Flatbedder Killed by Shifting Load in Kansas City

That is exactly right. When I'm done securing a load, you could hook the crane to it and lift the whole shebang: load, trailer, and probably truck if your crane is tough enough. My loads don't shift because 1. I secure them until the load and the trailer could be considered the a single unit and 2. I drive according to every load. Meaning I keep my speed down, I watch my following distance, and I am extremely careful going around corners and ramps. When you pull a flatbed, that load is right there in your mirrors reminding you every step of the way exactly what you have behind you.

Stay careful, pay attention, and have fun! I've been a box dragger for years before I made the switch to flatbeds, and even after TWO brutally cold winters I still have no desire to go back to dry van. I haven't had this much fun or learned this much new stuff in YEARS!

 

There is no way that aluminum headache rack stopped that coil. The coil simply didn't have enough inertia to push thru.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4468265]While it may be unclear how the driver died, here again is a load securement issue. I've hauled lot's of rolls of paper, and they were always loaded on their ends. While these look bigger than the rolls I hauled, they were probably rolled in and secured with a piece of wood, so they wouldn't roll during normal transport, but not much securement in a sudden stop. I see lawyers jumping over each other to get a hold of this case.[/QUOTE]when I worked there I hauled a lot of paper for them. Most of them were on their flat side, but a lot of times they were the bigger rolls where they had a gap between the front and the back group, all secured by little rubber mats, and they were too tall to climb to hang a strap or two in front to slow them if a hard brake was necessary.

 

I disagree. Ask yourself. would the thin back wall of the sleeper ALONE have prevented that coil from passing through and rolling up into the cab? The picture doesn't lie. I can't figure where you're coming from. A "blunting" of a moving object is all that is required in many cases. And IMO this is a perfect example.

The drop and running up against the horizontal floorboard of the truck, and the chain buckets of the headache rack slowed it down considerably, but I'll guarantee you that driver will never pull flatbed without a headache rack.

 

I agree. They don't call them headache racks for nothing. I've always wondered who would pull a flatbed without one. And the roll of paper isn't any different than a coil of steel. I'd question the logic of a roll on it's side like that, even in a van trailer. That's why I think lawyers are going to jump all over that.

 

I hauled a lot of big paper rolls, where only 5-7 of 'em make 40K. I always strapped them front and back, usually to the amusement of the forklift operator.

Don't know how much good it might have done, but no one could say I failed to apply due diligence to securing my load.

 

Some of you have no concept of physics i.e. mass, momentum, kinetic energy etc. How fast was the truck going before that coil came forward? Obviously not very fast or that coil would have rolled right over the cab. Definition of headache rack - false safety. I hope I am not there when you get rolled or crushed by your load because you thought a headache was capable of stopping your load. I'm out.

 

I don't think anybody said a headache rack can protect truck occupants in ANY sort of crash. Obviously if you impact a bridge pillar at 45 MPH, the headache rack will be less then useless. But there are any more scenarios where the rack can be better then nothing. Obviously proper securement is required, but even proper securement is not going to hold in all situations either, and in those, a rack may be just enough to keep a bad situation from turning into a deadly situation.

That's just ridiculous. I seriously doubt there are very many drivers running around with the idea "I have a headache rack, so I can throw caution to the wind" It's just cheap insurance that doesn't hurt to have. Besides, why would you not want one just for chain storage if nothing else?

 

Mine is made of steel so it may slow it down a bit more than an aluminum one but i know it wont stop everything. Thinking it will is just stupid.
Plus have a bulkhead on trailer but even with both still secure properly. Lumber loads front and rear get atleast three straps allways. Steel always gets belly wrapped front and rear and forward and rear movement chains if possible.

 

Had a El Camino cut out in front of me with a paper load. Hit the brakes and all I could feel was thump.....thump....thump. All the rolls slid to the front of the trailer. JB Hunt put it on my DAC as a incident. Oh well!