Here's a newbie mistake...

You've spent 10 pages trying to blame someone else for his choice, if you believe what you wrote above, this would have been a 1 page thread if any...

 

It don't matter if he had a place to turn around or not because the bridge was weight restricted. It don't even matter if company policy routed him that way, it don't matter if he didn't see the signs (he did) the only proper thing to do was STOP.

 

The Google Maps Street View images show a copyright - ©2010.
The Satellite view shows ©2011. Normally the same for G Earth.
But many of the images are captured a good while before they are processed and ready for publication. We see images for our area with a 2010 copyright that are at least 5 years old since they do not show a new development down the street.

 

If he couldn't have gotten backed into either the road at the base of the bridge or the wide area just past it maybe all the hearsay about Swift drivers not being taught to back up is true.

I went into tighter areas as a newbie all the time.

 

If I needed a cop to block the lane so I could have backed up 2 miles to the last place I could have turned around, if necessary, so be it...Going forward was not an option...

 

**removed** You have no experience and think you know everything.

Fortunately for you, and everyone who knows you, you work for a company that probably doesn't have you going to many new places orvery far off the highway.
I deliver cars and I'm always somewhere new. Many times the fist no truck sign is 100 yards past the intersection and by thetime you see it it's too late.
If I called dispatch at 3am to whine, I would be fired. What the hell are they supposed to do? They are at home, in bed, not in my truck!

$17,000 fine a week or two after they restricted the bridge, and you think the guy got what he deserved? Come on! It's a money maker. Why has Pawtucket bridge been restricted for years, meanwhile the amount of money in fines from crossing it has more then paid for a replacement bridge?

You've been paying too much attention to what the cdl manual says and not enough time driving if you ask me.

 

You know......whatever. I only said that he wasn't the only one to blame for the circumstance, if you want to interpret it in your own quirky way, and accuse me of saying he wasn't wrong, have at it, I can't help how you do/don't comprehend what is said. If I must, I will go back and quote exactly what I said, but I never said he wasn't wrong in his decision to cross the bridge. Here's what I said:

Yes, he made the wrong choice to cross that bridge, but I believe I've already stated that way back in the thread. Why did he end up on that highway leading him to that bridge? Because someone/thing other than him (most likely an automatic routing system that wasn't updated to reflect the restriction) routed him that way. Why was he cited for weight restriction? Because he couldn't turn around and hence made the choice to cross the bridge. He was wrong to do it, I never said he wasn't. But the signs should have been placed, at the very least, in a conspicuous way, to give him an alternate route while he had the opportunity to change the route or call his DM for advice. Did he know about the restriction in plenty of time to find an alternate route himself? Who the hell knows, I know we don't know. We don't know if called his DM and his DM told him to go ahead and cross that bridge, do we? We only know he crossed that bridge and he was fined a ton of money because the bridge had a weight restriction.

 

There you go AGAIN, trying to find someone else to blame...It was ALL his fault, accept and get over it already...

 

I traveled this same direction maybe a day or two before this news report.

I saw Electronic signs in Missouri on US60 before I57. Electronic signs on I57 before the US60 split. Signs I saw were just like the electronic ones in the news report. The news report showed just 2 of the flashing messages: "60/62 Bridge" "15 ton limit"... however I remember the third flashing message "trucks use I57"

My company had sent messages regarding this weight issue about 3 times in December. Routing that was sent to me with the load I was under, had me take Old US 51 to IL37, to IL 169, to US45, and then I24 into Paducha.

I missed my exit at 51, and took exit 8 towards mound city which put me about 1 mile from a left hand turn north onto IL37. There were plenty of other trucks on this route path with me.

This guy was traveling east, same direction as me. If he came up I55 he would have passed at least one electronic sign on I57. If he came from US60 he would have passed at least 2 electronic signs that I saw. If he was coming south down I55 he would have probably would have taken I24 anyway, but Im not sure what the signage was comin south.

I cant say for sure, but I seem to remember a sign also at the I56/US60 exit split also. I had previously checked my routing with my map and I just remember the 2 signs I did see, FOR SURE..... I remarked to myself, "I sure hope this routing is good and there are no suprise restrictions." I also noted to myself that there were no suggestions or marked truck detour route anywhere along my route... only thing even close to a suggestion was the "trucks use I57" ..... anyone looking at a map knows that I57 aint going to get you going east in that area.

Simple case of unfamiliar territory and not paying attention to your surroundings.

 

Next time I'll think twice debating someone with your experience and expertise.//

I'll "accept" and "get over it" when I say so and certainly not by your dictates. But thanks for the offer.//