The Dreaded Bridge Hit

I re strapped where the highway dept guys were loading their trucks 50 yards away. They saw it, I talked to them, they said they would look at it. They really didn't seemed bothered by it.

It was the middle of the drought. The dead grass and yellow hay blend in until your on top of it.

You usually are with round bales. anywhere from 13,6-15+. We had/have permits but they weren't necessary for a while when hay was really moving. All the times I've been pulled over they just wanted to check the axle weights and insurance.

The moral of my story is to be on the ball and know what your height, width, length, weight, everything so this doesn't happen. I got very lucky, it could have been way worse. I know about everything on and around the bridge affects it and there was no damage to it. I should have been more cautious but nothing I can do about it now. I learned something from this incident and maybe somebody who reads this might too.

 

I regularly haul 16' and higher loads. The best way to avoid bridge strikes when tall is hire LOCAL high pole cars. Local escorts that are experienced high pole operators tend to know escape routes. I cant tell you how many times I have been told "why would they route you that way? There's a 15'2" bridge on that road"... Or "that bridge is 15'2" on the fog line but goes up to 17' on the left, so we dont have to go through town on narrow city streets". LOCALS can save you lots of drama.

 

Good point about train tracks. Its also a good idea to know how to shunt them if you dont have cell signal or time to call. If you have jumper cables or a chain, connect the two tracks to each other, that fools the railroad into believing there is a train on the tracks. They will stop all traffic until they figure out why there is an electrical connection between the two tracks.

 

Really? That would work great! If thats the way it is, its ingenious.

 

As far as I know .. All that will do is lower the gates and ring the warning bells.

 

Shorting (shunting) between the RR tracks does lower gates and activate bells, IF they are in close proximity (say, 100-300 yds).
But outside of the range of crossings, it also sends a track occupied (TO) signal to a box relay, then on to nearest trackside signal lights, the RR traffic control center, and typically an in-cab locomotive alert monitor.

Funny how we can get from bridge hit /overheight mistakes all the way to shorting out RR tracks.

 

Unfortunately hitting an overhead is the same as fouling the tracks. Most out there don't realize the damage that simple hit to an overhead can do structurally.. And what fouling the tracks can do.. Some don't handle bad things mentally and are afraid of getting yelled at.. But make that train lock it up is more than a yelling, just like taking the stability out of that bridge. Not to get off the subject again . A few years back I was at the Petro truck stop in Louisiana . This guy had a semi full of gasoline. He was in the parking lot and ripped the tank on a pipe pole that kept trucks out.. Gas wasn't dribbling out but was pouring out. The humidity was high and for early in the morning was probably about 80. You could see the fumes were down against the ground, waiting for somebody to wake up and light a cigarette. The driver was on the phone talking to his boss. I asked if the fire department was notified of this.. He said no. WRONG DECISION . Just like calling your boss first when you foul the tracks. Or hit the bridge. These are the people that can't make emergency decisions.. And will let others collapse that bridge, when that second truck did nothing wrong, or can figure out why that train hit their truck.

 

some guy hit the new unopened bridge ext 299 here in temple tx. had to rebuild it. it took a long time to open that mess up. same thing as video back hoe on truck.

 

I took down a wire on Friday. My first. It was real windy in upstate NY and that must have had something to do with it because it was LOW. Caaa-RACK!

Took out my CB antenna and my exhaust stack. I called 911 and the dispatcher said he would call someone in. I asked if I should stay and he said no go ahead. Asked for a incident or report number and he said they don`t do that so we exchanged names and I was on my way.

 

If it hit your stacks it was obviously not electric. Cable and phone guys are notorious for doing poor work when it comes to connecting lines (illegally) to power poles. Wind could have torn the line from one of their poorly installed connectors. You did the right thing calling 911, they had your info in case it ripped off a roof jack or the wire landed on a transformer. I used to call every time but when 911 operators start to know you by the sound of your voice, you stop calling. Now I only call if I rip a roof jack from a house (could be a fire inside the breaker box if some of the wire is still in the home). I have learned how to use a high pole to flip switches on transformers up on poles. Kill the power and get out of Dodge...