![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
DANGEROUS TRUCKS * USA - Pole truck loophole sidesteps safety
ODOT regulators examine rules and meet to fix dangerous Highway 30-Bennett Road crossing
Scappoose,OR,USA -The South County Spotlight, by Darryl Swan -Oct 2, 2008: -- A photograph supplied to Oregon Department of Transportation regulators by the South County Spotlight on Monday morning raised questions about whether a recent emergency action requiring pole truck drivers to use rear-trailing pilot cars is being followed... Specifically, the photograph showed a pole truck hauling 85-foot-long poles turning from Highway 30 onto Bennett Road. The load did swing partially into the westbound lane of Highway 30, creating a scenario similar to what resulted in three crashes at that intersection since April involving pole trucks, including one fatality... After reviewing the image, Gregg Dal Ponte, director for ODOT’s Motor Carrier Division, said he doubted a violation of the new rule had occurred. In particular, the pole truck used what is a called a “Joe-dog,” or a fifth axle pinned to the rear of the truck... (Photo by Darryl Swan/The South County Spotlight - A pole truck driven by Ron Brownlow of Rainier makes the right turn onto Bennett Road from Highway 30. Brownlow’s use of a “Joe-dog,” a swiveling fifth axle, allows him to haul oversize logs without hiring a rear-trailing pilot car as required under a new ODOT rule. In the foreground is the roadside memorial for Jeff Little, who was killed when the truck he was a passenger in collided with a pole truck overhang)Labels: dangerous trucks
posted by Unknown @ 11:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home