Driver Forgets To Set Brakes At Fuel Island

I quit locking my car months ago for that reAson and at times I think I'm glad my car is unlocked because to this day I still forget my keys in the car.

 

Or I take key out of ignition then get busy writing something down or someone calls and set the keys in the passenger seat or the coucil get out and forget the keys.

 

And we got it on video....that's great. Too bad your video didn't show the person pumping the brakes.

 

I lock the truck with the key and put the key in the same pocket every time. I have locked myself out doing that once in ten years. One of our Binders had a passenger lock that's seized and the driver's lock would only turn to the right. Found out why there was a coat hanger tied to the exhaust brace...

 

It's not that hard to get distracted and forget something. Like the brakes. Like your money, cards, or wallet. A brief story to illustrate a point I wish to make.

I'd only been back driving about a month, 4 years and 500K miles ago, at some really, really remote rest area in Montana. 2 lane road, see for miles, no humans or their stuff anywhere. I was strolling around trying to restore the circulation in my backside, when I heard a strange crunch sound. Over by the potty there was a nice '78 Freightliner, sitting on a bollard. The geezer who was driving came over to me, "hey, Buddy, do you have any chain?" I did, snow chains, he said, "that'll work." He backed off the bollard, the corner of the front bumper pushed onto the drivers side steer, looking nasty. The guy wrapped the snow chain around the bent area, I backed my trailer close, he hooked my ICC bumper and signalled my to pull forward, then stop. Pulled that bumper right back into line. A little crease, was all. Long story long, this man told me, "I've been doing this for 35 years, never forgot before." He thanked me and pulled out.

Point is, it can happen to anybody. Any time.

 

You can lock yourself out on any Freightliner.Lock button can be pushed down while door is open.

 

I've had someone rear end me over this issue. It was in Billings Montana town pump/pilot. The fuel pumps are at a sufficient incline to pick up some momentum. I pulled forward to get a cup of coffee and when I came out a flatbedder told me what happened surely enough the truck behind me didn't set his brakes, broke his cattle guard and pushed his hood in real bad. I looked all over the rear of that trailer and not much as a scratch, only thing I can figure is the cattle guard hit the dock bumps. He rolled about 20 feet into me. He was O/O and was just happy the insurance didn't have to get involved. Poor guy was kicking himself so hard I felt sorry for him. Had he not hit me it would have hit the trucks about 50yards away head on.

 

Thus is why I learned to break into a Cascadia. And now also carry 3keys.