Crazy car carrier phobia...

Too many action movies?

 

Maybe there are too many snakes out there hauling cars ? I know of a few.

 

If it is tied down right with four chains or four soft ties/wheel straps then the cars are not going to go anywhere. If it is the bouncing of the cars that freak you out, well that is normal. The cars are supposed to "float" on their suspensions because if you bottom them out you will damage the cars. I would be more worried about that Swift driver with 2 weeks experience

 

Yes, but how strong are the chains or straps? Have they been known to break? With how much cars weigh, I don't know...When you get behind one, the cars are slanted at an angle towards the vehicle behind them. This concerns me too.

 

I'm right there with you... the way some of them drive, I wonder if they really have a valid license.

 

One soft tie or tire strap is rated for about 5000 to 7000 lbs. That is about what a full size truck or SUV weighs . With four of them, one on each tire, there is no way that vehicle is coming off as long as the straps are in good condition. Chains are rated for around 10k so no problem with them either.

 

That is also why there is more than one and atleast 4 tie downs. Those straps are far stronger than you think and with 4 tie downs and the wieght distributed through the four it actually takes alot of stress of the straps with the others if that makes any sence... Chains are usually attached to the frame.. I thought the same thing till I started hauling cars..

 

I'm not sure what you're refering to here, but I think the slant you see is the angle cargo units are stacked together so as to maximize 'together-ness' and minimize over-all load height. As stated above, chains and straps have an incredible load tolerance. Have they been known to break ? Absolutely they have ..... when they're worn down, or worn out, or have been exposed to an advanced case of 'operator neglect'. I have broken straps and chains whilst tightening them up and in 90% of those cases, I knew I should have replaced them first, but thought I'd get: " .... just one more load from these guys, then I'll go to the shop and replace 'em."

Is there anything else out there on the big roads that concerns you ? I'm not trying to sound nasty, or like a therapist, I'm just curious. Oversize steel ? Heavy equipment ? Mobile office trailers ? Placarded loads ?

SL

 

I hear ya ... the way most car haulers drive, you'd think they were hauling tissue paper instead of $900 K loads ..... huh ? I know MY valid license expired 20 years ago with my 30th DUI conviction .... can't explain why they keep hiring me back to do this job .... go figure ..... ?



Now ..... was this just this a stupidly submited post without foresight ? Or do you really think that us car haulers are s#####y drivers ? Statisticaly, Car Haulers make up only a small % of over-all transports on the road. By vertue of the specialty nature of this work, we generally do ALL aspects of our job professionally. Are there bad apples in our orchard ? Of course. Every orchard has a few that are rotten to the core. Matter of fact, I know a few guys that the WORMS won't even go near they're that rotten, but I digress.

Before you judge another driver or occupation, try it out first.

SL