U-Turn In Big Rig And.... Your Fired! ??

Sam P wrote:

I've seen a couple of suggestions, but that video gave me a question. If you do find yourself staring at a low bridge, and you can't make a U-Turn, what do you do? Especially if there is a good amount of traffic around you.

Reason I am asking, there was a driver in Spartanburg, SC that hit a low bridge last week, and I have a feeling he is unemployed. I don't want to be unemployed.

There is no excuse for hitting a low bridge, it's entirely preventable. When faced with this situation, STOP well before the low-bridge, preferably off the road as best you can, turn-on the 4-ways flashers and set out the reflective triangles. At this point contact your driver manager , explain the situation and then with their knowledge, contact the Police to help with traffic control while you back the truck up. Never attempt a backing maneuver on an active road or highway without Police assistance. This is why trip-planning, laser focus on road signs, and following directions precisely is so important to safety and success. Going off-route unexpectedly, is one of the main reasons a driver is faced with this situation.

I second this. Some people might be afraid to contact the cops in a situation like this, but they're never going to hold it against you. It's their job, and they're there to help you. (Hey i just used all 3 "there's" in one sentence!!!) They would much rather help you back up than the alternative.

I've seen a couple of suggestions, but that video gave me a question. If you do find yourself staring at a low bridge, and you can't make a U-Turn, what do you do? Especially if there is a good amount of traffic around you.

Reason I am asking, there was a driver in Spartanburg, SC that hit a low bridge last week, and I have a feeling he is unemployed. I don't want to be unemployed.

I agree with everyone else I personally have had 2 dealings with the local police while in a trick and both times it was just for that reason. The first time I missed a turn to the interstate in Massachusetts and I had to stop because of all the weight restricted roads lol the cop was right behind just waiting for me to pull onto one of those roads and he actually complimented me for noticing the signs. Then he took care of the traffic while I did the u turn. The second time was in Jersey and the wind blew over the road closed sign and I didn't know where to turn around at and I called and they sent an officer out to show me an intersection I could use. No traffic on that one since the road was closed but I will tell you I felt way less dumb about it when another truck pulled into the same section of road.

This video has been posted before I am sure, but it illustrates the old adage, "There is a time and a place for everything." This is one of those situations, where the first course of action should have been to set emergency flashers, and call the police.

Driver Fails At Low Bridge U-Turn

I drive for CRST, and it's drilled into us from day one-no u-turns. EVER.

Swift has a no u turn and no right turn on red policy

so does Knight...

A "no u-turns EVER" policy is a bit laughable in my opinion. Obviously you want to avoid making one if there is a reasonable alternative, but sometimes there's not. There are distributors that you have to perform a U-turn to enter (usually but not always at the end of a dead end road, with a median preventing a left turn until after the entrance). Not common, but they're out there and if you drive long enough you will end up going to one. Likewise, there are shippers/receivers that you must back in to from the street. I delivered to one this morning, and it was by no means the first.

I'm not bringing this up to be contradictory, as I generally agree with what's been said on this thread. Just want the new folks to be aware that there are exceptions to (some) rules. The problem with U-turns comes from underestimating the amount of room or time needed to complete one, like the poor soul in the video linked here.

The worst part about that video is that it appears as though he has plenty of room to complete a u-turn, if he were to ask traffic behind him to back up and he then backed up about fifty feet (the wide area where the car filming is sitting). Hard to say for sure as I can't see the entire area, but there were alternatives to ripping his truck up for a turn that wasn't going to happen. He could have done a number of things (including calling the authorities for help) but instead frustration and inexperience caused him to panic and not think things through.