OMG Panic time!!

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Cyneca, May 15, 2012.

  1. Cyneca

    Cyneca Bobtail Member

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    May 14, 2012
    Hutto, TX
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    My husband is a driver. I wouldnt exactly call him new, with 12 years under his belt in one company, 15 years total, and over 250k safe miles ... until November.


    We were taking a load from Beaumont to San Antonio. It was after 10:30 at night on that very dark long stretch on I 10 just outside Seguin. He still had hours on his logs, plenty of time, and they were up to date, so he wasnt tired. His cruise control was set at 65 mph (the truck was governed at 70mph) when in his headlights appeared the back end of another truck stopped in the granny lane no flashers, no triangles, nothing. He had no time to react and ran into the back end of the guy, totalling our truck and sending us via helecopter to the hospital.

    Im telling you all this because we are in panic mode currently. We have been staying at our daughters boyfriends house (she lives there too) since the accident while we recover. Both of us are fully recovered and he has started the process of trying to get back out on the road. Add to that our welcome has worn thin and the boyfriend wants us out of the house... yesterday. We have nowhere to go and need my husband to find a job but keep running into the "Oh you had an accident on November? We cant help you." Of course since hubby hit the back end of the other truck he was charged with it, something we are fighting and are due in court in June to contest. In fact its all in litigation, but that doesnt help the fact that Im about to be living under a bridge!

    Please anyone.. suggestions?? I am having a panic attack!!
     
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  3. chompi

    chompi Road Train Member

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    Jun 21, 2008
    Deland, FL
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    Here is my suggestion and I'm not God by any means so this may not be the answer!

    Find a good owner operator that owns a small fleet for a company like Panther or MCT or even Landstar (Landstar maybe a little harder to qualify). You can also scan through Craigslist and find an owner operator that needs a team. If I owned a truck right now I would put you two in it! Sounds like you have a pretty good track record, you just had an accident. Sometimes as careful as you are crap happens out there! You will probably get some flack from the other posters but if what you say is how it happened then I can see that as being somewhat non-preventable. I am a very cautious driver and have had several of these near misses myself.

    For you new guys this is why you run with your CB on! Had another driver seen that they may have let on comers know about the appending situation over the radio. This is also a bit of a wake-up call! No matter how much experience you have and how cautious you are, sometimes stuff can happen! Thus why they are called accidents.

    Good luck to ya'll, I am sure you will find someone to take you on board, just hang in there and stay persistent!
     
  4. Cyneca

    Cyneca Bobtail Member

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    5
    May 14, 2012
    Hutto, TX
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    Thank you. I will start to look at that option. Just so you know, he drives, I navigate. We had discussed me getting a CDL and he preferred me going through a school instead of him teaching me, and the company wasnt keen on that either, and were working to save the money for me to go when this happened.

    As to people giving me flack about the incident, more power to them. All I can say to them is "Were YOU there?" We have other things that support our version of the incident but I can not go into them publically as like I said its in litigation. However thank you for the warning that I might get some less then sympathetic responses.
     
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  5. Mike4747

    Mike4747 Bobtail Member

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    Apr 23, 2012
    New York
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    Haven't you saved money in the past 15 years ?
     
  6. misterG

    misterG Road Train Member

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    8,980
    Jan 21, 2009
    ask my dispatcher
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    I am sympathetic to your plight. However, I have to wonder, with all the reflective surfaces on a trailer, or even the back of a truck. How did your husband not see this vehicle.
    My current driving job has me operating primarily after Midnight. So I understand the light level situation, it is difficult to see. But, I still am curious about the lack of reflection from the struck vehicle.
     
  7. FL32514

    FL32514 Bobtail Member

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    Apr 7, 2012
    Pensacola, Fl
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    It wouldn't surprise me at all if he didn't see the vehicle, about 5 years ago I was riding in a towtruck that was towing my vehicle when we were in the same type of wreck, traveling down long dark beach road at 45 mph, and low and behold there is a BMW parked in the road. same end result.

    I think it has a lot to do with our minds as well, we know all the hazards to look for, but especially if your on a empty stretch of interstate by yourself, a semi sitting in the middle of the road with no lights or warning isn't one of them, and within the extra second it takes your mind to comprehend what your seeing, its done
     
  8. EagleEye509

    EagleEye509 Light Load Member

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    Apr 7, 2012
    Spokane,WA
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    I do recall something in training about being able to stop within your lights...no offense but this was preventable. "My lights suck" really isn't valid in this HID world. If you drive at night spend the $150 on a kit. Even a crappy kit at least triples you visibility. Just because he didn't have safety gear out doesn't make him at fault. The law says 10 minutes to put it out. Sorry if this upsets you

    Sent from my DROIDX
     
  9. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    Nov 1, 2010
    Burnsville, MN
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    Being able to stop within your lights means running at 35 mph at night.
    And in most states, that is below the minimum.

    I have a Volvo.
    And as most of us know, Volvo headlights are aimed at the ground.
    I have, maybe, 200 ft of lighting with the lows.
    Adding the aux lights helps to some extent - but not nearly enough.

    The biggest problem is - they are not adjustable.

    The 'company' is only concerned with how many hours I have to drive. They care nothing for how well I can see at night.
    I have been told, 'you are a professional driver, and as such you should be able to drive at night'.

    Right!

    Many of the loads I turn down are due to night driving.
    I avoid it, if at all possible.
     
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  10. CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

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    Apr 18, 2010
    Tennessee
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    The manual says you must turn on your emergency flashers for the first ten minutes. Within ten minutes you must put out your triangles.

    If the driver suffered a total power failure, common sense would of told him to coast off the road and at bare minimum get them triangles out. But common sense lacks greatly on the road sometimes.

    I peaked a small hill and almost nailed a woman sitting in total darkness in the granny lane. I could see her big eyes in the rear view. She didn't even have enough sense to get out of her vehicle and flag someone down. I missed her by inches.

    Another time driving in the wee hours on a dark dreary night I kept seeing a street light way off in the distance disappear and reappear. ???? It got me looking but I couldn't see anything. The light finally disappeared again and I started slowing her down. I could barely see a faint object but couldn't tell if my eyes were playing tricks on me or what. At less than 100 feet I realized it was a truck turned over in the middle of the road with the black belly side towards me.

    Turned out it was a big boom truck turned over. He swerved to miss a deer and lost it. I guess all that happened he didn't think to get his triangles out. I put my flashers on and got my triangles out until the emergency vehicles arrived.

    But I would have to argue the reflective tape thing on a trailer. Unless it's nasty dirty, they'll light up the night. Definitely neglect on the broke down driver if the story is correct.

    I hope everything works out Cyneca. We all get thrown curve balls. At least you still have your health. It could be worse. 15 years and only 250K tells me he was a local driver. That doesn't count towards OTR experience. They will see him as zero experience if he didn't drive at least five states. People in cars drive more than 250K in 15 years. Are you sure that's right?

    I wouldn't limit your search to just driving. Both of you can take any job until you regroup. Many trucking companies allow two accidents.
     
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  11. double yellow

    double yellow Road Train Member

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    Aug 28, 2011
    State of Jefferson
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    We're not talking about a coyote in the road here guys... Even if you couldnt see the truck, the fact you could no longer see lines/reflectors off in the distance should jave clued you in to the massive obstruction lying ahead. Clearly you do not look far enough ahead.
     
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