Fiery Tanker Crash

Unfortunate...another bad weather crash that could have been avoided if the driver would have driven for the conditions, it looked icy, and on a bridge to boot. The phone/camera guy was lucky the tanker didn't crash 100 feet sooner...

 

That's the scariest thing I've seen in a while......

Lucky it wasn't a mass casualty event...

 

Looked beautiful in the dark. Like a ball of fire. Sad like other said could have prevented it. People don't seem to slow down and off road they go. Take your time people. Please be safe out their. We all have families waiting for us back home.

 

It's unfortunate that a truck accident takes life. Anywhere this happens is too many. However, because of the cargo of gasoline this accident is seen all over the country. I wonder how many truck accidents happened that day (even with fatalities) that the news does not cover. When you do see the big picture and compare gasoline trucks to others you'll see that gasoline accidents are rare. I do believe that this accident was cause by the driver and could have been prevented.

People, including drivers, think that gasoline trucks are bombs. They do burn violently and on some occasions explode. But not every time. Explosions are a rarity and I do believe that hauling gasoline is one of the safest trucking I've done. Unless you get hired by the worse company ever, you're going to know how the product reacts in all kinds of situations. Can the general freight people say the same? Does the company explain all the hazards on the freight? Not only do gasoline drivers get the training for the product the trucks are set-up safer than the normal truck. If the driver keeps the tanks either vapor rich or product rich the tank is not going to burn. The only time you'll see a problem is when the tanks are opened to air. And we would take a few precautions to make sure than doesn't happen.

So please do not report like the news people. They do not know anything except a bomb which is a far cry from the truth.

 

Why do they freeze first?

 

They are super cooled from the surface and underneath the bridge . Unlike the regular road surface which is only cooled from the surface.

 

Very true.

The driver did seem to be traveling too fast, however, the rest of that is pure speculation. I was unable to fine an information on the driver's experience. Not that it matters. More than one seasoned driver has found himself upside down, sideways, or even in a river, because he thought he knew better. Experience can be a double edged sword.

 

Good post. Cantlay and Tanzola used to have a sign in the driver's room..."Tanker drivers don't have accidents, they have disasters". Not always true but it made the guys think a little.