Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
(OP)
I've seen a lot of pictures of dump trucks hitting concrete overpasses, but this seems to be a whole new level. The driver was charged with impaired driving.
Can any of the bridge guys offer some thoughts as to how the damaged bracing would affect the bridge?
Also, why is there no system on these trucks that limit the speeds that the truck can drive while the box is up? It seems to be a fairly common occurrence that drivers forget the box is up then manage to make it to highway speeds before plowing into something.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/07/31/toronto...
Can any of the bridge guys offer some thoughts as to how the damaged bracing would affect the bridge?
Also, why is there no system on these trucks that limit the speeds that the truck can drive while the box is up? It seems to be a fairly common occurrence that drivers forget the box is up then manage to make it to highway speeds before plowing into something.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/07/31/toronto...






RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
You've got two unmarked levers sticking up through the truck floorboard. One engages the power take off, the other is the hydraulic control.
Stop the truck, shift into neutral, push the clutch in, engage the PTO, let the clutch out, and it starts dumping.
To lower the bed, disengage the PTO, move the other lever to lower the bed.
And usually at some point in there, you're shifting back into gear again to move the truck while you're dumping.
So I do all that, lock the tailgate, hop in the truck and take off. Get a quarter mile down the road, look in my mirror, and the bed is up again.
Problem was that I didn't get the PTO disengaged (only time I had driven that truck, and there's no way to actually tell by shifting if it's engaged or not.)
In my case, I didn't hit anything, so it was a major "Oops" moment, but no damage done.
One of our other drivers did that once and hit a pipe rack in a chemical plant. Bigger Oops there.
Anyway, I would bet that in 90% of these cases, they don't forget to lower the bed, it's because the bed comes back up and they're unaware of it.
Forget speed-limiting-bed-sensing technology. On equipment like that, it's a good challenge just to keep lights all working.
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
I live in the area, and I go over that bridge sometimes. I am glad I am not headed down there this weekend.
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JHG
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
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JHG
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
Whatever I wanted. I mean, I'm driving a dump truck. What do cars matter?
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
BA
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
As far as I know, the same company doesn't normally make the truck chassis/cab/engine and the bed/trailer- those are different entities- and that complicates the coordination between the two.
Did you ever see anyone driving down the road with their turn signal on? Or, perish the thought, did you ever do that yourself? It's perfectly obvious, there's a little light flashing to indicate the situation and making the dinka-dinka noise, but you can still be oblivious to it.
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
On a couple of occasions, I noticed in the rear view mirror that my automobile trunk lid was flapping in the breeze while driving. I would have noticed it earlier but wasn't looking for it and in any case, the consequences were not serious.
I'm pretty sure a safety device which would signal that the truck bed is raised would be a fairly simple device to include and it might prevent some nasty accidents.
BA
RE: Dump truck hits major bridge west of Toronto
Fuel truck driver charged with damaging covered bridge in South Whitehall
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JHG