I haven't posted on here lately. Lots of driving and heavy eyelids have made it kinda hard to do. Well, that and I have to keep up with my farm, my apartment, my fish tanks, my cafe, and my amusement park on Facebook. Being a restaurant owning, fish tank cleaning, amusement park running farmer takes a lot of work. All of that while being stranded on an island really takes it out of you.
But I wanted to update this with something that really irritated me this last week. I know it wasn't one of you, but maybe we can all learn something together here,
Earlier this week I was assigned a load picking up in Iowa and delivering to Laredo Texas. 1100 miles give or take. A nice little trip that takes a couple of days.
What made this load special was the cargo. I was given the privilege of hauling flammable resin. 26,000 pounds of a highly flammable chemical, packaged carefully in 55 gallon drums, bound to pallets and nailed and strapped into my trailer.
You have seen HazMat loads before. They are marked on all 4 sides of the trailer or tanker with placards that let Emergency responders know what kind of chemical is on the truck so they know what procedures to take in the case of an emergency.
As a HazMat driver, I also need to know what to do. I need to know how far downwind to keep people in the case of an inhalation hazard, or what to use to out out a fire in case one breaks out. Some of these chemicals are even more explosive when they come in contact with water, so knowing whether or not I can use water in kinda important.
Hazmat loads are also not permitted to travel certain roads. For instance, Fort Worth and San Antonio Texas do not allow hazardous materials to go through town, so you have to go around. As the driver, I am required to know all if this.
I am also not allowed to leave the vehicle for any extended period of time. I can go potty. I can grab a bite to eat. I can not watch a movie in a truck stop, or even eat a meal inside for that matter. If someone backs into the trailer and it starts to leak, the hazmat driver needs to be on hand to handle things until first responders can get there.
So I have told you all of this for a reason. There is a lot of responsibility in driving a HazMat load across the country. In addition to the careful manner I usually handle my truck, I also have the added responsibility of making sure this dangerous load gets where it is supposed to be without blowing up.
As I stated before, Hazmat loads are marked with placards on all four sides of the trailer. On this particular trip, my placards were bright red and read "Flammable" in big letters. When I see these loads I typically give the driver a little more room and try to get distance between us if I have to pass.
However, I can not tell you how many times I had drivers cut me off, or tailgate me, or ride next to me for extended periods of time. It is bad enough when people do these things to a truck with a normal load. To do it with a truck hauling flammable chemicals is just plain stupid.
So please remember these few suggestions when driving around ANY truck.
Give them plenty of room-We take longer to stop, longer to start, longer to change lanes, and can roll over very easily.
Don't ride beside us-If you are next to a truck, get around them or get back behind them. We may not be able to see you. We may have a tire blow out. If that happens you may end up with a blown tire flying through the air and hitting your windshield. I saw that very thing happen in Chicago and the driver of the car lost control and hit the jersey barrier in the median, causing extensive damage to his car. It could have cost him his life.
Don't tailgate us- If you are less than 100-150 feet behind us, we may not be able to see you. If we can't see you, we can not compensate for you being behind us. Why would you want to follow a truck that close anyways? You can't see around us, so what are you going to do if we have to slam on our brakes? Will you be able to stop in time? Hopefully, but why take that chance?
Most importantly, at least in my opinion, Don't cut us off- We can not stop as quickly as you. If we are fully loaded and running at 60 miles an hour it is going to take us more than a footballs length to come to a stop. You should give trucks about half that distance before you pull in front of us. If you can't do that though, at least make sure you keep your speed up, and don't slow down. Our brakes do not engage the second we hit the peddle like a car does. They take a second before they begin working.
Most truck drivers are courteous and concerned with public safety. Some are not. If you see one of these drivers tailgating another truck or car, or weaving in and out of traffic, get away from them. They are dangerous. Don't try to "Show Him" and cut him off or intentionally slow down in front of him. Stay out of his way and let him go on. You will lose any fight you pick with a truck.
Here is an interesting statistic. 80% of all fatality accidents involving a tractor trailer were caused by a non commercial vehicle. Think about that next time you want to squeeze in between that truck and the car in front of him.
safe driving ya'll
