You're told to drive on a flat by a DM, what would you do?

I take my chances. It is an automatic out of service order. That’s why you see so many trucks that blow a tire, immediately hit the shoulder.

 

If you are going to pull over on the shoulder and sit after a blowout and your gator is still in the travel lanes. You better go remove it before someone hits it. Good luck if its a buzzing road. You are still at the scene of the crime. If you are not sitting nearby no one can link it to you. Best to move on. This has happened many times in favor of the vehicle who hit it after a parked truck threw it. Just something else to think about.

 

What is your complaint you have 17 tires left? I don’t understand you newbies why pay the road call when you can drive 25 miles to the shop

 

I have driven up to 50 miles with a flat. What I will do is hear the boom, pull over, put hazards on and go run and check for damage. As long as the trailer seems safe to continue slowly, I will pull back on, go no faster than 50, with hazards on and stop at the next truck stop with a tire shop, usually a Loves as that's what my company encourages us to use, but we also use TA. I've never had an issue but I've been prepared to be told I am in violation and put OOS for the flat tire.

What people don't realize is that unless your tire completely departs your rim on the initial blowout, you can sling some mighty large chunks of rubber behind you as you're driving along after the blowout. I saw a car take a gator (most likely a sidewall) following a truck that was driving with a flat. That truck driver is responsible for the damage to that car. I was driving behind a truck not long ago at night and would hear a "thud" against my truck every now and then. I couldn't figure out what in the hell that noise was. I finally noticed the truck in front of me had a flat and was STILL doing 70. He was slinging rubber hundreds of feet behind him.

So it's a risk you take, but it's up to the individual driver. If I'm light, I'll be comfy going much further than if I'm at 45K in the box.

 

Well.... i've road on flats , i've limped in , and also had road service , so my opinion is if you know its a gonner - off bead , shredding , on the out side , then road service , inside and still in one piece ( not shreded ) and close to someplace to fix it , then maybe limp it . I've seen them spin off rims and lodge between springs and rims and start fires , i've also had them blow and shred like crazy , so wether its a newbie or a old hand , its totally a drivers call . No manager worth a #### will risk that truck being screwed up . Also , if its a super single or a steer , your s o l till it's fixed anyways.

 

The way you get old and wise , is you survived being young and dumb

 

Best is to just hire a tire guy with a complete service truck to follow you around everywhere you go. Then he is there whenever you need him.

 

If my truck will drag it, it’s going to the next exit. I’ve only been driving 12 years and I’ve seen countless trucks hit on the shoulder. It seems like every other 4 parked on the shoulder has been side swiped. Same goes for law enforcement stops.

On a related note, multiple times I’ve been stopped because some county cop wants to see my permit. Usually on a skinny two lane highway at 16 to 20’ wide. We stop right in the middle of the road. Seems kind of dangerous to me, but what do I know, I’m just a truck driver.

 

I am scared to death of being stopped on the shoulder of a highway. Day or night, there are too many people who can't or won't merge over. Doesn't matter if you have flashers, flares, triangles, or strobes. I NEVER park on the shoulder of the freeway unless It's a situation where I can't move the vehicle at all. I value my life, I guess. If I'm being pulled over, I may even go an extra mile or two with my right blinker on and get to an off ramp. Then the cop and myself are in a safer situation for the traffic stop.