How can you not notice this?

Do you really think they even noticed it then?

 

A little over a year ago I was headed east on I-30, just east of Texarkana. My trainee was at the wheel and we were cruising at night.

Another mega passed us about 2 mph faster, trailing a shower of sparks from the blown right rear outside trailer tandem. The tire was gone, just remnants of sidewalls and wires sparking on the pavement.

I tried to raise him on the CB, no go. Tried flashing our lights at him repeatedly to give him a clue. Raised some other drivers on the CB that were faster to try and get his attention, but the driver had a straight ahead fixed stare.

If that driver had simply bothered to check his right mirror even once he couldn't help but notice a bright spray of sparks. Not happening.

About 10 miles later the driver finally noticed. He was on the shoulder with a fire extinguisher, putting out the last of a fire after the inside tire blew. We barely avoided the mud flap assembly in the right lane about a quarter mile from his rig.

CHECK YOUR MIRRORS.

Oh, and there's this newfangled thing called a CB...

 

The massive lack of common sense among some of the new drivers these days is staggering....

 

Agreed 100%^^^ it puzzles me how someone doesn't realize they're dragging a tire

 

No joke. The truck feels completely different from the second you start to let off the clutch to get going. How can a person just ignore it? Every shift, every curve, every hill, the truck will let you know something is wrong.

 

And not forgetting about the sound.
Those tires will squeel like pigs.

 

I was taking a 30 at a rest area a couple of years ago. A truck was parked next to me, not idling and the curtain closed. I noticed his air bags on his trailer were completely deflated.

As I'm eating lunch I noticed the driver emerge from behind the curtain, get in the driver's seat, turn on the truck and immediately attempt to pop the brake valves. Of course THAT wasn't happening because he didn't have enough air pressure.

After a couple of minutes of high idling, all the while trying to pop the brake valves he finally managed to get his brakes disengaged and roared out of rest stop. His trailer air bags didn't seem like they had begun to fill, the reefer was resting on the top of the tires. With every shift he almost came to a dead stop, then lugged it up to screaming rpm's to get the next gear.

I last saw him trailing a cloud of thick smoke from rubber burning on the bottom of his trailer. Fortunately there was a nice breeze to waft the stench away.

 

A few years ago I was headed from my house to the shop (about three miles). As I passed our fuel stop I noticed black marks on the opposite side of the highway. They went all the way back to the shop.

That guy is no longer employed here.

 

I don't see how they can't feel it, hell the first 10 miles after i get unloaded im looking back as the truck feels so #### different....

 

I think the issue is they AREN'T looking in the mirrors. Just holding the steering wheel and staring straight ahead, zoned out in their thoughts, the music, or anything BUT what they should be doing.