Proposed regs for oversize load CDL drivers and for OD Escorts..

That's from the bridge that colpased on I-5.

The situation is simple. Had an over dimension load traveling, it hit is a crossmember on a bridge and caused a gigantic catastrophe.

The pilot car driver was on her phone something like 5 times in a period of a few hours. Not playing around, rather had 5 connected calls for 5 separate times. None of which where with the driver she was guiding. Said "I didn't see the poll hit the bridge crossmember" after going over, before the driver slammed into a light bridge and ripped out a significant portion of the structure with his load.


NTSB called it a cascade of failures, for once I think they're right.

Only a miracle no one died.

 

Those oversize loads are dangerous. More enforcement is needed on them guys. They drive like a bunch of yahoos who own the road just cause they have something big on their truck. Doesn't the permit limit them to 55 MPH any way you would think if it did they wouldn't be running like rookies up 81 all the time.

 

Ease up there hoss................the VAST majority of OS loads are pulled by very competent, careful veterans.

Permit conditions, including speed restrictions, vary from state to state. The deal in WA was just BAD all the way around. Poor judgement, lousy pilots, kind of a perfect storm. Good regulations SELDOM come from reacting to one dramatic incident; and I find it interesting that none of the NTSB's suggestions include EDUCATION............of other drivers and also in driver education for new drivers of how to behave around OS loads.

 

Sorry that might have came off the wrong way. I was being sarcacstic. I agree more training is needed in every aspect of our industry. But I find the OS guys are way more competent then your average driver. And they keep their radios on for easy communication.

 

Let's not forget that WA never rerouted when they issued the permit.they gave him permission to use that bridge with his permit

 

Yeah........nothin' wrong with that except he shoulda been in the middle of the road!! Seems I read somewhere that a piece of this puzzle was another passing truck that made him hold lane position too long.

 

It's everybodies fault. There isn't education for anyone about wide loads. Both the new escorts and the new oversize drivers seem to be "winging it". And I wish that most OS loads were pulled by veteran drivers. Or maybe veteran drivers can't read either.

It's also blockages as well. In 2010 a permitted load that had a 18 ft wide load permit to going south on I-65 to west on the WK to south on the Natchez went straight down I-65. At least he stopped in front of the scale, so he didn't get to cork the construction just south of the scale. (the bridge deck southbound failed and all traffic was rerouted to the north bound side, 8 ft width limit) 150K worth of fines, and they sat in front of the scale with jersey barriers set up just for them until the bridge was finished. They also bagged 4 wide loads WITH escorts on US31W which is a non STAA route that same week.

Somebody corked I-65 south mm48 in Indiana last week. It's plainly marked as is the detour. It's wider than the signs but nobody reads the signs or the permits anymore. The US31 bridge just north of the TA in Seymour has new evidence of a overheight strike.

The I-65 construction in Kentucky has had problems with trucks in the wrong lanes. The signs for trucks to use the left lane are ignored, since truck drivers are too "Special" to do the speed limit and "neeeed" to pass in the right lane. And when they find themselves in the ditch, or the rockface it's somebody else's fault. He didn't move over (into the jersey barrier) and there wasn't room. *Newsflash* Read the signs. *Newsflash* ALL of the signs. There is a reason they are there.

Any oversize that takes both lanes is in for it. The CB screaming makes using the CB for info useless.

There are 6 heavy tow/recovery trucks between Park City and Munfordville and they are busy. Every day. Trucks in ditches, loads in the ditch.

For those who don't know. Auto only (non STAA) lanes may be as little as 96 inches wide from the center of the center line to the edge of the pavement. If the road doesn't have a center line the road is less than 16 feet edge to edge and you don't belong there. A non STAA (Auto) lane with a fog line is supposed to be a minimum of 96 inches from the center line to the outer edge of the fog line averaged over 100 yards. A STAA truck is 102 inches wide. A truck (STAA) lane is a minimum of 110 inches. The radius of turns for non STAA lanes are much tighter than for STAA lanes. There are waivers for older truck routes, but the roads are upgraded to STAA standards as they are repaired

Normally the lanes are larger (normally new freeway lanes are right lane 12 ft wide, inner lanes are 11 ft.), but during construction the lanes may be reduced to the minimum. *Read the signs* Stay out of the auto lanes. If the sign says trucks use left lane, use the left lane, the right lane may not be wide enough up ahead. Do the speed limit or less. Never tailgate in chutes. Wide or overlength loads may need both lanes, back off. Shut up, you won't die if it takes an extra minute to get thru the zone, people are trying to use the radio for what it was intended for.

If you run any oversize get the bridge book. It's worth the money. RandMcNally only lists the low bridges on STAA truck routes. You won't always be on the truck routes.

 

what's an "endorsement" worth as far as expertise or professionalism? I mean if you can tell the difference between a baffle and a bulkhead and have 5 minutes to spare at the DMV, you can become"qualified" to drive tankers. So you take a 20 question test on long and tall and you pass. Wow. That won't change anything.

 

Which "bridge book?"