NTSB Investigating Fatal Accident Between Semi & Party Bus

Most of you probably know this, but just in case, you don't. The HOS never changed for the bus industry. A bus driver can actually work 24 hours and never be in violation, I have done it many of times.

I drove a private bus for 5 years and was completely exempt from the HOS or any DOT rules and regulations. I left Dallas, Tx , drove to Houston, visited a site there, drove to New Orleans, visited another site there, drove to Mobile, again visited a site and then drove to Charlotte NC. Never had a 8 or 10 hour break, had a couple "cat naps" while the boss tended to business.

 

Sounds like a miserable job. I have never had the desire to drive a bus.

 

The 9 years I spent at Carolina Trailways were the happiest years of my life. I left there and took the job of driving the private bus for a large trucking company in Charlotte, NC, now that turned out to be one miserable job. I got terminated in Quebec Canada. The boss and me got into one hell of a "cuss fight" and the end result, I became unemployed. LOL LOL

 

What changes if the truck was speeding? I can’t imagine the bus was speeding at the time it merged on the highway presumably in front of the truck. Unfortunately blame in an accident isn’t 100% or 0%.

 

Haven't been in that area in awhile myself, so hopefully someone with more knowledge can chime in, but....
Looking on google maps the entrances in that area of I-64 have a lot of lane to merge. Enough that a bus could easily get up to speed and even more before merging.

 

But, sympathetic juries don’t care about what’s right, laws, or facts. That’s been repeatedly proven. The plaintiffs’ attorneys only need to appeal to the jurors’ emotions to win their civil case. And, that’s the one that pays!

What’s unfortunate is we’re entering a time where us not being able to reach speed limits could potentially be used against us. If we show an 8 minute pre-trip instead of a 15 minute pre-trip, that will be used against us. Driving 11:02 to make a rest area will be used against us. Every little thing we do has the potential to be used against us, should we have a bad day.

 

The accident didnt happen near a merge area, the area is 3 lanes each way and all I know is the truck ended up in the westbound lanes crashing through 2 guardrails and hanging off a bridge.