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Strange trucking decisions

 
master steward
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At roughly 9 AM yesterday, I was driving south on I-24 maybe 25 miles north of Nashville, TN.  Traffic slowed to 20 mph.  Rubber began appearing all over the road. Eventually I discovered the problem.  There was a semi pulling a flat bed the was riding on its left rear rims.  Yes, it looked like all 4 rims.   The driver had not attempted to pull over.  He was fully loaded. The flat bed as sitting at a crazy angle. The load, though strapped, had shifted and looked ready to go over the edge.  

Now, I understand the logic of riding on one blown tire when there are 3 more to carry the load….but 4?  Clearly the rims were being destroyed. And, it is pretty obvious that something was terribly wrong from the start for this to have happened.  It was not a major trucking company. Can anyone come up with something to make sense of this?

The only thing I can up up with is a guy I knew tried to start his own trucking company.  He went out of business in 2 years because his employees kept making insane decisions and destroying equipment.
 
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Could be an independent driver who couldn't afford the fix? Even then, though, most independents only own the rig, not the trailer, so I'd think they could have contacted the trailer owner. But, in my truck driving years, I knew a fair cross section of OTR drivers, and... well, it's pretty much the same as any other cross section of folks - it takes all kinds.
 
John F Dean
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In my years in administration, I soon developed the attitude of fixing things as soon as possible was the cheapest route.  While we did not have semis, we did have a few busses, flat bed trucks, box trucks, vans, and cars…as well as three trailers.  I learned to inspect them myself because too often the drivers would not report the obvious.  

Statements I have heard:

“Yea, the breaks always make a funny noise when you turn a corner. It’s nothing.”

(Upon me finding a bolt on the ground)…”.every once in a while something like that falls off, but it’s not a problem.”

Regarding a pool of liquid under the vehicle “it’s been doing that for a while, but it’s not a problem yet.”

To be clear, I was always ranting about fixing problems immediately.   And I never chewed out anyone for breaking anything as long as they reported it.
 
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I guess he had miles to go and that motor was eatin' good...

Never underestimate the power of "I'm not paying for it."
 
Carla Burke
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Jordan Holland wrote:I guess he had miles to go and that motor was eatin' good...

Never underestimate the power of "I'm not paying for it."



Sadly, this was very likely the case.
 
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I'm betting he was told "get it there by 11:00 or you don't get paid!" and pissed the guy off :D
 
Carla Burke
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Pearl Sutton wrote:I'm betting he was told "get it there by 11:00 or you don't get paid!" and pissed the guy off :D



Yup! I've seen this one, too.
 
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Is it possible he was hauling a secure load which doesn't allow for stopping? was he placarded?
 
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Some drivers are a bit odd like that. My hubby does odd repairs for people and we have had the "I wish they'd repaired that trailer when the first wheel fell off"!
 
John F Dean
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Hi Cat,

No idea regarding any markings other than it was not any company I recognized.   I was busy watching his load shift and getting around him. The cab was black with white lettering. I am thinking an independent.
 
John F Dean
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Hi Nancy,

Vehicle safety is a huge issue with me.  It is an area where you can easily risk the lives and long term health of multiple people (ask Pearl) .  I like to be able to sleep at night. It is the one area where my transportation manager had Carte Blanche. If the manager asked me if he could get new tires for a vehicle, I would ask him how come the new tires weren’t already on it. We only had one wreck where it was our fault ( I am excluding a few parking lot dings)  A driver rear ended a car. He said the breaks failed. I went to the area where the vehicle was usually parked and there were visible skid marks …..where he tested the breaks before he pulled out of the lot.   The mechanic verified a blown master cylinder. The maintenance records were good. Fortunately, the driver of the car was not injured. Our driver had well over a million safe miles with us, so I let the issue rest.
 
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I would watch the news from that area.
Imagine the damage to the pavement running nothing but rims with a full load on them!
If this was a rural highway imagine the fires the sparks could be starting.
When that load falls it certainly will make the local news!

I would have been happy to work as a mechanic at your job.
Better and safer to fix it now, than pay the costs later.
 
John F Dean
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Hi Thomas,

There is an article on a hazmat spill in the Nashville area on the right day. 5he problem is there are no details.
 
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I do know that a lot of fires start like this. Invariably the trucker says, "I didn't even know the tire was gone"!

The word on the street is that you would be surprised about what you can and can't tell about the load you are hauling. Hay on fire for 15+ miles? Driver had no idea. Car rear-ended truck and is now stuck in the trailer? No idea. SINGLE tire gone? Once again, not a clue.

I dunno about this one though...






...Lost a car off a tow dolly behind a 24ft Uhaul once a long time ago. And yeah, I didn't even notice til we stopped 2 hours later.. NO IDEA
 
John F Dean
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Having 4 tires destroyed ranks pretty close to missing the car off the tow dolly.  Maybe the guy/girl had the tunes loud and was jamming.  
 
J. Graham
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I found the driver's commuter vehicle:
FB_IMG_1691953985830.jpg
[Thumbnail for FB_IMG_1691953985830.jpg]
 
Cat Knight
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John F Dean wrote:Hi Cat,

No idea regarding any markings other than it was not any company I recognized.   I was busy watching his load shift and getting around him. The cab was black with white lettering. I am thinking an independent.



Independents, especially owner operators are more likely to haul the kind of loads that don't allow for stopping ;) They are easier to background check.  
 
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Did you see an active driver behind the wheel when you passed?
 
John F Dean
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Hi  Coydon,

Fascinating question. Unfortunately there was someone behind the wheel. To take your question to the next level, I can’t be sure it wasn’t was mannequin.    I had other things on my mind at time, but it did grab my attention that the driver was not looking into the mirror like I would have been. Then again, I would have been off the road.
 
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