Trucks make wide turns

[wolfie]

This is one of the first things taught in truck school - the trailer wheels track inboard of the tractor when you're turning. Another "early on the list" item is to check your mirrors while manouvering so that you can see if you're at risk of hitting something.

Somebody had a bad day at the truck stop where I overnighted. A Crete/Shaeffer (different divisions of same company) truck pulling out of the fuel island started to swing to the right almost immediately after leaving the pumps. A bollard placed to protect the pumps caught and tore out the bottom right corner of their trailer starting roughly 15 feet ahead of the wheels. Next thing that happened is that the wheels on the right side of their trailer hit the bollard - sudden tug on a trailer that was already damaged. Potatoes are heavy, and with the structure at the lower edge of the trailer destroyed, the inevitable happened - trailer's back broke.

This was an EXPENSIVE incident. Trailer was a write-off, tow truck was on scene for at least 6 hours, couple of flatbed straight trucks to haul off pieces of the trailer, couple of bins and a bobcat to scoop the cargo into them, and the potatoes probably had to be written off as well (chain of custody for safe handling of food - no longer in a food-grade environment as a result of the spill). Driver had probably made her last trip for the company.

[eltf177]

Agreed on the last trip, and may end up having to pay for some or all of this...

[Rosco the Iroc]

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Good thing you said the driver was a she. At least I know it isn't my cousin's ex-husband, who drives for Crete.

They're divorced now, but we still like him.

[BrenDAnn]

Wow. Let's just say my retired trucker of a dad shook his head pretty damn hard at this. The one thing that i can tell you, is that those bollards, or crash poles, can take a lot more than the trailer that hit it can. I've seen them bent completely over, to the ground, when someone hit one, and straightened back out again. Either way, I sincerely hope that she was a new driver,, and that she went and got more training afterward. Eesh!

[bunrotha]

Those bollards are tough for a reason. I'm happy they did their job and saved the fuel pump from a darn good trailering.

Here in the UK, where we have a metric shedload of roundabouts on most roads, the title of this thread needs to be pasted to the heads of some people. Just because the truck is taking the exit before you does *not* mean you can zoom round the inside of them. It never ends well for you.

[Crossbow]

I started to red this and immediately cringed when you said she was at the pump. I got to the part about the bollards and went "Whew. This is going to go bad for her, but not everyone else."

You wouldn't happen to have pictures, would you? I'm always on the lookout for more (non-fatal) truck accident pics for our safety system testing...

[pudddykat]

bunrotha it never ceases to amaze me how many people don't grasp physics for dummies 101 truck BIG you small = you loose.

[notalwaysright]

Here in the UK, where we have a metric shedload of roundabouts on most roads, the title of this thread needs to be pasted to the heads of some people. Just because the truck is taking the exit before you does *not* mean you can zoom round the inside of them. It never ends well for you.

When I read the title I thought it was going to be something along those lines. I used to drive on a street that truckers had to use, not a super busy street, but not empty either. There was a light with a left turn only lane and a straight or right turn lane. If a trucker was turning right, he had to start from the left hand turn lane. He would have his right blinker on. Most people would either not see or not care what was happening and zip around him. If I was the next car I'd stop and flash my lights and wait for him to make the turn.

I got honked at by the people behind me frequently. Even as the saw the truck turning in front of me.

[Crossbow]

...physics for dummies 101 truck BIG you small = you loose.

AKA: The Universal Law of Gross Tonnage

[Chromatix]

Or, colloquially, the "right of weigh".

[bunrotha]

Or, colloquially, the "right of weigh".

Oh, I am stealing that..

In related moaning, why do people approaching a junction not stop short when they see a truck turning in towards them? Like the thread says, Trucks Make Wide Turns.

Spent an entertaining moment this morning with a bin lorry waiting to turn left in front of me, and a cheesewit blocking that turn, having arrived at full throttle after the lorry committed to the turn.

Said cheesewit was refusing to either back up to let the bin lorry turn, or pull out (they couldn't see much but the lorry, and would probably have mounted the kerb) and generally was being an arse until the bin lorry crew advised them. I couldn't hear the advice from my place behind the bin lorry, but I hope it included an offer to push the car out of the way, or block it in using the bins they couldn't empty.

Advice was heeded, lorry proceeded, and absolutely no lessons were learned I suspect.

[Chromatix]

I can think of two reasons:

1: They don't think that far ahead. They'd lose to a Scholar's Mate in chess.

2: They don't think of the needs of other road users, only their own. Not even to the extent that these are mutually compatible.

The "right of weigh" also applies at level crossings, though here it is backed up by the full force of the law in all cases. The lightest complete train I can think of (a single self-propelled carriage) weighs *more* than a typical articulated lorry, and is authorised to travel faster.

[Nunavut Pants]

There's a saying in another forum I frequent: "People drive 10 feet off their front bumper." Apparently most people only pay attention to things that are close to the front of their car. Heaven forfend they actually look further ahead and anticipate what is happening around them...

[wolfie]

In related moaning, why do people approaching a junction not stop short when they see a truck turning in towards them? Like the thread says, Trucks Make Wide Turns.

Spent an entertaining moment this morning with a bin lorry waiting to turn left in front of me, and a cheesewit blocking that turn, having arrived at full throttle after the lorry committed to the turn.

From the terminology you're using, I assume you're a Brit, so this would be the equivalent of a right turn on this side of the pond.

I may have posted this before, but one shipper I go to has a wicked right turn on the route back to the interstate (some idiot put a lamp standard on the peak of the corner, and it's not a relieved radius to allow for trucks turning). I was heading toward the shipper, and the people ahead of me doing left turns were blocked by oncoming traffic. I clearly wasn't going to make it on that light, so I stopped a few lengths (note that I'm talking about MY lengths, not typical car lengths) back from the stop line - thought I saw a truck (poor visibility on the corner) in the right hand lane.

Light changes, last guy in line doesn't complete his turn. Backs up a few feet so he's just clear of the stop sign - doesn't the 150 or so feet between him and the next vehicle (me) mean anything to him? Turns out I *DID* see a truck in the right lane - and he's having a hell of a time trying to avoid both the lamp standard and the numbskull who didn't finish his turn. Of course, once his nose is clear of the fool's rear bumper, he takes advantage of the empty space in the left turn bay. As he comes even with me, we exchange "WTF?" looks - he clearly understands why I stopped so far back.