5 confirmed deceased

Accidents like this have been happening ever since vehicles were invented.

In 2002 I went to work as a mechanic for a fleet, on the yard was a wrecked truck the front end destroyed, that first day I had to pull the ecm off of it so it could be downloaded since they were being sued by the family of the deceased. The driver of the truck with 20 plus years experience was running team with his wife who was sleeping at the time.

On a Sunday afternoon on I44 between Tulsa and Joplin 2 cars (family traveling together) were parked on the shoulder he tried to get in the left lane but nobody would let their 67mph truck over. As he approached the cars the lead vehicle driven by grandma with a grandkid pulled straight into the right lane. He slammed on the brakes and was down to 50mph when he hit them according to the ecm. The family tried saying that the truck was speeding.

3 months later he got back in a truck then quit on that first run. 4 years later she was still there then when driving on a two lane US highway speed limit 65mph a lady ran a stop sign in front of her, she too attempted to keep driving but turned around shortly after leaving the yard when a car cut her off to take an exit.

Just because a truck is involved doesn’t mean that it’s their fault or that they could have done anything to prevent it. There’s more cars on the road than trucks.

 

Man that's unfortunate to read. I feel for those that lost their lives.

 

Or Las Vegas companies pulling Amazon trailers.

 

The four wheelers are quick to demonize big trucks. I'd say at least 75% of the time when I'm coming up on someone on the shoulder, there's a four wheeler that simply has to overtake me, usually slowly, so I can't even move over.

 

I’ve had some of them that had been following me for miles jump in the left lane and try to pass after I put my turn signal on. Or when it’s a cop on the shoulder the car that just passed me slams on the brakes to hide beside me even though the officer is clearly out of his car and talking with the one he pulled over.

 

doesn't matter. the insurance companies, the feds, anyone, will make sure that the trucking industry gets more and more electronic (read EXPENSIVE) mammy devices. where as i have always advocated LONGER driver training and deep back ground checks, and even IQ testing for wannabe truckers.

glad i got out when i did, and i cannot say i even feel sorry for those just getting into the industry, as a whole, this was brought on by us.

 

You can have all the new gizmos in a truck but still won't help when someone decides to check their phone or watch a video instead of paying attention to the road. And it's not just the newbies.

 

then mandatory in cab cameras.

caught on camera doing something you ain't supposed to be doing?

fired, and banned from CDL driving ever again, if one is involved in even the slightest paint scraping incident.

done deal

 

Yesterday I couldn't even spell truck driver and today I are one!
Longer training by "qualified" trainers, not someone who does it just for the extra money and miles.

 

oh absolutely.

at one time, the "bigger companies", like Werner, HAD a mandatory 5 year experience level to even become a trainer, but then too, Werner had a mandatory 3 years experience to even get a job there in the first place.

i know, when i gradumacted from wagon train training school, i could not get on with Werner.

now, they haul them off the streets with nary an edumacashun.......

and no today you are not a trucker....but you IS one..........