Horrible crash in Lakewood CO, I70 closed both directions. 12 vehicles 4 semi huge fire

It’s the lack of training. Truck driving school teach the minimum. Just enough to pass the test. It is up to the company that hires drivers out of school to provide the training and very few do.
I was lucky to be trained by an old timer with more experience than I’ve been alive when started OTR at 23. Today new drivers are “trained” by someone that got their license 6 months ago.

 

Lack of common sense, has as much as anything to do with it. How many trucks did he blow by on the way down, ofcourse it was probably too late by then.
If he had had some sense, he would have taken it easy, and hung back from another truck. I never had any mountain or any other training for that matter, and started on that old Houston flat ground, but mountain driving has always been my favorite.

 

Wouldn't any American trucker get thrown under the bus and the book thrown at him for this?

 

A 400k bond is a fairly hefty book for the very start of the trials....
Also if the Tracy Morgan case is an example, no an American trucker will not get thrown under the bus....

 

Pretty sobbering to see this story develop...

I’m also 23. From a relatively “flat” state where mountain training simply isn’t provided in school besides what’s in the test...

I definitely think those who KNOW better would’ve acted much differently.


Is descending a marked grade something that has to be practically taught? I graduated from a school in Florida, lived in Florida since my middle school years, and haven’t had a single issue on a grade thusfar and I spent a lot of time over 70k gross at my first company.. Ive been down Vail a few times in my short not-even-two year stint in this industry... never had a single issue.

What separates me from him on paper? Is it the fact that I can read the English thoroughly? Decipher right from wrong? Who knows... will be watching this closely..:

 

I don't know. I looked up other you tube videos of trucks running hot brakes on that very exact same hill at MM 258 and his trailer brakes are rolling smoke white much more than this kid was.

I also am willing to bet the farm that the kid knew less than I did about brakes. Leaving them aside, he allowed the truck to go on and on and on at especially high speed beyond the downgrade itself into the plain. There is about 6 miles prior to the accident a small ridge upgrade he could have stopped there by bleeding off momentum and doing nothing. But no. He added power and continued to do so.

THAT sir, is the total opposite of trying to stop a situation that is a known runaway. Even if it is a risk of catching the truck on fire. Well... he caught what? 30 vehicles on fire? 4 dead and 6 hurt.

My runaways were lessons of themselves and I learned from them after solving them because i had to. If I didnt learn I wont last in this industry.

That's all he had to do, take the ramp, there is about two miles worth of ramp on that downgrade gravel off the shoulder he took none of it. There is plain language signs in huge format he did not stay in lower gear. 85 mph assumes total top gear and full power applied. all that way to the crash site. It's on him.

We all will know more than this when in August the pre trial hearings get rolling.

 

Ok, testing has not a lot to do with this. In the late 70's, I took a measly written exam for my chauffeurs license, the examiner said, "have you had a road test in the last 2 years"? I said, "well, I took my motorcycle test last year",," Good enough", he said, "that will be $8 bucks", and 3.5 million miles later, nothing ever happened, but I had a basic understanding how trucks work. This isn't a big mystery, you put unqualified people that don't understand the mechanics, in a unit and area that demands that, this is what happens. He probably never heard of brake fade, and figured those brakes will always be there, and panicked when they weren't.
SO,, 20 pages later, what's the answer, folks? Being retired, I can turn off the computer and go to bed, but you people still out here doing this job, have to deal with it. That's the thing about trucking, if it didn't happen to me, who cares? But you better start to care, because unless something is done, and it's a dual circuit, companies can't find drivers, and the ones that they do find, aren't experienced enough. Our country is so accustomed to goods being on the shelf, these companies literally HAVE to hire these ya-hoo's and like I say, this is the price we have to pay for a modern society today, and one thing for sure, in this country, this is happening RIGHT NOW, we just haven't heard of it yet. And I'm sorry, but all these HOS and drug testing rules haven't done a thing to make the roads safer. Wonder how long and how many will die for people to understand that? There is no "fail safe" on a semi, it's still up to the operator, something taken far too lightly today.

 

Not identical situation...in my opinion 2012 was a worse accident on Long Island Expressway. Driver was in his mid 40’s and didn’t stop when came upon stopped traffic. Ran over (I believe) 30+ cars and killed 2 people. He’s still driving truck today. It’s tied up in the court system.

At least this 23 year old was coming down a mountain, burned out his brakes and made an incredibly dumb decision by trying to ride it out instead of run away ramp.

On the L.I.E. what could the excuse be? His brakes didn’t fail. Tired, inattention...etc? He was an experienced driver in his 40’s.

Age may have some factor but you can’t just make a blanket statement that accidents of this magnitude wouldn’t happen if he was over 26. I started hauling fuel at 23...I’m in my 40’s and never had something like this happen.

 

It may be 20 pages however it's only two for me with my forum settings, it's a giant page but I read fast.

My last tractor trailer road test was Class A in Glen Bernie Maryland, a roughly 4 mile circut of construction with walls everywhere and that god awful cuthroat traffic in the front, side and back of me. Many of you have never been there but those that do should recall that place in the mid 80's as being especially bad, hundreds of people in that DMV fortress with miles of corridors and dozens of jaded agents at counters who you will never see again punching your papers.. if they are right.

I dont even remember the relevant 66 question written test except for one stupid question, your truck's parking brakes must be able to hold on any surface or grade.

I promise you I have had trucks that REFUSED to stay put when parking brakes were applied. Downslope they went.

Fast forward to the judgement day of the CDL A in April of 1994 for me on the very last day I could legally hold a Class A. THAT small town DMV was buried in people just like me. I had a fresh CDL in my hands within 8 minutes good for 4 more years. No road test either.

When I got married and came to Arkansas revenuer to transfer in the late 90's it was 10 minutes, eye test, picture, 50 dollars or so, a couple of written test, hazmat, tanker, general and airbrake done and done and done. Maryland license went bye bye.

(Today's convoluted process to get a CDLA with the usual particularly HM is essentially a crock of #### if you ask me for a opinion.)

Training schools are not much better. In fact they become meat markets for recruiters trolling for that hungry driver with just 10 dollars in his worldly assets. There are dozens of them. They know nothing. I don't have much for recruiters either. There might be one or two that I can care to respect enough to have a decent conversation now and then but the rest of them can save their promises and broken lies.

The trucking of my previous relatives no longer exist. And today's trucking has been micromanaged to death. I don't see Colorado prosecuting this one for 90 in a 70 or whatever it is now. I think it's 45 on that last drop into Denver for big rigs.

Am I bitter? No. I refuse to be.

Do I feel like a FRAUD? Possibly. Like a child that has gotten away with all sorts of things layered on the blithering BS about safety this and safety that. Get your rest, lift with your legs... never mind that 48000 pound load numbing the ### the legs are under... and busting that spine.

Ive had my fill of trucking but I will die one. Ive had good moments too. Good enough to make the bad moments a time where you turn it into a story and laugh about it.

In time this kid will be forgotten and the next one running his brakes out surrounded by the very best the Federal Govt and State can provide in terms of safety wont be worth a penny when it's all bypassed and takes 4 peoples lives to make the stop for good.

While we should drown in the tears of those left behind mourning the dead. It's a loss to them a permanent one. A wasteful one.

There will be more runaways. It's not going to be me unless there is a colossal failure in the engineering somewhere. And that's why I intend to hold on to the old iron. No computer crap to screw it up.

I think the one reason I am angry is because this kid cannot be blamed for the lack of training. He has proved to the whole USA what a mockery and lipservice this so called professional driving training really has become. A steaming pile of scrap best left to the junkyard.

And they consider ROBOT trucks in the future to replace stupid humans. By all means have at it. /sarcastic.

/semi rant.

 

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