Ever make or miss a turn and find yourself where you should not be?

That last entry was on the wrong thread! Sorry!
But, relevant to this thread, yes, I took a wrong turn somewhere in the heartland of Texas once, and ended up driving down a dirt road. After I got something like 15 miles down this road, I came up to a bridge that had a sign: "5 ton limit". Geeze, I thought to myself, I'll just drive over it, what could happen? Nothing - until I came up to another small bridge - and another, and another, and another.

I wonder if I could find that road on the map now? It was a long time ago. I was loaded at 40 tons, of course. This went on, and on, and on. I couldn't BELIEVE how many of these little bridges there were - they were basically just little things to cross over washes. After a while, I saw flashing blue and reds in my rear view mirror, a long way off. The road was flat and straight, it didn't turn. I was driving about 50 mph on this dirt road - keeping my eyes on those lights. I figured if I got caught, I would be - done with trucking, basically, after all the fines. I must have crossed 20 bridges that had 5 ton, 7 ton, 10 ton limits.

Well, those lights were getting closer and closer, I had NO clue where I was. I figured if I just continued on this road with all these bridges, I would eventually end up somewhere where I could get OFF of this road and - head some other direction. I pushed the pedal down - this is another young and stupid story. I was young - and dumb. If I came up on a sign on a bridge that said that NOW, I would turn around and go back the other way, regardless of how much time and miles were lost.

I was going 75 mph on a dirt road, with a cloud of dust so large I couldn't see ANYTHING behind me by the time it was all said and done with. I wasn't about to let that cop catch up to me - if he indeed was chasing after me. He was back there WAY TOO LONG for me to believe anything else. I finally ended up at an interstate- don't remember which. Got on that thing and took off. Back in those days, Texas troopers hardly ever messed with trucks going WAY over the speed limit, and I was cruising.

I was serious scared, but I didn't get caught.

 

I got screwed by my GPS just a couple of weeks ago, I was in VA at a pilot, was there all afternoon, left at 1 am. went the wrong way on interstate so I got off at next exit, no big deal, Now I know better cause my gps is not a commercial nor do I have co pilot in it, but for some reason I did what it said instead of taking a left to hit the on ramp on the other side, the gps had my destination in it and that was 300 miles away,, in a matter of 500 yards I was on a road so skinny I couldn't figure out which side I was going to fall off of. Needless to say this lasted for 45 miles, all mountain twisty's with a house every mile or so, Thank god it was in the middle of night, if there was ever a car comming the other way that would have been it, some of the turns were so tight I had to drag the bed through the woods, just waiting to hit a big rock or something, But I made it out and I will say if I were in a car that route saved me a ton of milage,, just not for big trucks,, I know better than to follow my gps but I brain farted and that was it.. Rookie move for a vet driver, thats what I love, it was always humble you, no matter how good you are.

 

Back in the early 80's I was a newbie driving for buster brown. I was taking a set of doubles to the Bedford Hub on the west side of Chicago. Somehow (go figure) I got lost and ended up in the driveway to an apt complex (did I mention I had a set of pups?) Well needless to stay I spent the next hour breaking the set apart and respotting them to put them back together so I can go try and find the HUB. What a nightmare.

 

Stupid trick #2. There was an accident blocking N/B I65 in southern Indiana south of Seymour. Another driver and I got the bright idea to hope off the big road and detour the accident (sounds like a plan right?). I was in the lead and we weren't off the big road more that a mile and I see a BIG sign that says single lane 10 ton load limit on the bridge. #^%&***. I stopped because the road we were on was way to narrow to turn around a single pup let alone a set, when the guy behind me in a straight van pulled up and said what's the problem. I pointed to the sign and asked what his game plan was. He said I'm going for it....and he did....and he made it. Now it's me watching his tail lites disappear cussing pizzed. What the hell I'm going too. Even though it was a short bridge (50') it took forever to get that truck from one side to the other........but I made it.

I heard a few weeks later that the county had closed the bridge because it was not longer safe.....go figure.

 

I was in Kentucky in the early 90's taking a short cut in Kentucky to pick up a load. After getting off the interstate and driving 20 miles with tons of snow coming down, I ended up at a river with a ferry that crosses to the other side. Needless to say I can't travel on a ferry that was only made for cars. Ended up having to turn around in someone's yard in the middle of the night and drive another 20 miles back to the interstate.

 

I love this site. good to know its not "just me" situations it has happened to everyone once in a while.

 

Yesterday, my first stop (about 2 hours before sunrise) was a trucking company at a specific address. I drove by that particular address twice, and couldnt see a single building number, and the trucking company's name was nowhere to be seen. Eventually find a spot wide enough for me to pull over and call. Well, they dont have a sign up, and with it being pre-sunshine, only the company names are lit. So eventually got the name of their nearest neighbour, and the little tidbit of... yes, you should probably back the 53' in!
I find that companies put their address numbers up in the smallest size they can find... and we truckers need 500x zoom just to see them (that is if they are visible at all!)!

 

A semi can take that ferry. Some drivers do. I think it is 12 bucks.

 

What the hey, throw another one into the loop:
I used to get lost in Texas a lot. Main reason being that farmers would give some pretty whacked directions: "Yeah, when you see the red silo, turn right onto the road right next to it. You're going to drive a little bittle and see a big barn, when you see that, well, you've got a couple miles to go beyond that" and on, and on.

A couple of miles is usually more like 20. Turning at the barn - which barn? You're out in the middle of nowhere on alternating dirt and asphalt roads, you're looking on a map (no GPS back then) wondering where the bleep you're at. I remember several occasions, I would get to a crossroads - pick a direction and stay on it until I found a place to pull over and ask the question - where IS this place? I went well over a hundred miles out of the way once in this scenario - being totally lost, having no clue where I was at, not running into any interstates or recognizable highways - it can get a little irritating to say the least.

 

When I pulled a water tanker in KS to the oilfields we would get some ate up directions as well..... you will come to a fork in the road... will be a cow standing there.... veer off to the right