and proper maintenance of our roads, just as much as the driver, except DOT doesn't have Law Enforcement writing out tickets to them for violations (well, once in a blue moon OSHA steps in). Why do you think the DOT has absolutely no blame in this? Do you think that trucker could have turned that truck around on a two-lane highway with no turnouts?

Department of Transportation for that state should have had a truck detour.

What about this concept do so few seem to get? This was the simple solution, but we all know the government can always take something simple and complicate it. I'm tired of so many (the government agencies, the companies, etc) being given a pass as far as responsibility seems to be and everything falls at the feet of the driver. And it's those drivers who accept the status quo who are perpetuating this problem.

1) The DOT should have had adequate signage and an alternate route for trucks, knowing full well this was a commonly used truck route.

2) The company should have been aware of this restriction and given the driver an alternate route. This company calls the shots on their routes, unless they are O/O or L/O.

3) This driver, if he didn't know, he should have known what to do in this situation, which falls back to how this driver was trained by his mentor (in this case, I am assuming he's a newbie to trucking).

 

You got my point on the "you're not even a driver" line...and no not with Swift now.

I have seen posts on this thread that the signage wasn't set in a place that a truck could turn around after getting to the first sign...the reason there are so many touting the "he should have called cops, checked his atlas", and so on....always finding the excuse why the driver is the only one to blame! Which in many cases isn't true...you and I both know that is a fact!

 

A few more thoughts on this.

-He saw the sign, stopped, pondered and then made a choice. So regardless of company routing and possible insufficient warning to have known much in advance he did make the decision to cross a bridge knowing full well he was way over the weight limit. That's just dumb.

-The couple talking to the reporter had seen signs warning about it so I don't buy the 'no advance warning' bull.

-The couple talking to the reporter. I would imagine it would be hard to miss seeing the TV Station vehicle, camera and what not. I don't know about anyone else but that would make me really not want to be doing anything stupid.

-Closing the bridge to heavy traffic for a short time before completely closing it, sounds like a cash grab to me. Evil on the part of those who came up with that little plan but again, dumb on the part of those who got caught in it.

-I did a little google earthing. There is, yes there is a place to easily turn around and the weight limit sign is visible in time to turn into that place.

 

The driver IS the only one to blame ONCE he proceeds and commits the violation...If he would have waited for his DM to call back or the cops to get there, he could have then blamed others for being in the situation, but NOT after the fact...Once he proceeded, 'AFTER PONDERING IT", he took all the weight, liability and responsbility and put it squarely on his, and only his, shoulders...

 

i find that some times--especially in cities when you have to get on detour half way thru the signs seem to disapear, not much fun in some place like montreal where the streets are very old and very narrow

 

the driver is only to blame WHEN he gets caught
if i had ever called the office over a situation i couldnt get out of--i would have been invited to clean out the truck when i got back
thats the trouble with some of the companies that hold the drivers hand too tight,you arnt allowed to think for yourself--always told which way to go ,when to fuel when to change underwear and such

 

I didn't know that non-drivers weren't allowed common sense. I'll take your response as your inability to argue your point effectively. Are you assuming because I'm a trucker's wife and not a driver that I can't possibly know anything? How would you like your eggs, over easy or well done? And those biscuits? Can't forget those biscuits./// LMAO

Do you know he had the option to "take another way" once he realized he couldn't go forward?

Even as a newbie with Swift? I mean do you know their process/system? And when you confirmed your route, did you know ahead of time that a bridge/road would be restricted that wasn't before? Just asking...

I'm just going by exactly what you said:

Sounds like a navigator to me, but what do I know, since I'm not a truck driver?

And make money for the state....of course. Now if troopers had been positioned at both ends of this bridge in question, this driver would have been able to ask the trooper what to do BEFORE he violated the law. Did you catch the part where I highlighted the word "DETOUR"?

Well, of course I'm wrong.//

Now you're assuming he didn't call anyone, we don't know the details, do we?

We all know it's always the driver's fault.//

And if Swift if found at fault, maybe they will be more careful about routing their company drivers to wherever?

But from some of the other posts it would appear that the signs are where they can no longer turn around. Hmm, I smell something.....yeah, it's those $$$ generated for the state from the trucks who weren't able to turn around.

I hope you never have to walk a mile in his shoes, just remember there's a first time for everything.

 

Over easy please!!!!!!!!!

 

Just like a #### woman. She starts offering breakfast 2 days after I made the decision that I will no longer be doing those west coast turn arounds..... I guess I can do one more west coast run if it means I get free breakfast!!