Sandstone mountain claims 2 more lives in WV…

I use to drive a 1981 Cabover Freightliner, 300 Formuia / 7 spd. Hated that truck, it was best for flat land in my opinion.

Another driver got in it after I got another truck, he had it about 3 months and destroyed it going down Sandstone.

They built a road from the bottom back along the ravine to get a wrecker into where the truck stopped. I still remember looking at the pics on Pops office wall, the cab was ripped off right along the floor line and through the doghouse hump at an angle. The load of steel was scattered around, and the flatbed looked like lines on a barber pole.

Driver was a little short guy, and I mean short lol, probably only 5’-3”. His name was Freddy, he swore he rode it to the bottom, but the scratches and bruises on him and the pics on the wall didn’t match.

He told Pop the brakes were bad and wouldn’t hold the weight, upon inspection the brakes were in tolerance and it had new maxi’s on it, which were replaced after I complained about the brakes.

He always was some what of a cowboy, that ride could have taken him out….

 

I have personally witnessed a truck in front of me rolling on past the brake check parking area top of sandstone. He may have been empty I don’t know since it was a van trailer.

There is a towing company in East Bank, WV I bought a T600 parts truck from. I was looking at some of the wrecked trucks in his yard, and how the cabs appeared to just be ripped from the frame without extensive damage. I ask the owner about some of the trucks, and he told me 90% of the trucks in his yard were from the WV Turnpike. He is the man who was telling me about getting calls from trucking companies to go remove their truck from the Turnpike since driver reported it broke down. He then chuckled and said they pay for a tow bill and I never hook to the truck although my wrecker is there on sight. He explained how some of these new drivers who are just turned loose freeze up, then call the company stating the truck has issues when the truth is, only thing wrong is they are scared.
He said it took a while to figure out, but, one day a new driver just happened to tell his wrecker driver the truth then he understood. Told me his employees have driven trucks off the turnpike as far as across the line into Kentucky. Says a lot for these driver mill trucking schools doesn’t it….