I'm being charged with Reckless Driving . . .

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by MCribbs, Dec 8, 2022.

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  1. GreenPete359

    GreenPete359 Road Train Member

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    Again as a driver you must be aware or your surroundings. You sound like a driver who backs into a tight dock with his windows up, radio on, and uses the throttle because idling in reverse is way to slow.
     
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  3. MCribbs

    MCribbs Light Load Member

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    because I didn't hit the pole you assume that? I've definitely used the throttle when backing. Never windows up, never radio. I did a legal maneuver and am only in trouble because these lines 13' high instead of 14'. In the future I'll not do a u turn over a road and not go off road to do it. But, to my knowledge, that isn't illegal. Sometimes you have to u turn your truck over a road. What if there's hazard in front of you you must avoid?
     
  4. RedForeman

    RedForeman Momentum Conservationist

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    Actually yes you are insured. Coverage was in effect when the incident occurred. The company is on the hook for whatever claim exists.

    Seeing your follow ups, I'll chime in and say what @gentleroger did, and add something I made a good friend mad about when he was rationalizing an overhead strike he did on an oversize (14-6 tall if I recall correctly) that took down an overhead sign. Ultimately you're responsible for making sure your truck and load will clear obstacles. Period. Once in a while you might get out of it in case of improperly marked clearance, or on a designated truck route (to 13-6 of course), but you were the one that made the decision to move on it. Regardless, even in the event you're not at fault, who has time to crash into things then deal with the outcome?

    If you've been driving more than a day, you know what "too low" looks like and use caution. Creep up to it and then get out and look. Obviously you didn't think you needed to, probably expecting a minimum height clearance that almost made it. Maybe once you set up on the shoulder you might have seen the wire even with the lip on your roof? Who knows? I get it, and have done so myself once to my detriment. Fortunately not as bad as what you did LOL.

    Mine involved tearing up a bit of chain link fence with a trailer tail in a shipper's very small yard, also turning around. Didn't hear or feel a thing. I could see the tail and fence out the passenger window and did not see the fence move. Nonetheless, I was at an extreme enough angle that the trailer momentarily tracked backward a foot or two and snagged the fence in two small spots. The adjacent property manager that owned the fence saw me do it and came over. The marks in the dirt on the back of the trailer confirmed it. After the lady calmed down after venting about all the trucks hitting her fence and running off, we talked it over. A couple weeks later she emailed the bill from the fence company, maybe $200 or so, and I returned a check.

    I didn't think I needed to get out and look.

    Rub some dirt in it, walk it off, and don't do that again.
     
  5. gentleroger

    gentleroger Road Train Member

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    I'm not trying to attack you, but I've dealt with too many drivers who clip things with their overhang while trying to get turned around in a tight spot. They never think they were close. I had one swear up and down he wasn't within 10 feet of the jersey barrier that he hooked, but the video doesn't lie.
     
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  6. GreenPete359

    GreenPete359 Road Train Member

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    Because you…

    1. Touched the wires.

    2. Kept driving until you pulled the wires to the point that they snapped a pole.

    And…

    From the pictures you yourself posted, you made a uturn on a road that was to small to accommodate such uturn.


    Quick question, how many feet wide was the asphalt road surface where you made the uturn?
     
  7. Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    There is soooo much wrong with this post.

    Excuse me??? A U-turn is absolutely 100% illegal. You cant make a u-turn in the road. You have to go to a place turn around, such as a parking lot, exit the road way & re-enter the hwy.
    Some intersections will allow U-turns.... but not in the middle of the road.

    So "if nobody is coming", I can just whip around & make a U-turn in the road?

    O. M. G.

    No!

    ...
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2022
  8. MCribbs

    MCribbs Light Load Member

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    If you look at the picture youll see the pole down and then if you see where my truck is it's no where near the pole. I was in the dirt, felt some resistance, thought i was just stuck in the dirt a little bit, doubled down on the accelerator then looked to my left and saw a telephone pole fall to the ground. Where you see the truck in the picture is exactly where I stopped moving the truck.
     
  9. MCribbs

    MCribbs Light Load Member

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    So if you're in the middle of nowhere you can't u turn your truck? You have to look for a parking lot?
     
  10. MCribbs

    MCribbs Light Load Member

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    Not sure. It was the width of two normal lanes and then a bunch of dirt on either side. I didn't want to drive my truck through a residential area ahead. I just wanted to go back the way I came. I decided to flip the dam thing around. Had the lines been 14' I'd have been on merry way and nothing would have come of it. I felt some resistance and thought I was just stuck in the dirt a bit. I then looked to my left and saw the pole come down. It did not snap, the hole thing dislodged from the earth. I of course then got out of the truck and realized there's a #### telephone line hooked onto my trailer. If a u turn is completely illegal at all times then hopefully my lawyer will advise of that and I'll just plead guilty.
     
  11. TallJoe

    TallJoe Road Train Member

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    Arguing it is pointless. It is not a Swift Safety group meeting...is it? Who has never had to make a U-Turn on a road, raise your hand now!
    Technically, U-turns on a road are more often illegal than not. But we, people of real life, know that, legal or illegal, U-turns happen and sometimes they're a must do thing because otherwise you'd run onto a bridge with 12 feet clearance or 5 tons of weight limit, or at best go up 25 miles to a Smallville and still end up making a U-turn at a Amish backyard.
    Focus on getting a lawyer who would change the violation to something smaller. The way it is done, a DA or a judge could agree for an amended infraction for as long as it carries the same financial burden. The insurance will take care of the damage but your own finding a lawyer will take care of the ticket. The chances are that you might have the infraction changed even to something that does not go on your record, or let's hope so. .
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2022
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