Truck driver stupidity (short and sweet)

[smileyeagle1021]

I saw what has to be the best example of stupid ever today. I saw a truck sitting on the side of the road, emergency lights on, the driver had a 5 gallon gas can filling one of the tanks (wow, that's going to take a few trips )... yes, the driver ran out of diesel... wanna guess what was just under a mile behind him that he could of stopped at...

if you guessed a full service truck stop, you win

[Wingates_Hellsing]

That nugget of hope in me believes that something kept the trucker from entering the truck stop, and that they were unable to turn around and get back there...

But my logic has since crushed that nugget into powder, and doesn't see any reason to listen to it anymore.

That said... damn

[wolfie]

Smileyeagle, I can think of a few reasons:

1. He wanted to pull off for fuel (still, cutting it that close is stupid), but he couldn't because a stream of 4-wheelers passed him on the right for the full length of the off-ramp.

2. He didn't have the appropriate card. You're in Utah, which is home to the Flying J chain of truck stops (and has more Flying Js than a state of similar area/population would normally warrant). They are pretty much the only chain that won't accept Comdata (a payment card) - probably because their parent company operates TCH (another payment card).

3. His carrier requires drivers to get authorization for each fuel stop, and the truck stop he passed wasn't one of his carrier's preferred suppliers (some large companies have negotiated a discount off the "street price" at some chains).

4. He was having gauge trouble, and assumed that he had roughly the same amount of fuel when he woke up from his DOT break as when he started (idling burns about a gallon per hour), but someone had stolen his fuel.

Even so, he wouldn't be filling the tanks from a jerrycan (big rigs typically have a pair of tanks, ranging from 100 to 150 gallons each). Assuming he gets between 5 and 6 miles per gallon (at high altitudes such as in Utah, you don't get as good fuel economy as at sea level), one jerrycan would be between 25 and 30 miles range - definitely enough to get back to the truck stop.

[Javarod]

Another possibility is a tank problem, the truck has two tanks, and i can't remember whether it pulls from both at once, or pulls from one then the other, but there has been failures where the fuel won't come out of one of the tanks, so its wonderfully fun to run out of gas even though you've 100+ gallons of fuel on board.

[smileyeagle1021]

2. He didn't have the appropriate card. You're in Utah, which is home to the Flying J chain of truck stops (and has more Flying Js than a state of similar area/population would normally warrant). They are pretty much the only chain that won't accept Comdata (a payment card) - probably because their parent company operates TCH (another payment card).

that one I can guarantee isn't the case... the truck stop he has passed was a Pilot, which I'm pretty sure does accept Comdata (i'm pretty sure I've seen a sign there saying that... I may have to check when I stop on my way to work... their fountain drinks cost more than Mavericks, but unlike Maverick they don't sell you colored water and try to pass it off as Pepsi).

I'm going with option 1... mainly because it's the Redwood Rd exit, which for some reason seems to encourage stupidity.

[Bosch]

And just some FYI most disel truck stops are full serve since you really don't want to stand there and wait for 300 gallons of fuel..

Been there done that have the T-shirt!

Drove a chase truck for my dad for a year when he was delivering mobile homes, you know those trucks with the "WIDE LOAD" signs and a little pick-up truck that blocks all traffic so you have crawl slowly behind it.. Yeah that was me holding you up for him!

But running out of fuel is considered a cardinal sin in the truck world - you just don't fucking do that EVER!

[smileyeagle1021]

But running out of fuel is considered a cardinal sin in the truck world - you just don't fucking do that EVER!

it's a cardinal sin in my family too... we have an ongoing joke that any person who runs out of gas is to be removed from all wills.

As it is, I know my car can go 350 miles on a tank (MPG*gallons in the tank)... wanna know the furthest I've ever gone between fill ups... 250 miles is my limit... that leaves me a 100 mile leeway for worst case scenario... and wanna know what... I have never run out of gas... amazing how simple that works

[Javarod]

Chuckles, "I've cut it pretty close and not always my fault. Got a 'new' taxi yesterday as mine broke (aren't the wheels supposed to go round and round?), by the time i got it to a gas station, i think it had about .25 gallons left in the tank.

Oh, as to the ComData thing, Pilot can make it interesting, when i worked for Schneider, you couldn't fill up at some Pilots because they weren't on the approved list, therefore your ComData card wouldn't work. Lovely, no?

[wolfie]

Another possibility is a tank problem, the truck has two tanks, and i can't remember whether it pulls from both at once, or pulls from one then the other, but there has been failures where the fuel won't come out of one of the tanks, so its wonderfully fun to run out of gas even though you've 100+ gallons of fuel on board.

Forgot about that one. My truck has a pair of 142 gallon tanks, and draws from both at the same time, but the fuel gauge sending unit only monitors the left tank (since the fuel levels will even out eventually through the cross pipe). If the pipe between the left tank and the outlet of the cross pipe were to get blocked, I'd be drawing entirely from the right tank, while the gauge would still be showing plenty of fuel.

As for Smiley's comment about the "wrong card" issue not happening since it was a Pilot, it could still have happened in the direction opposite to what I posted. TCH is accepted at Flying J (of course - same parent company), a number of independent truck stops, and (as of some time last year, after a law suit) at TA and Petro, but it is NOT accepted at Pilot. Of course, as a former Schneider (strange - they run Freightliners but paint them International orange) driver posted, their fuel cards will work at some Pilots but not others.

[MrWags]

I have had that happen to me. The left tank vent tube on my Volvo froze up, so I was only drawing on the right one. The gauge showed full, but, truck died out. Opened the left tank and fuel was overflowing from it.

I remember the fun when the Fishhook stopped using Comdata.

[protege]

I've only run out of gas once....

I'd picked up the MG way back in July, after it was "finished," and started to drive home. It didn't even make it out of the township. As I was driving along (and cooking, because I hadn't installed the window winders), the car started spluttering, and eventually stopped Stupid me *assumed* that the garage would have filled the tank, I mean they *did* charge me for it.

Bastards.

Good thing my father was following me in the Corolla, otherwise it would have been a *long* walk to the gas station. Drove to the nearest station, borrowed their gas can, and went back to the MG. Filled the car up, fired it up, and started driving home again.

Did that last? Of course not! It broke down again at the township line! Massive misfiring meant that I wasn't about to risk damaging the engine. Had to pull over again, and eventually had it towed back to the garage.

But, remember that gas can? Seems that we were gone so long, the station had called the cops on us. Over a $2 gas can, so you can imagine my surprise when the station attendant tells us that. But, it didn't stop there--as I'm getting back into the Corolla, for the drive home, my cell rings...and my mother is frantic. She went off about how the cops had called, what did we do, etc.

[trunks2k]

The ultimate truck driver (and authority) stupidity:

A couple weeks ago, there was a very bad accident on a major highway around here. Basically, a truck ended up losing control and flattening a car. The highway was closed for several hours and unfortunately, the driver of the car was killed. After the accident investigation, the truck driver was charged with murder.

Turns out the truck:
- Had no functioning brakes.
- The driver KNEW he had no functioning brakes because ...
- ... driver had been riding the emergency brake ....
- ... through several states...
- ... and had been ticketed several times in multiple states for not having functioning brakes (IIRC, he was ticketed three times in the same state).

So not only did this ass knowingly drive a big, heavy truck with no breaks for thousands of miles, various law enforcement had pulled him over, ticketed him for his lack of brakes, and let him drive away.