What has been your worst experience on the road?

Sept. 11, 2001. Was running a load of tires to a brand new store that just opened the day before in Killeen. Was on I-35 passing thru downtown Austin when the twin tower news started coming over the radio. I’m thinking this is a crap time for me to go to the Fort Hood area.
May,14 2003 on my normal route from home base to Victoria and Corpus Christi Tx, and back I parked next to a dropped refer trailer at a fuel stop on US 77 south of Victoria after fueling up. Didn’t hear or notice anything unusual about it. I left and did my thing in Corpus and on the way back when I passed the stop again that refer was a crime scene swarmed with feds and they were pulling 19 dead bodies out and had the rest of 70 illegals total sitting next to the fence line.
August 9, 2002. Had to drive through tropical storm Bertha. Counted 7 blown over 18’s as I was creeping along.
July 23, 2008. Almost got stuck in Harlingen when Hurricane Dolly came in with 15” of rain over US 77. That was only the 2nd time I ever saw the Border Patrol check point closed ever.
Feb. 18, 2010. Was 2 miles down from the IRS building on US 183 ( Reasearch Blvd ) in Austin headed toward Anderson Mill Rd. when the guy flew his light plane into it. All I saw was the building on fire by the time I got to pass it with the traffic halt and the fire units fighting to get through that congested area.

 

Man, there is some real #### in this thread. I really need to take a long moment tomorrow and read all this.

 

Aug. 25, 2012. I was getting fuel at a Tiger Tote truck stop on US 281 in Alice Tx. about 11.30 p.m. They were having trouble with the pumps so they were running about 1/2 the speed as normal. There was a driver next to me with an old T600 pulling an rgn and he was snoozing on the deck waiting for the tanks to fill. Lol!
When we were FINALLY finishing up a large car W900 rolls by sounding sweet and lit up going north and we both commented on its beauty. Rgn driver left and was maybe 5 mins ahead of me. I got 3 or 4 miles north of town and noticed 4 ways flashing on the right shoulder. Got there and it was the rgn and 50 or so yards off to the right in a cluster of Live oak trees was that large car still lit up. He was ok and had already called 911 before the rgn got there. I often think if it was quiet at that truck stop if we would have heard him go off the road.

 

Same here Danny my father past away when I was in LA , boss put another driver on a plane in post haste and got me back to Wisconsin , pretty lonely out there alone with your mind working overtime.

 

I was on the 183 overpass that connects to Mopac and that building was on fire . That was crazy .

 

Yeah that whole area became a cluster real fast. At the time it was just a building on fire since I didn’t see the plane. Then the news reports started coming in on the radio. The fact that it’s been a fast moving 10 years already seems more crazy now.

 

In 1968, I got food poisoning at the Phillip Carey Roofing Co. cafeteria in Lockland, Ohio, eating luke-warm au gratin potatoes.

 

Once, when I was new and didn't know any better, I failed to look at my feet while walking through a truck stop. My eyes came to rest on a trucker in his cab who hadn't closed his blinds. Oh, the horror. I am not sure what haunts me more: The folds of skin on top of folds of skin or the jiggling of sweaty shirtless truck driver.

I still have nightmares to this day. Let this be a warning to you.

 

Be careful with that only looking down while walking. Next time you may physically bump into and touch that kind of driver while he’s still outside of his cab. That then will be true horror. Lol!