Railroad crossings without warning lights or bars that block street

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by expedite_it, Nov 17, 2021.

  1. expedite_it

    expedite_it Road Train Member

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    There is a railroad crossing in a heavily forested area next to my home terminal in which the road curves in such a way that there is not much visbility down the railroad tracks when a truck is approaching the railroad crossing. Today I was driving a tractor-trailer, and I casually looked to the left and right when I was about 30 yards from the railroad tracks. I did not see any train. I did not stop at the railroad tracks. My former trainer just happened to be at the terminal at that time. I kept driving forward, and my former trainer said that a train passed within ten yards of the rear of my trailer. I did not see any train. I had the windows rolled up and did not hear the train's horn. My former trainer said that I should stop before all railroad crossings that don't have the red warning lights or the red-and-white striped bars that come down and block some railroad crossings when a train comes. I have never heard of this before. The law dictates that all hazmat placarded loads must stop at all railroad crossings. So I would only automatically stop at all railroad crossings if I had a hazmat placarded load.

    Should all truck drivers automatically stop right before all railroad crossings without the red warning lights and/or without the red-and-white striped bars that block the railroad crossing when a train comes?
     
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  3. N00bLaLoosh

    N00bLaLoosh Road Train Member

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    I would've had my windows down at the very least and if visibility is limited I might have stopped or slowed down a lot.
     
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  4. skallagrime

    skallagrime Road Train Member

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    No, just the ones that are likely to end up with you or your trailer smeared accross the tracks
     
  5. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    I was taught, all my career, to stop a all railroad crossings; period.
     
  6. Last Call

    Last Call Road Train Member

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  7. Shackdaddy

    Shackdaddy Medium Load Member

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    Whether your placarded or not. The train doesn’t care. Dead is dead.

    Yeah the way you describe this crossing I’d of definitely stopped.
     
  8. snowwy

    snowwy Road Train Member

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    It doesn't matter if your windows are up.

    Them train horns are pretty loud. You'd have to be deaf not to hear them.
     
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  9. expedite_it

    expedite_it Road Train Member

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    I must have been in lala land.
     
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  10. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    I lived next to a set of tracks with a crossing 30 years from the house for a couple years, the horn is so loud that I would have my headphones on (aviation type which are very quiet), I could hear the horn as it approached from the far side of the property. The rumbling of the train as it went by could be felt in the car.

    so if your ‘trainer’ makes this claim, take it with grain of salt.
     
  11. kemosabi49

    kemosabi49 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Although most drivers do not realize it, all trucks are required to slow down enough to make sure a train is not coming, even when not placarded. Penalties for first offense include a 60 CDL suspension.

    § 392.11 Railroad grade crossings; slowing down required.
    Every commercial motor vehicle other than those listed in § 392.10 shall, upon approaching a railroad grade crossing, be driven at a rate of speed which will permit said commercial motor vehicle to be stopped before reaching the nearest rail of such crossing and shall not be driven upon or over such crossing until due caution has been taken to ascertain that the course is clear.
     
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