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Feb 26, 2015

STUCK TRUCKS * Australia: Is human error to blame?

Are Melbourne truckies height challenged? 

-- With Thursday morning rush hour made all the heavier by another heavy vehicle wedged under another Melbourne bridge, we're wondering where the fault lies. Is poor signage or design to blame? Or, when it comes the crunch, is human error to blame? ... Here are some of the more traffic-stopping examples of big rigs getting stuck under bridges in and around Melbourne, and beyond...
A truck lodged under the Montague Street, South Melbourne rail bridge, in 2011.


A container truck loses its load under a railway bridge at Napier Street, Footscray, November, 2014.


A truck rolls in Spencer Street after colliding with a railway bridge.


A truck crushed under the Montague Street, South Melbourne rail bridge, 2011.


Another big rig stuck on the corner of Flinders and Spencer streets, 2011
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A garbage truck wedged under the Simpson Bridge, Warrnambool.


A truck comes a cropper at City Road Bridge in South Melbourne, November, 2013
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Police clear the scene of an accident in City Road, South Melbourne, where a truck hit the underside of a light rail bridge.


The clean-up begins after a semi-trailer loaded with rubbish hit the Flinders and Spencer streets rail bridge, February, 2010.

 (Photos by Eddie Jim; Sebastian Costanzo; Penny Stephens; Jason South; Angela Wylie; Craig Abraham; Heath Missen; Nicole Bourman; Enzo Tomasiello; Angela Milne; Mark Wilson; Joel Saget; Getty Imges)
Melbourne,VIC,Australia -The Age,  -19 Feb 2015

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Oct 16, 2014

DANGEROUS DRIVER * South Africa: Horrorific accident

* South Africa - CRASH: "Privates companies: 'BYPASS THE SYSTEM'"

(Picture by Vumani Mkhize/EWN N12 - A battered truck on the N12 after a massive accident involving an 18 wheel articulated tipper truck and 49 cars. The multi-vehicle accident on 14 October near Alberton led to the death of 4 people and scores of injuries)
Johannesburg,Gauteng,S.A. -EWN, by Govan Whittles/Tamsin Wort -16 Oct 2014: -- Gauteng Transport MEC, Ismail Vadi, says private sector trucking companies are not complying with road safety regulations and are purposefully trying to bypass the system and increasing the risk of serious truck accidents on the province's roads. Vadi on Wednesday visited the victims of a multi-vehicle truck crash on the N12 in Alberton on Tuesday that left four people dead and another 16 still in hospital. The 18-wheeler articulated truck from Benusi Cargo Carriers in Potchefstroom ploughed through gridlocked traffic, damaging about 50 cars... The driver of the truck that caused Tuesday’s accident is expected to appear in court today and faces charges of culpable homicide...

 - WHAT HAPPENED ON THE N12 EAST?

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Oct 9, 2014

UNSAFE VEHICLES * Australia: Unchecked trucks cause catastrophic consequences

* Victoria - Trucking giant Cootes Transport


(Image: A fatal crash that left two people dead has been fined more than $50,000 for operating unsafe vehicles in Victoria) 
Sydnew,NSW,Australia -The Herald Sun, by Shannon Deery -October 08, 2014: -- Cootes Transport, the country’s biggest fuel transporter, today pleaded guilty at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to 67 charges of operating unsafe vehicles... The court heard the defects, that affected dozens of unroadworthy trucks, had the potential to cause catastrophic consequences if left unchecked... 

  -- The magistrate fined the company a total of $50,250 — a fine of $750 for each charge.
 -- Cootes has already been fined $440,000 by a NSW court for similar offending.
 -- Since the Mona Vale crash the Melbourne-based firm has lost its contracts with Shell and BP.
 -- The company has also terminated its contract with 7-Eleven due to poor profitability.
 -- The three contracts combined delivered annual revenue of about $92.5 million to Cootes — 60 per cent of revenues... 

 Since then hundreds of the company’s trucks have been inspected across NSW and Victoria, with dozens grounded and hundreds of defect notices issued... In a statement issued this afternoon Cootes said it had committed to working cooperatively with VicRoads and authorities to ensure road safety...

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Jul 27, 2012

ACCIDENTS STATISTICS * Australia

* ACT - Heavy vehicle crash deaths continue to fall 

Canberra,ACT,Australia -AG DOIT -27 July 2012: -- The number of deaths from heavy vehicle crashes continues to fall according to the latest quarterly bulletin on fatal heavy vehicle crashes from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics... While deaths from crashes involving articulated trucks remained at 141 for both 2010 and 2011, heavy rigid truck crash fatalities fell from 83 in 2010 to 71 in 2011... The 40-59 age group had the highest number of fatalities from heavy vehicle crashes with 82 deaths in 2011 – nearly double that of any other age group. The over 60 age group was the next highest, with 43 fatalities...

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Aug 20, 2009

Safety Violations * USA - Michigan Auto Law Reports Thousands of Trucks with Serious Ones

Truck accident lawyer says first thing to go is maintenance and the second is lives

Southfield,MICH,USA -PRWeb -19 Aug 2009: -- There are currently 1,072 Michigan trucking companies with less-than-satisfactory safety ratings. This means that about one in four trucks on Michigan roads currently have defective brakes, bad tires, loads that dangerously exceed federal and state weight limitations, as well as unfit drivers with little or no safety training, says truck accident lawyer Steven M. Gursten, of Michigan Auto Law... Gursten obtained the information through a FOIA request from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... (Photo from lipsig: truck accident)

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Jul 17, 2009

FATAL ACCIDENTS * USA - Heat, fatigue may be factors in Oklahoma

Oklahoma City,OK,USA -The Associated Press/The Trucker -16 July 2009: -- A 76-year-old truck driver whose semi plowed into traffic that had stopped on a turnpike worked 10 hours straight delivering groceries in sweltering heat before the crash occurred, authorities said Thursday... Donald Creed of Willard, Mo., did not exceed the federal daily driving limit when he crashed on the Will Rogers Turnpike on June 26, but investigators believe fatigue may have contributed to the crash, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Scott Horton, said. "We're also looking at the extreme heat as a possible factor," Horton said... Temperatures were in the upper 90s across eastern Oklahoma on the day of the crash... (Photo: Donald Creed of Willard, Mo., did not exceed the federal daily driving limit when he crashed on the Will Rogers Turnpike on June 26, but investigators believe fatigue may have contributed to the crash, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Scott Horton said. "We're also looking at the extreme heat as a possible factor," Horton said)


* Crashes Fuel Debate on Rules for Older Drivers

Ruckersville,VA,USA -The Wall Street Journal, by Philip Shishkin -9 July 2009: -- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Senior Vice President for Research, Anne McCartt, notes that there is no single screening method available for identifying problem drivers before accidents happen... However, with the number of licensed drivers over age 65 increasing to 57 million by 2030 and the number of traffic accidents rising among older drivers, lawmakers are under pressure to devise regulations that restrict older drivers' mobility and reduce crashes... Lawmakers in Massachusetts continue to examine the issue, while states like Illinois and New Hampshire require road tests for drivers 75 years and older... Massachusetts lawmakers, like State Sen. Brian Joyce, hope to make road and vision tests mandatory for drivers 85 years and older. However, Safe Roads Now and elderly drivers are hoping lawmakers will pass a competing bill that provides doctors with greater leeway in reporting impairments to licensing authorities...


* Drunken Driving is Down

Washington,DC,USA -The Christian Science Monitor, by Alexandra Marks -13 July 2009: -- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA) "2007 Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use" study, only 2.2 percent of American drivers are driving while intoxicated on weekends, down 71 percent from the number of drivers on the road while drunk in the 1970s... However, the survey also looked at drug use while driving for the first time and discovered that 16.3 percent of drivers have traces of drugs in their system, including marijuana, cocaine, and other stimulants, sedatives, and narcotics... While it is unclear whether these drivers were impaired while driving, experts agree that more must be done to curb drug use among drivers. Law enforcement officials had reported to the NHTSA prior to the study that some drivers pulled over did not test positive for alcohol, but still appeared to be impaired... NHTSA hopes to conduct further research into drug use among drivers to determine the impact of those substances on driver reaction times and other skills... (Photo from theadvocates: Drunk driving)

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FIERY ACCIDENT * USA - Tanker was from Roseville fleet

Roseville,MICH,USA -Free Press, by Megha Satyanarayana, Jennifer Dixon, Tammy Stables Battaglia & Matt Helms -July 16, 2009: -- The tanker truck involved in Wednesday night’s fiery crash that shut down I-75 at 9 Mile Road in Hazel Park is owned by Safiedine Oil Co., a Roseville company that is a primary wholesale distributor for Exxon and Mobil gasoline in Michigan... Federal records show that Safiedine Trucking’s trucks were involved in two accidents over the past two years – but there were no injuries or fatalities, and no citations were issued. Federal records also show that the company’s trucks and drivers were subject to a dozen random roadside inspections over the past 24 months. None of vehicles had violations serious enough that they had to be taken off the road... An expert said hazardous waste carriers typically have good track records – they hire the best drivers and pay them well – because they cannot afford to have problems that would drive up their insurance costs... (Photo by BRIAN KAUFMAN/Detroit Free Press - The cab of a tanker is burned next to a collapsed portion of the 9 Mile overpass at I-75 in Hazel Park today


* Trucking association praises driver

Arlington,VA,USA -The Free Press, by Niraj Warikoo -July 16, 2009: -- A truck driving association praised the driver of the truck involved in yesterday’s fiery explosion on 75 in Hazel Park and called for more safety programs to educate car and truck drivers... “We’re looking to improve the safety of car drivers and truck drivers,” said Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations... Boyce said that many times, truck drivers are unfairly blamed for accidents, but are actually often the victim of poor driving by car drivers... The crash in Hazel Park “revealed the skills and safe practices that are common among professional truck drivers,” Boyce said... He add, there was a federal program called the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program, initiated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, that states should implement in order to improve safety.. (Photo by MATT HELMS/Detroit Free Press - Crews at the collapsed 9 Mile overpass above I-75 were inspecting the damage this morning from a massive tanker explosion and fire that has shut down the freeway indefinitely)


* Truckers averted worse toll on I-75, cops say. Novice driver apparently triggered crash that melted bridge - Driver of car was a novice, records show...

Roseville,MICH,USA -Free Press, by Megha Satyanarayana, Jennifer Dixon, Tammy Stables Battaglia & Matt Helms -July 16, 2009: ... The driver of a car that state police say apparently triggered the tanker crash and explosion Wednesday night is a relative novice, according to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office... Haidarian-Shahri just got his license in May and is on probation as are all new drivers, according to Secretary of State records. He had no traffic violations since obtaining his license... (Photo by ALEXANDRA BAHOU/Detroit Free Press - The 9 Mile overpass is collapsed over I-75 this morning as the fire still smolders below)


* MI police: Truckers prevented further disaster

Hazel Park,MICH,USA -AP -16 July 2009: -- Michigan police say two truck drivers tried to dodge each other to prevent further devastation in an accident in which a car lost control on a Detroit area highway causing a fuel tanker to explode and an overpass to collapse... Part of Interstate 75 remained closed Thursday morning with debris still smoldering a day after the accident left three drivers with minor injuries. The fire was so intense because the tanker had about 13,000 gallons of fuel... Trooper Charles Kemp, of the Michigan State Police tells the Detroit Free Press a car hit the tanker, separating the cab and trailer. Another truck tried to get out of the tanker's way and the driver of the tanker also moved to avoid more damage... (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio: Firefighters work to extinguish a gasoline tanker explosion on interstate 75 north of Detroit in Hazel Park, Mich., Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Michigan State Police say there are no immediate reports of injuries. The tanker was headed north on Interstate 75 when it exploded beneath the 9 Mile Road overpass about 8 p.m. Half the overpass has collapsed onto the northbound lanes of I-75 while the rest remains standing)

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Jun 7, 2009

Accidents * UK - Foreign HGVs causing more accidents on British roads

London,UK -HGV (ireland)-7 June 2009: -- New figures compiled by traffic specialists Accident Exchange, show that the number of accidents caused on British roads by foreign HGvs has increased in the 12 months to the end of February 2009 by 10 per cent... The total number of accidents involving foreign lorries in the UK is about 9,000, but the proportions vary significantly around the country... Nearly 50 pert cent of the total number of accidents occurring on the M25 are caused by foreign left-hand drive trucks, which is 25 per cent of all the accidents in Britain where overseas registered trucks are at fault... According to the last statistics released by the Department of Transport the worst offenders are Polish drivers, closely followed by those from the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Hungary... Many of the accidents are caused by what is known as 'sideswiping' which happens when a HGV pulls out to overtake, and due to a blindspot is unaware of an overtaking vehicle... (Picture: autotraderblog.files.wordpress.com: truck crash)

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Jan 16, 2009

ACCIDENT * USA - 64-wheel truck loses load

Closes FM 3083 bridge for 15 hours

Montgomery,TX,USA -The Courier of Montgomery County, by Elliott Cochran -15 Jan 2009: -- A 64-wheel truck hauling a massive heat exchanger lost its load while attempting to turn onto the FM 3083 overpass at Interstate 45 and shut the bridge down for 15 hours Thursday... The accident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Thursday when the truck, attempting to navigate around mast arms holding traffic signals, lost control of the heat exchanger, causing it to shift on the trailer and land on the pavement before the vehicle skidded to a halt, according to TxDOT officials...The truck, which weighs 380,000 pounds and was contracted by Contractors Cargo Company of Houston, was transporting its load from the Port of Houston to Canada, officials said... (Photos: Texas Department of Transportation officials work to clear the scene of an accident Thursday morning at FM 3083 and Interstate 45, when a 64-wheel truck carrying a heating unit from the Port of Houston to Canada lost its load as the truck attempted to navigate a turn on the FM 3083 overpass)

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Feb 15, 2008

TRUCKS ACCIDENTS * USA - ODOT tries to stem increase in

Truckers keep on truckin’ — and getting into accidents

Eugene,OR,USA -The Register-Guard, by Jeff Wright -February 15, 2008: -- ... In a new report, the state Department of Transportation says total truck miles in Oregon increased by 8 percent between 2001 and 2006... But the rate of truck crashes in which the truck driver was at fault climbed by 22 percent in the same six-year span... In response to that “bedeviling” trend, the agency has vowed to intensify its efforts this year to reduce truck-related accidents on Oregon highways, primarily through more “inspection blitzes” of truckers and their rigs, and through an education campaign aimed at truckers, truck companies and the general public... (Video from YouTube, by katkisa -December 30, 2007: "Trucking Accident " - A trucking accident caught on film in Oregon. My brother is a truck driver and was driving past it. As you can see, one truck was plowed into the back of another and so on and so forth. Text from him = This is what happens when someone doesn't pay attention - Snow and Ice don't mix)

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Oct 9, 2007

ACCIDENT * USA - The Tacoma blast

"It's amazing there were not more" hurt

Tacoma,WA,USA -The Seattle Times (Seattle,Wash,USA), by Lauren Vane, Stuart Eskenazi & Nick Perry -October 8, 2007: -- ... The truck, delivering propane, exploded Saturday at the foundry, rocketing a fireball into the air. Four were injured in the blast, with driver Charles McDonald, 64, still in the intensive-care unit at Harborview Medical Center on Sunday night. Three others with minor injuries were released Saturday from a Tacoma hospital... Although the precise cause won't be known for some time, something went wrong when the highly flammable liquified gas from the truck's cargo tank was being transferred to two storage tanks at the foundry. Propane is a backup fuel source at the foundry... "There was a leak, and the propane found an ignition source," Tacoma Fire assistant chief Dan Crotty said... Fire officials haven't determined what ignited the propane, but it may have been welding or an open furnace, Crotty said. Atlas Chief Executive Duane Britschgi said he was unaware of welding taking place nearby... (Photo by THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES: Crews survey the scene Sunday at the Atlas foundry. Little was left of the tanker truck, visible in the center of the photo, that ignited Saturday)

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May 10, 2007

Study * USA - Averting disaster

Some of the most common types of accidents can be avoided with today's technology

Tuscaloosa,AL,USA -CCJ, by By Paul Richards -May 2007: -- Here's a look at some high-tech systems that can save money, equipment ... and lives... Truck rollovers, jackknives and lanemigration, rear-end and blind-spot accidents occur all too frequently, as anyone who watches the morning news knows. But such incidents needn't be a matter of chance. There are ways of putting the potential for avoiding them within your control...

* Be aware of surroundings: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reportedly estimates that 93 ercent of all accidents involve driver error, with the majority of those accidents related to driver inattention.

* Keep it stable: Loss of control, often resulting in jackknifes or rollovers, can be mitigated by electronic stability control systems currently available.

* Stay in your lane: Valuable in averting lane-departure accidents, which usually are caused by driver drowsiness or inattention, is a technology called lane-departure warning (LDW). This system -- supplied by Iteris, Delphi and others -- monitors a truck's position relative to lane markings, then sounds an audible warning when the truck is about to stray outside its lane.

* Return on investment: A question asked by fleet managers thinking of adopting these technologies no doubt will be: Can they pay for themselves? Given the industry's estimated cost of $75,000 per heavytruck accident, "I think they can," says Sunset's Ply. "I expect our Vorad systems will pay for themselves in less than 12 months"... (Photo: Some of the most common types of accidents can be avoided with today's technology. Here's a look at some high-tech systems that can save money, equipment ... and lives)

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Mar 16, 2007

Big Rig Accidents * USA - Texas, tops list for most fatal ones

Tx,USA -txcn.com/11 News, by Dan Lauck -March 12, 2007: -- A new study released Monday said Texans have good reason to be nervous about sharing the road with big rigs... The state is number one when it comes to deadly big rig accidents... Texas, on average, kills 100 more people a year than whatever state is second...

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