comedian Tracy Morgan hurt in bus/truck crash

You think that will solve it?...And what about O/O's who are paid by the load...
We can't just run 8 or 9 hours a day and make money....

 

Yes, S Texan provided some links, but crash reporting is still in its infancy. Until fairly recently there had been no real effort to standardize the collection of crash data, and every state did it differently, so amalgamating the data into national statistical form left a lot to be desired and often provided more questions than answers.

The FARS database is the best source of raw data, if not analysis. http://www.nhtsa.gov/FARS

 

True to a point....But then again...The Physicians and other medical professionals are not on the road with 80K# of metal and plastic....

 

Riiight....My grandfather drove for Shell Oil back before the HOS became the "law"....He used to drive 18 hours a day....6 days a week....Think you could hang?

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4065799]Hi WCP, and right there is one of the biggest problems. And don't kid yourself, I think it will get worse before it get's better. Look at what happened to Kraft, who pulls their wagons now(or who will?) Big companies are doing away with their trucking divisions because of events like this, I wouldn't be surprised, in the future, Wal-Mart says, that's it, let the O/O's pull the wagons.[/QUOTE]
But having O/O's to pull the wagons won't solve anything if the HOS are throttled back to an 8 or 9 hour day...The Dream of Joan Claybrook and others.....
Consumers want their shopping carts full....They just don't get that trucking is a 24/7/365 gig....

 

Too tired to drive?

Seems like common sense, yet living in a truck, life is not always so predictable.

I can recall one particular occasion having spent all day waiting for a load at the flying J in Russellville, AR. Around 1500 I received load that picks up at 1800 at the Con-Agra. The order has a 0600 next day appointment in Counsel Bluffs IA, about 525 miles north. Although I have been on line three (sleeper berth) I had only taken a little cat nap due impart to restlessness. Knowing that, I quickly realize no sleep tonight and plan for the break when I get empty. As I head out of Con-Agra every thing 's Ok. Getting to Kansas City will be slow through the Ozarks pulling 44K in the box. I figure I will take a 1 hr break on the other-side of KC, Most likely at the Truck Stop across the highway from the Loves near St. Joe, MO. As usual, there is no parking and keep on trucking.

There is a Rest Area up ahead somewhere. Basically the truck is on auto-pilot! I am driving but my mind is foggy and the eyes are tired...I start nodding off, I miss the Rest Area. I make it the next exit and guess what, going to fast to exit, Boy what a dumb thing to do! I go to the next ramp and slow to a crawl, crossing over to the on ramp side and park for a short snooze ...I set the Screaming Meanie 60 min into the future and then quickly fall asleep. Seems like only a min passed and it's screaming to wake-up! I know that if I don't, I'll be late for my appointment and the company will be all over me like white on rice! I get to the receiver around 0700 and drop and hook, I have just enough time on my clock to drive to the TA and find a spot to take a break.

The point is....I was up nearly 24 hours with only a couple of short naps...by the time I got to the TA I was fatigued and and driving was worse than being under the influence of alcohol. Backing was was almost impossible. I had been out about 5 weeks to the west coast and tired, I was working my way back to the house for a week off....

I don't do west coast any more, My mind has it priorities straight now. I stay closer to home and not out more than 3 weeks. It's not all about the money, It's a juggling act called Drive, Eat, Sleep.

Here are a few facts from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine


Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation occurs when an individual fails to get enough sleep. The amount of sleep that a person needs
varies from one person to another, but on average most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep each
night to feel alert and well rested. Teens need an average of about nine hours of sleep per night, and children
need nine hours of nightly sleep or more, depending on their age.

Prevalence
About one in five adults fail to get enough sleep.

Causes
Voluntary behavior
People who engage in voluntary, but unintentional, chronic sleep deprivation are classified as having a
sleep disorder called behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome. This is a type of hypersomnia.
It involves a pattern of restricted sleep that is present almost daily for at least three months.

Personal obligations
Sleep deprivation can occur when personal obligations restrict sleep time. For example, a person may
lose sleep while providing home care for a relative with a chronic illness.

Work hours
The work hours required by some occupations can produce sleep deprivation.


more: http://www.aasmnet.org/resources/factsheets/sleepdeprivation.pdf

 

I liked this gem:

Right... so who's fault was it that he plowed into a bus and killed a man? The big, bad gubmint?

This is a huge problem with today's society... so few people will own their actions.

 

Two miles? No it doesn't, not even with brake shoes worn down to metal...on ice...downhill....grossing 80,000 lbs would a truck take two miles to stop. C'mon now that's absurd and even anti-truck groups would roll their eyes at that statement.

 

Funny....I'm usually at 45-46K on the Wagon and I can stop way under the 2 mile mark.....

Better "Brakes and Jakes"?......