Hard Break...Driver death

I refused to load a load a few years ago. Told the shipper I didn't think it was safe. Called our safety dept. they said fine, called the agent, he wasn't happy, but what could he say.

Later in the day at the truck stop. One of our trucks show up with the load, I go talk to him and sure enough it's the same load. I told him I had refused the load, and why, he just shrugged his shoulders.

I have been pulling flats well over 30 years, I have a good idea what is safe and what isn't. The truck probably made it to the destination, but then again things could have gone very bad very easily.

There are quite a few loads out here that never should have left the shipper.

 

IMHO Belly Wraps accomplish three things. First, there is some downforce.

Second, there is side to side stability. Belly wraps even without chocks will control a 15+ ton layer of oil rig motors and collars.

Third, belly wraps work like Chinese finger traps. If the layer starts to slide forward or back the wrap tightens.

At my company we haul a lot of bottom tools, drill pipe, and casing. We are required to only use straps (no chains), and belly wrap at least the bottom layer fore and aft. One of our drivers got sucked off the pavement on a 2 lane highway in Colorado in a rain squall and managed to keep it upright and slowed to about 15-20 mph when he hit a house sized boulder. He stopped real quick. CDOT contacted our safety department to learn more about how we secure our loads, because his load of heavyweight drill pipe didn't budge an inch.

 

http://bit.do/truck-accident

 

I think all of us that pull open deck have had loads from hell, that shift, walk, or otherwise scare the bejezuz out of us. Today I offloaded and was GLAD to be done with it, almost refused part of it but threw 20 4" straps and 8 2"straps with 8 belly wraps and was still nervous.

At least I didn't have it as bad as the guy hauling a load of crushed cars eastbound on I-40 entering OKC this morning. His load had shifted to overhang the driver's side by well over a foot. Hope he made it.

 

Yup! I had a load when I first started where they just piled random I-beams on. Some in the middle were just floating. A driver told me like at 2am I should have a light on that one long beam sticking out. I was like WTF???? Pulled into a closed weigh station and it was sticking out around 6 feet. Couldn't push it. Backed up to the wood light pole and pushed it in then chained it up.

 

I saw a couple of things right away that I did not like. The first one was that there were not enough straps used in the first place and second, there was not any edge protection that I could see, even on the stuff that did not move. And as for the edge protection, I would not use the plastic crap that they sell because it will still slide. I would have used old rubber mud flap pieces or conveyor belting because of the additional friction from it.

 

Why not run a headboard? Is there that many times that a load needs to overhang in the front?

To me a headboard seems safer than a headache rack because the load is restrained from building up momentum.

 

If you wanted you could have a headboard that flips down when you needed the front overhang.
But that sucker would increase your weight.

 

Short answer. Yes. Enough loads over hang the front that my head board sits behind my barn.

Also most head boards, and headache racks, are not structurally engineered to stop freight from moving forward. They are basically just chain storage racks. Now if you want to spend a crapload of money, and add almost a thousand pounds to your empty weight, there are a couple companies that sell certified impact resistant racks.

 

lol, Would If the Wooden Light pole would have broke while you used it as a wedge?

My Knees would have grown weak as I would have Fallen down laughing Hysterically

All I can hear is "God #### it" And No light left at the scale house