Accident - jackknife on black ice, who is to blame?

I used to do the same. The issue is having a boss that supports that. Example dump truck black top paving, there is no point in working winters. So after first frost we are told to hit the unemployment office until temperatures get and stay warm in the early spring which would be around this time of the year. The main thing was unemployment wages are meant to keep you resting and fit ready to work when called back.

My parents hated that because they never had a industry in which they are told to sit home 4 or 5 months at a time in the off season. In time they got used to it. But work ethic and situation between their generation and mine has already changed so much and will change even more by the third generation coming.

There were a few years in which winter was bypassed in the correct context. One winter was spent on I-10 hauling oil rig sea pipe one way and chain back the other. 5 months was spent doing that as a experiment. Just a whole lot of rain and then some. (10 west of Jaxville fla is something else when it floods that right lane and you hydroplane on the right side loaded like crazy.) That truck accumulated minor gripe lists and faults that eventually needed about a week in the company shop back north to recifiy and fixed to 100% again. I recall that was a pretty bad winter up north that season but for us it was shorts and tee shirt time most of the time.

 

I'm literally shaking my head.

 

You are fully to blame for the jackknife. Not trying to pick a fight but YOU should have known better then to continue driving into icing conditions. I am also a private pilot. One of the worst sins a pilot can do is continue flying into instrument conditions. I know people today that are 6 feet under because of doing both. Now those other vehicles are also at fault for driving in that crap. There is NO LOAD worth losing your life. Another thing. There are lots of CB radio threads in these forums. I did not generally use mine, but when there is even the chance of icing I would not only run a CB I would also have my weather radio on. If you are surprised by ice just pull over if a good spot can't be found. Most of the time you won't have to wait long on major routes because the state will put sand and other stuff down so you can go find a better place to stop and wait it out. In my opinion driving in known icing conditions is unprofessional. Chains are most of the time useless in ice. There is no fix, just stay in that truck stop and keep your company safety dept on speed dial. Trust me on this. There are no receivers that want a load so bad that you take such a risk of life and the load itself.

 

I'm fairly certain the only one to blame here is on you. As the driver, you are responsible for the safe operation of the equipment. Nobody else can be blamed for your loss of control. You can't blame the weather, you can't blame your trainer for not training you, and you can't blame the traffic.

Man up, accept responsibility like a professional, and learn from this mistake.

Next time it's raining and you notice the temperature gauge hitting 32°F/0°C, pull off the road and wait an hour or two for salt trucks to make their way through. No single load is ever worth your life or the lives of others. Period.