Options after a rollover accident because of load shift?

I want to start my comment by 100% agreeing with this comment I am quoting!

I am a bit disappointed I did not read the words center of gravity in this thread. I am going to show two photos of the Georgia Highway 17 Exit from I 85 southbound in Lavonia Georgia. The first one is from above and the next one is from the Google Street side.
In this photo, you see there is only a short deceleration area. (First problem for a Trucker)


Here is the same area from the driver's point of view. There are 3 things in this photo that should alert a person driving a high center of gravity load to watch out for when making this exit. First, you see the exit number sign with a symbol that shows it is a 180-degree turn. Then you can see a direct warning to truckers there is a rollover danger. The last one can be confusing. Have you seen it yet? Look very closely all 3 are in order. The exit sign, the rollover sign then those arrow signs.




I used to live in that area of Georgia. At least 3 to 4 times a year somebody was getting pulled out from that low area over that curve.

Loads don't just shift, EVEN if the vehicle is loaded improperly. Loads shift when the center of gravity moves because of a turn. Part of this for drivers is understanding in some cases you did not load the trailer and you have no idea what's behind you. If you don't know how that vehicle was loaded you ALWAYS assume it has a high center of gravity and make such an exit as slow as safely possible. Sorry, this one is on the driver!

 

Sorry misfit, I was taught to NEVER pull a Load if there was no way to check how loaded. I NEVER did L.T.L. ONLY Trailers I pulled, from 1999 to 2021 were 10% random 45' flats, 27% 48' Vans, Reefers, Skateboards, 63% Air Ride and Spring Ride Dry Vans, Skateboards and LOCAL ONLY Reefers.
I was NEVER then responsible for some other persons way of mucking things up and I've pulled some weird loads but ALWAYS went
s---l---o---w---l---y around CURVES despite screaming horns.

For the Future: ALWAYS LOAD YOUR TRAILER, or BE PRESENT as it's being loaded. It might be difficult but YOU have to choose your Battle Weapons.
That way YOU have a chance to actually apply some Strapping to the Load, specifically the questionable parts.

Best forward advice: You are RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY LOAD whether or not You participated in Loading.

 

I don't know how true that is because every company I've worked for I've done drop and hooks on preloaded presealed trailers that I was 500 miles away from when it got loaded. I'm only responsible for the DOT safety of the trailer and WEIGHT of the load, not how it was loaded. I will not take responsibility for a load that I had nothing to do with being loaded and was pre sealed when I got there. I'm agreeing to pick up this pre loaded trailer and attempt to deliver it. I'm not agreeing that it was loaded right.

In fact I actually supervised a live load of old school textbook to be brought to a recycler. Well, they were all neatly palletized, but unfortunately, not using cellophane wrap strong enough to withstand 300 miles of rural MS roads. By the time I got to the destination and opened the door, every pallet had collapsed and the textbooks look like they had been ransacked by a pissed off 3rd grader. Instead of getting me unloaded in 20 minutes, the unload took 4 hours with two people having to load each book by hand into a hopper that was hooked to the forklift.

My company tried to blame ME for that. I told them my job was to get the load to the destination. My job is NOT to ensure it's palletized correctly. I can't do everyone's job. I can only do my own.

 

Well, it is a fact that most of the MEGAs have gone to the drop and hook model. They use local drivers in some situations to move the loaded and empty trailers around. Even most owner-operators are doing drop and hooks. On this subject, I have had many debates with operations dept supervisors as well as Safety. Still, the driver is held responsible for complying FULLY with Subpart I of part 393. This is just one of those petty annoyances truckers have to deal with on a daily basis. What I did discovered after years of driving was I could generally tell by my weight and what I was hauling if the load was OK. I did once get into a debate that almost become a cuss fight because a shipper secured a load before I got a chance to look at it. After about 30 minutes of me blocking the door they opened the load let me sit my tandem and used a new seal.

 

I hauled a load of school supplies including text books from PA to Washington state.
The stuff was palletized, but real sloppy. I was told I was to unload by hand because the receiver won't take pallets.
Got there and the trailer was a mess. Late at night and only the security guard was there. I told the security guard I'd pull the pallets off with his electric pallet jack. I said, I don't want the pallets. He said, leave them here, because I don't give a crap. Left the pile of books, etc. there and the pallets also. Security guard laughed and signed the bills.

 

i Beg to differ. (Ok not begging). Loads do shift and it's not always the drivers fault. Pallets collapse, banding breaks, faulty air bags, bad shrink wrap etc.......Not saying it was not the drivers fault but loads do shift.

 

Try that argument in almost any Safety Dept after rolling a truck in a steep curve like an interstate exit! I'm not attempting to be an idiot here. I have been in this business for many years. Most of the time when a securement fails the load gets damaged, sometimes the driver can feel it when it happens. If it is happening in a steep curve the driver took it too fast!

I remember hauling a load of Beer I had picked up in NY state headed south to Baltimore from Harrisburg. That road was so rough it caused one of the high pallets to tumble. When I got to the distributor they discovered it. As I said before, people sometimes fail to understand center of gravity. It actually moves around when the vehicle is in motion. It can move several feet in a matter of seconds. As in the case of beer, this is enough to flip a pallet of beer.

 

Not talking about the safety dept or exits or anything else I'm just saying loads do shift. Iv'e been around a couple of years and have seen load shifts because of all the things I mentioned and..........driver error.

 

You should contact the companies safety dept and ask when the results of the review will be decided .

 

What happens in most cases like this goes back to that question. What come first, the chicken or the egg? Did the load shift because of driver error or did it shift because of a securement failure?

Here's the thing. If you are discussing a damaged load with your company's loss prevention dept that is one thing. If you are discussing a rollover with a safety critter that is another. As I said about that beer load. I had damage, the load did shift. However, I made it to the destination albeit with damage! If you attempt to use that excuse for a rollover accident in a curve it won't generally work!