Fired for driving accident in recent snow

Not surprised but companies always lay blame on drivers, keeps HR employed. I run in all weather, never pull over as I’m hauling time sensitive freight. Never gone off road,yet, just have not found the sweet spot.
200 miles of this road last night

 

Looks lonely and desolate enough to drive on at a safe speed. No clowns in any other vehicles trying to play convoy or anything dorky like that. I mean you do you. But I wouldn't be charging down that at anything above 30-40 mph either.

 

Me neither till 2 years ago.
Left Aberdeen S.D. in the morning with snow falling and about 6 on the ground.
No problem, normal winter weather for us.
I've run this route dozens of times.
East bound US 12 to The MN state line, Ortonville, under moderate snowfall., 100+ miles in about 2 1/2 hrs.
In MN the highway loses the shoulder.
20 miles east the snow picks up in intensity and I'm down to around 30 due to visibility and traction issues. Probably 10 to 12 inches at this point and much worse since Ortonville.
If I could have found a safe place to stop I would have at this point, but due to depth of snow I had to keep moving, to stop means I am stuck on the roadbed. The next hour I get 20 more miles and the snow picks up and I am only seeing the highway delineators to determine where the road is, and am completely blinded losing one till I can pick up the next. I have not seen or passed another vehicle in probably 2 hours but press on knowing US 71 is 15 miles ahead.
Visibility is around 40 feet.
I mistake a buried gas line marker for my next delineator
Next thing I know I feeling the r front drop off the edge and I'm stuck.

Safety determines from the camera I was going 14 mph before losing the road.
Determined it non preventable as the conditions turned and I had no place to pull off or even stop.
After 45 winters I got bit by the weather.

 

When a driver has a weather-related crash that crash is 100% on the driver! Further, there is no load so important a driver would risk not only their lives but also their reputation as a driver. If a driver gets fired for refusing to operate that company is actually doing the driver a huge favor.

I have been in and around this industry since the 60s. As I type this comment I can think of several drivers that took that chance and paid for it with their lives. The last one I can remember drove for Overnite. Had that load that just had to be there, it did not make it. The driver, the tractor, and the load were lost.

This guy---


---has nothing on me in regard to being stubborn when it came to operating. When I made that call to stop that tractor stopped! Same with any safety issue. This has been said so much it's just disregarded today as a mindless cliche, NO LOAD IS WORTH YOUR LIFE!

 

I'm sure you would be an asset to any motor carrier insomuch as they'd never need to investigate any event.
But since you've been out here so long you obviously, but mistakenly imho, believe random weather anomalies are on a driver...smh.
My company's safety department deemed mine non-preventable, no place to stop, no shoulder to wait on and stopping on the highway w hazmat will never be allowed.
Now you can say we all should stop at the first snowflake and we have some that do...
And we call them snowflakes for that very reason, but as someone w more years than I out here, I can't understand the reasoning behind your statement unless you believe that because you were there you're at fault.
Those of us who ply the roads in areas of severe winter weather know the risks and know when they are too great but that doesn't mean at that time there are facilities or even parking to allow for stopping.

 

As I stated, when a driver crashes in bad weather it is on them, PERIOD! Everything else is commentary! That go-no-go decision should be made by the driver based on their experience. Just as it is a bit dense stopping at the first hint of snow, it is just as bad if not worse making that decision to go on when your better off stopping. A good driver never overrides that inner voice that says stop. Far too many do!

 

Whatever...47 years without an accident and I don't agree nor do I take commentary from you.
Is hail damage the drivers fault?
Snow squalls?
Micro bursts?
Wind gusts?
We should all be able to seek shelter of the keyboard but most of us have a job to do...
PERIOD!

 

I congratulate you for 47 years. That is something to be proud of. However, when I spoke of bad weather I was not referring to winds, or for that matter sudden unpredictable changes that can trap us all. I have been caught up in that crap before. I am SOLEY speaking about making a decision to operate with ice and snow all over the roads. If you can get through great. If you can't and crash it is on the driver. This is simply common sense to me.

 

I agree, Moose...
A good example for new drivers. Nebraska lets I80 get bad and not close it. You and I both know. The poor newer drivers for Mega's. Their dispatch is screaming at them that they have to go. If the road ain't closed. They have to go. I parked the truck one evening in Grand Island. We had rain and it was below freezing. I80 was getting bad. The next day. I spent the entire day sitting at that truck stop in Grand Island. Watching truck/trailer after truck/trailer, towed into Grand Island. It was a massive wipe out. All over I80. Easily hundreds of trucks off the road. I felt sorry for the newer drivers for Mega's.
Another time. We had 60mph wind gust warnings. If you know Nebraska. The wind is blowing. Then that gust comes like a cannon shot. Without warning. I sat it out in Grand Island (again). The warnings were over at 5pm. They told me my load was re powered at 2pm. Driver would be over to take it. The driver who took the load. They didn't tell him that he had 60mph wind gust warnings. I told him. Also told him where he's going. There's 50mph wind gust warnings till midnight. Traded trailers with him. Called the company and told them I quit. I'd be in the next day to the terminal.

 

One of the largest things today that frustrates me to no end is I can't drive now. Up till about 18 months ago I at least could go to an old abandoned industrial site with a driver and help them with backing. My body simply has failed me. I stated in another thread recently that my neurologist laughed when I asked him if I could ever drive again. This coming Dec will mark 9 years since I last operated a CMV. I am not up on the roads today and read with some interest how roads have changed in these past few years. I don't hide behind a keyboard, but being wheelchair-bound leaves me with little else. It sucks too because I can't use a scooter because of these (redacted) seizures.