Blown-over Trucks...gale-force-winds Safety Question

Office buildings very rarely blow over in heavy winds. Just food for thought.

But I have seen what happens when planes hit buildings. I will take the high cab (6 feet?) of a semi over the 50th floor any day.

a driver got blown off the chesapeke bay bridge before the alerts sounded and died

At least I can swim unless this man died of exposure in cold water.

But the driver could have a bad heart and that bridge thing could have done it.

Mother always told me that if your vehicle even gets immersed, allow the interior to almost fill up before opening the door so the pressure is equalized.

Something tells me when that driver hit the water when he went over the Chesapeake Bay bridge, it was like smacking into concrete. Couple that with these plastic cabs and he didn't stand a chance.

And the weight of the vehicle that pulled him down. trying to swim away would.be like getti g sucked in a vacuum....but Diver Driver can comment. he dove on the oil rigs.

Something tells me when that driver hit the water when he went over the Chesapeake Bay bridge, it was like smacking into concrete. Couple that with these plastic cabs and he didn't stand a chance.

Plastic cabs. Trucks USED to be "built like tanks" just like the old cars like that '61 Peterbilt in the film "Duel". It could be that their new-age lightness has something to do with the wind blowing them ____holes over tea kettles as well. Trucks seem to have become "Walmart grade" in construction, maybe?

Todd? 80k is 80k no matter what the empty truck and trailer weigh and if anything, they've gotten heavier over the years with longer stock wheelbase lengths, condo tops and all the additional interior perks that make living in a truck much easier.

The cabs are lighter so they can haul more freight. I routinely hover just barely under 80,000 pounds on my gross. Load before this current one, my gross was 79,880 with 3/4 tank of fuel. Have you ever seen a truck cab after it's driver has hit something solid, like the back of another heavily loaded trailer? There ain't NOTHING left of the cab and just the frame and generally the cab is not attached to it. The big lesson is NEVER tailgate.

If I knew how to post a YouTube video, I'd post the last one I saw in August near Dandridge TN. It was really ugly.

The cabs are lighter so they can haul more freight. I routinely hover just barely under 80,000 pounds on my gross. Load before this current one, my gross was 79,880 with 3/4 tank of fuel. Have you ever seen a truck cab after it's driver has hit something solid, like the back of another heavily loaded trailer? There ain't NOTHING left of the cab and just the frame and generally the cab is not attached to it. The big lesson is NEVER tailgate.

If I knew how to post a YouTube video, I'd post the last one I saw in August near Dandridge TN. It was really ugly.

So, the question might be, "Do modern trucks afford more overall driver protection overall than trucks did 25 or 50 years ago?"

Do modern Class 8 tractors afford any form of airbag systems for crash protections? Do they have a shoulder harness as well as a lap belt? Those older army trucks were rather shoddy in terms of vehicle occupant restraint systems. We had a lap seat belt and that was it. Our steering columns weren't collapsible either.

More on the crudeness of military vehicles. Many of my army trucks lacked cab heat even for cold-weather and not a single one I drove had a/c. The transfer lever, you had to practically jump up and down on the thing with your feet to shift your transfer case. A cab heater in an army truck was a great luxury.

Todd, if I may, maybe you should try focusing on the positives of this industry. The more you focus on the negative, the more likely you will manifest that same negativity. I try to focus on my spiritual grounding & more importantly, my faith to keep me as vigilant as I need to be out here.

The longer you’re out here, the more ingrained your good habits will become. Prime has a policy that states, “you are the captain of your ship”. You will need to listen to your gut & not push your luck or limit. The more experienced you become, the easier it will become to listen to your gut.

Just my opinion. Good luck

So you monitor the weather and feel it out. Common sense is going to save your ass out here more than anything else. I drove all around NC and SC before hurricane florence hit, I tracked the storm and made sure I wouldn't be effected by it. You either do your due diligence or you make a bad decision and succumb to it. Goodluck out there driver