I left Tampa Tuesday afternoon headed back to Wisconsin with a 5000# aluminum coil and one 2000# stack of sheet steel under the tarp. I had three 4" straps over the coil(eye to the sky) plus a trip chain around the front and three 4" straps on the sheet steel. In the construction zone on 75 North of Tampa the lanes shift to the right. I was in the right hand lane going into the shift at about 50 (speed limit was 55). I come out of the lane shift and straighten out when I catch something out of the corner of my eye in the passenger mirror. To my shock something big and round is cartwheeling down the lane behind me. My first thought is "Holy **** I lost my coil"!!! I start to step on the brakes and keep watching the mirrors thinking that somebody is gonna hit it when it makes one bounce and lands in the shoulder like a lawn dart. That is when I realize that isnt my coil and think to myself "Where the **** did that come from?". I then notice a guy with a flatbed passing me on the left dragging two blue straps and I say to him "Hey flatbed, I think you just lost a piece of pipe. He jams on the brakes and hits the shoulder and when I pass him he has four pieces of pipe about 30" in diameter and 8-10' long each laid down the center of his trailer with just two straps over each one, no blocking or chocks or anything. If he had passed me before the lane shift it would have come off in front of me.
WoW, two whole straps huh? I bet the cops are still writing him tickets. Im totally paranoid when hauling pipe. Last load I had steel pipe qty of 10 40'L x 15" dia. Weighing only 10k lbs. I had 14 straps on them plus a couple belly wraps. They were banded, but I just wasn't digging the band job.
They'll throw the book at him. We have BIG responsibilities, people- handle them or take your punishment.
I just wonder how much of a mess it was to get someone out there to put it back on the trailer in a construction zone.
Iron pipe from what I could tell. The straps were still rolled in the winches which were on the drivers side of the trailer so maybe the straps both broke in the lane shift?
I would have had a heart attack too thinking I just lost my coil Thank god it was just some idiots load and not yours.
