comedian Tracy Morgan hurt in bus/truck crash

What does disc brakes have to do with anything? I've driven over 3 million miles in big trucks and all had drum brakes, and not once have I ever ran into the back of anybody. Are you trying to say I'm doing something wrong?

All the disk brakes in the world can't fix stupid or inattentiveness. We have VORAD and I suspect that truck had it as well so I just can't see where disck brakes would have made a difference. Brakes must be applied when they need to be applied, not 3 seconds too late.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4060719]It saddens me to hear people put so much blame on the driver. Like others said, this is someone's family member here, and in this business, close calls are part of the game, Lord knows, I've had plenty. And the nature of the bus he hit, there's no protection in an accident like that for someone in the back. The troubling part, for me, aside from the fatality, was on national news, they HAD to point out about truck drivers driving fatigued, like ,just what our industry needs, is more people seeing that. I HATE THE WAY THEY REPORT THE NEWS!![/QUOTE]

You know I keep thinking how do they know this driver was fatigued. I mean surely this Walmart driver has been around for a while to be driving for them and he would know better to just come out and say he was tired right? So when I reread the article all I see is one giant assumption.

 

Mentioning tracy morgan as a comedian is the joke. can anyone recall any line by him with out googling? I thought so

 

not blaming elogs just sayn if he was tired elogs do nothin to prevent it, running legal and running safe isnt the same thing. as far as worthless drivers go do u think anyone with half a brain wants to put up with the nonsense in trucking, nobody wants to blame the corporations that line drivers up like cattle and make them sit all day and even if u could blame them they would just buy their way out of it. welcome to capitolism, but to quote all the broke people i know"money isnt everything".

 

Probably said something that led them to that, yawned while talking to them etc. NEVER talk to the police! Identify yourself and then use your right to ####! Let a lawyer talk for you! Way to easy to incriminate yourself.

 

When was the last time you had to sit in a State Troopers Patrol Unit and have him ask you "What Happened" after you ran over a 4 wheeler. I can tell you the troopers are trying to get as much information "for the record". Considering the Driver failed to slow down for traffic to avoid a collision is paramount to the fact that he was negligent. I do agree with the "company policy" of not speaking to anyone other than the police and the safety department after a crash. The driver now faces very serious charges for his part in this terrible incident.

James (Uncle Jimmy Mack) McNair, 63, of Peekskill, was killed in the accident. Tracy is still in Critical Condition with two others after being air-lifted to the hospital for life threatening injuries. Link

An experienced driver knows when it is time to pull over and walk around the truck to stretch his legs and get the blood flowing. Caffeine Drinks don't always provide enough stimulation when a driver is fatigued. Coffee can actually relax some people and energy drinks i.e. Red Bull over stimulate the adrenaline gland to the point eventually becoming non-effective. The only option is proper sleep during a drivers 10 hour break before he is required to start a 14 hour shift. But even then, not all drivers are the same. After three weeks on the road running hard, Most are starting to feel the affects of fatigue. Sometime it is better to take a break and go inside a well lit truck stop and walk around rather than taking a 30 min power-nap. The hours of service rules are there to prevent drivers from running non-stop from Los Angeles to New York jacked up on methamphetamine.

 

I wonder if seat belts were worn. Could that be a mitigating factor in the charges if they weren't?

 

wow really

 

Lots of good advice there, words to live by. Personally I have convictions that I don't compromise while OTR. Examples: no less than 7 hours sleep a night, goal is 8 which is the norm; healthy diet of high fiber, low saturated fat, low carbs. (this keeps the energy level high throughout the day); no talking on bluetooth except for when on the highways with no congestion (too much sensory information while driving local). There's more but you get the point.

I think it's important to view driving a big rig as a military deployment, not just as a "job". It takes sacrifices and commitment as well as integrity and honor for everything to come together in order to be a safe driver. And paramount, in the forefront of your thoughts and actions at all times, is to always be aware of just how dangerous this profession is/can be.