Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[rd_macgregor]

Note that the rear trailer is leving skid marks, but the rest of the rig isn't leaving any tracks. I think this supports Eric's analysis.

 

[deezler]

There looks to be more than just slick roads involved. You can see the flashers on the first trailer but not the second trailer. Could something have come disconnected causing the second trailer's brakes to lock up? The tractor and first trailer seemed to track down the raod but the second trailer was sliding. What ever it was that driver did an amazing job but probably needs new pants.

Yeah I saw in an article about that fedex truck that the rear-most trailers air lines had come off (brakes locked). He did a nice job keeping it behind the front.

 

[prichard]

I like the comment (I assume one of the cops) "I can't believe that worked" at the end.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Speaking of new pants. Car ahead of me went off left side of road this morning, whipped it back on, fishtailed back and forth, regained control without hitting anyone. Then got off the exit.

Hope it is saved on my dash cam.

Just saw a trash truck stuck in the grass between exit ramp and the road. Decided they didn't want to exit, and found out the ground is soft.

Last night going home a cement mixer pulled off on shoulder of interstate, right side in the grass and sunk. 3 large semi recovery tow trucks trying to pull it out.

 

[California]

Last night going home a cement mixer pulled off on shoulder of interstate, right side in the grass and sunk. 3 large semi recovery tow trucks trying to pull it out.

We saw similar back in my Carpenter days. New subdivision in what 100 years prior had been a peat bog, then farmland. Cement mixer truck backed across the sidewalk at a good speed ... and the back end sunk like he had backed off a pier.

We wheelbarrowed the whole load back to the foundation we were pouring. When the second load arrived he brought a cable. The loaded truck was able to pull the now-empty one out relying on his weight and traction on the street.

 

[joefromga]

So he was sliding long enough to call cops and wait for them to arrive?

And what is a slow brake?

Why do people drive on ice?

 

[DavesTractor]

So he was sliding long enough to call cops and wait for them to arrive?

And what is a slow brake?

Why do people drive on ice?

1) I don't think he waited for the cops. How they got there so quickly one could only surmise.

2) A slow brake, I believe, is when the CHP runs their lights and does a weave back and forth slowing all traffic behind them. Better than just closing the road.

3) Why do people drive on sunny days? Why do people drive in the rain? They have places to go. Hwy 80, and most of the Sierra Nevada's are icy all winter. At least in spots. If you need to go east out of California and you are north of Bakersfield, you deal with snow and ice. I was on this same stretch just a few weeks ago towing a trailer on the ice. You drive slow, and you make no sudden movements.

 

[California]

"When a big rig jack-knifed about 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, on Interstate 80 at the top of a grade above the Floriston, the California Highway Patrol was faced with a shut down of the freeway to wait for a tow truck. Instead, because the double-trailer Fed-Ex rig still had engine power, it was escorted by CHP cruisers, sideways at times, down the slope." Text accompanying that video.

North of the Los Angeles region, I-80 over Donner pass is the only all-weather route out of California to head toward the Eastern states. This is the route of the original Transcontinental railroad, there aren't better alternatives over the Sierras for hundreds of miles north or south of there. (yes Donner, named for the wagon train that couldn't get over that summit in unexpected early winter, starved in 25 feet of snow, resorted to cannibalism). Its harsh country.

Why drive on ice? Some FedEx dispatcher sent that guy out with doubles presumably to keep deliveries on schedule. I wonder if that second trailer was up to spec - good tires and chains, brakes equal to the other equipment. Poor equipment maintenance might explain why the rig jackknifed in the first place.

 

[dragoneggs]

I have driven that road from Sacramento to Reno in the winter several times. Major Interstate but it can get nasty over the pass, for sure. Conditions change quickly too.

 

[DavesTractor]

Why drive on ice? Some FedEx dispatcher sent that guy out with doubles presumably to keep deliveries on schedule. I wonder if that second trailer was up to spec - good tires and chains, brakes equal to the other equipment. Poor equipment maintenance might explain why the rig jackknifed in the first place.

A good friend of mine used to have the contract for FedEx between Reno and Wendover. Basically Hwy 80 across Nevada. He owned his own fleet of trucks that was marked FedEx and dedicated for that. They were flawless in their maintenance, but things can still happen. Most of these FedEx guys run a pretty tight ship.

Thanks for the clarification on how all of this came about. And by the way, he ran triples across Nevada and the speed limit for trucks is mostly 75 all the way across. When the winds were high or the roads were icy, this was an e-ticket ride. But hey, Amazon Prime customers needs their stuff, and seldom do our hard working truck drivers in the USA get credit for this very difficult winter driving.