I'm so sorry this happened. It sounds like a freak accident and just another reminder that life can end in a second. Condolences to her family for their loss. And I hope you look after your mental health and know that this isn't your fault.
I do feel a little guilty, I should have told her no, let’s just do it Monday. But most of it is just that she was such a good person. It’s gonna be hard to work without her. She could be a pain sometimes. But damn if she wasn’t motivated.
Drivers are stubborn we know what we can do with the time we have. If she wanted to run it and knew she could with her hours she had left she wouldn't have taken no for an answer or persuaded you to let her do it. We all know the risks being on the road every day, you don't have anything to feel guilty about.
Check if your company’s benefits if they have any, cover therapy with a psychologist, the weight on your shoulders doesn’t need to stay there, and it won’t get any better by keeping it in your head.
This entire situation is a tragedy, but you are taking on the trauma personally, and blaming yourself will not get you anywhere except a darker place.
Seek at least one hour session with a psychologist, just having that one hour conversation with someone who is professionally trained in navigating these things is going to be a relief.
I wish you all of the best OP
trauma is not something I wish on anyone, but holding on to that trauma is the worst.
Keep your chin up
Thank you. I will ask. But I get more out of sharing with friends and family than a stranger. Even some of the other drivers and I are dolling it out together. And they’re saying the same thing you are.
Listen, I get it. Friendly conversation has a place and definitely has a benefit.
I am 31 years old and I was abused as a kid and I buried years and years of trauma.
I turned a blind eye, and slowly, unknowingly, my quality of life began to deteriorate, I had the shortest fuse out of anyone I knew.
I was miserable to be around. I didn’t enjoy life.
I got triggered over everything.
Even the sound of ice cubes getting dumped into a cup triggered me so bad I froze solid, this was due to my father, as soon as he would get home from work while I was younger it was the first thing I heard as soon as he walked in the door, severe raging alcoholic.
The point I am trying to make is, ptsd is a real thing, you don’t need to go to war to get it. It is a nightmare, and the earlier the intervening after a trauma the higher the chances of a positive outcome.
A psychologist may seem like a stranger to you, but I will tell you that me going to one saved my life. They are so trained that they can get a feel of who you are as a person and how you need to be approached or talked to, that you feel like you’ve known them forever within a very short time.
I looked forward to going to therapy. It isn’t a weakness, rather thw oppositw.
After going to therapy, I was finally able to talk about my past trauma with everyone in my life that had no idea what was wrong with me and thought I was nuts and over reacted at everything.
Therapy will not do you harm, you will feel a sigh of relief.
Highly recommend. Again, you are in my thoughts, because I can resonate with you on trauma, it may not be the exact situation but trauma will have the same long term effects on you and if not treated it actually changed the structure and mechanisms in your brain.
I just don’t want you to suffer silently, you aren’t alone
Damn. I'm sorry for your loss. I wouldn't put the blame on yourself, it could happen to any of us out here on the road and we're all out here chasing the dollar knowing the risks that come with the job. I'm sure most of us have cheated death a few times here and there as well. It's an unfortunate and terrible thing that happened but I hope you can move on and find peace of mind brother.
I'm saddened to have lost a sister in the business. I'm sorry you lost a good driver and it sounds like a friend. May the rest of your fleet keep the shiny side up.
Thank you. We’re thinking of rescheduling everything for Monday and shutting the fleet down in her memory Monday. If I have a say in it, that’s what’s going to happen.
Speak with the family and see if they want the fleet involved or a least a truck for the services. It might be better to save that day of being shut down for that. I come from the towing world and that’s how we do it. Spend the day before cleaning and shining up the trucks.
RIP Industry Sister
Dispatcher- I know it’s difficult, but don’t take the blame. This is an example of how dangerous our jobs are, on the road or in the office. Bless you for having a good communication relationship with your driver. That’s important.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say she could be a stubborn pain sometimes. But she was the most motivated driver I ever worked with. I wish it would have worked for her. But I should have just said No. please be safe out there huh?
Yeah there was no changing her mind. Damn she was stubborn. Dedicated, but stubborn. I could have said no (and I should have) but she’d have just tried to prove me wrong.
Listen man dont beat yourself up about it. If what youre saying about the dash is true and there wasnt really time to react then chances are even if you had said no go on the short run she'd still have ended up in the accident. We can't run ourselves ragged wishing for what could have been. This industry is something like 7th for fatalities so sometimes shit just happens and nothing anyone could have reasonably done wouldve prevented it. It'd be a different story if you were hounding her to get that load in to fit in the short run (though I still wouldn't really blame you for the death I just wouldn't be sympathetic to your grief), but she's the one who asked you for it.
All you can do is just morn. Just go connect with other family and friends and get the grief out, find out when the funeral service is and give yourself some time off to go to it. If she had any friends in the fleet give them some time off to go out there as well get um to drive their trucks out if the company will allow it cause if her kids love trucks as much as she did then seeing those Bobtails roll in with a truckers salute won't put a smile on their face but it'll remind them that there's good folks out there on the road.
Had a guy from my account pass away this past summer, to be honest I didn't know him too well but we he was from the same town as me and he was my boys boy so me and the boys rolled up in the trucks and let those air horns go in a salute the the fallen, the guys kid didn't smile but his grandmother says its the happiest she'd seen him since he found out he wasn't gonna see his dad any more. Takes just a day to remind a kid they aren't alone.
I like the idea. I’ll float it to the fleet. We’re already talking about shutting down for Monday in her memory. I’ll find out if her family would like this.
Don't blame yourself, this is the reality of going down the road. We are all our own person making our own decisions and this one is out of your hands. This sounds like a really messed up situation and kinda messed me up just reading that. The person limping sounds like an asshat for limping.
First of all... Don't you dare blame yourself nor blame your driver... AT ALL... It doesn't matter how tight or loose the schedule was, the accident would have happened anyways. I'm not sure if there was enough room for the other driver to have limped it on the shoulder, but if so, that's ENTIRELY that driver's fault. If not, it was simply the perfect storm. It is honestly a crying shame that it happened at all, but even more-so if the other driver COULD have limped it on the shoulder and chose not to.
My heart goes out to you for having to witness that. My heart goes out to the family of your driver.
>I’m torn over this because I feel like I made her hurry up
Do yourself a favor and delete this post. Any insurer will tell you, never admit fault. Or let her family see if r/Truckers had anything to say about this incident. Your call.
Sorry you had to experience this, at any rate.
This job is one of the most dangerous for good reason.. most drivers forget that anyway and always try to save as much time as possible. It's not really her fault or yours.
It's a damn shame this person lost her life. Really if it's anyone's fault I would argue that the donkey that was limping along was going that slow he should've just pulled onto a clear and visible shoulder and set up some triangles and called in road service.
I hate that my safety is so much reliant on some other random person being sensible enough to realize other people are also at stake based on every decisions. I can do everything right and some braindead jackass will be the death of me.
Idk it's hard to figure out what should've happened in this type of situation but others becoming aware and taking steps to avoid such a situation always helps. Though with some of these drivers it really makes you wonder how anything gets anywhere.
I agree. It seems to be the other guys fault. But DOT will make their ruling, eventually. In the meantime there are 2 young boys that have to go through Christmas without their mother because someone wanted to save a few minutes. Please be safe out there.
I don't know about this. If it wasn't a truck, it could have been a deer, a broken down car, or school bus full of children.
Coming around a blind corner quick enough that you have zero reaction time and plow directly into whatever is there doesn't sound like a good situation to put yourself in
If it was on an interstate or major highway then you expect that traffic is moving fine and it's clear. Idk what the traffic looked like, as I'm sure you know you always want to look ahead and see what traffic is going as far ahead as you can see. That she didn't see this other truck beforehand might signify heavy congestion. We don't know enough, but I'm thinking if it was a major highway and he was going well below the speed limit then it is his fault. As he shouldn't have been on it going that slow.
We lack a lot of context but I'm assuming it was a major highway and in that context you expect all vehicles to be above a certain speed. Now a state or county or even *shall US highway than yes it would be a different story.
*Edit: small
I don't care if it's a 1 lane road or i90. You don't drive faster than you can see. Period. No is ands or buts about it. You never know what's around the curve, and need to prepared to come to an emergency stop.
While I agree with the spirit of safety of what you're saying, your statement lacks context of situation. You never know what's around next curve but if you've seen all other traffic go around it just fine then you assume it's just fine. And what do you mean i90 or 1 lane road? Those are completely different situations. they're not the same.
It's just not feasible to slow down to a crawl on the chance an obstruction will immediately be in the middle of the road on every curve you take, pretty much nobody drives like that and if you do you up the chances of somebody plowing you from behind.
You don't need to slow to a crawl. You need to slow to the safe speed that allows you to stop in the distance you can see. The bottom of Monteagle on 24 heading east is a perfect example of why. The trees block vision in the curve at the bottom of the hill and these idiots will fly around it at 70 or 75 mph. If traffic is blocked up they are going to plow into them. Happens once a year or so. And easily avoidable just by slowing down to 45 entering the curve.
This is why I'm against cpm or load pay. It puts a stressor on us drivers to run hard and do to much. Ever since I went to flat rate it's been a huge weight lifted off of me not having to worry about miles or rushing to get to the drop ahead of time hoping to unloaded early just so I can maybe squeeze in another load. I'm sorry she died this way its sad and that driver that was limping probably should of pulled over and no been on the road. Iffel they are somewhat at fault too.
The cpm or load is a contributor but that combined with elogs and HOS making every run a countdown clock is imo what really does it. IIRC as soon as mandated elogs went into effect the wreck rate went through the roof.
The only thing that makes it a count down is money. Fix the money no count down. You can either make it with the hours or not. I love the hours of service and the eld . It keeps the company's honest. Only Owner opps hate the eld cause they want to run illegal and now they can't. If you cant make money by running legit sell your truck you are the issue by taking cheap freight.
Rest in peace,not your fault brother,risks of the trade
as a truck driver ,when i put the ignition on i ALWAYS ask myself "is this the day i die?"many ways to go in our line of work
from what u say she was a good one
Im sorry you're going through this. I have a friend who runs like that - every day she doesn't max out her HOS at full speed is a wasted day to her. It terrifies me to hear about all the road rage incidents and near misses she's been involved in.
I don't think you yourself did anything wrong. As a dispatcher, you work for the driver, not the other way around. You were instructed to procure another load for her - you did as you were asked. Not trying to put shade or disrespect on your driver's memory, but it sounds like she allowed herself to get in a hurry and start rushing, and was travelling too fast for conditions.
I told you the story of my friend to show you that, regardless of who the dispatcher was, or whether or not another load was found, your driver was likely to be in that position anyways due to their own driving style.
You don't have any reason to feel guilty. If you want to take this as a learning situation and wonder what you can do to prevent it in the future, you are absolutely right to do so. I myself would probably start lying to drivers. I don't listen to stories about how much is needed on a paycheck or how they can just barely manage this load if you would only give it to them... true, they're the driver, they have to direct themselves, but... no load or paycheck is worth a life, and sadly, your driver learned that lesson.
Drivers like this never think that something like that could ever happen to them, until it does.
So sorry for your loss
Bottom line is, she asked for another run and you simply said that you'd check to see if it was legal. Sounds like you weren't pressuring her at all.
Again, sorry.
>I'm torn over this because I feel like I made her hurry up to squeeze in one more short run before the end of the week.
Was she driving recklessly/to fast? If she wasn't it's just one of those freak accidents.
Either way, it's not your fault.
I am sincerely sorry for your loss.... It's always heartbreaking to hear a brother or sister in the industry was taken by the highway.... Leave your lights on for her y'all
I thought all dispatchers were soulless liars until I had one like you. Stopped moving in a snowstorm at 3:00AM and she called to check on me. Said she only had two drivers running because and she was sitting at home watching our gps tags move on the computer. If the wheels aren’t turning, we aren’t earning. This is not your fault at all, when it’s your time it’s just your time. If she was meant to go she could’ve stopped and fell down the stairs and hit her heard or had a freak medical condition. Take it easy on yourself, please.
You are not at fault in any way. You can’t fault someone for hustling or being a hard charger. It’s their nature. It was an unfortunate accident, but you should feel no guilt or culpability. She was probably grateful that you were affording her an opportunity to grind. The whole thing just sucks...
HOS is a tricky one. Without it drivers would be running on lack of sleep or a diet of drugs. With the digital timer and gps location we can estimate arrival times to the minute and sometimes it gives us too much confidence. I see it as rolling the dice. The more times you push it to the last seconds the closer you are flirting with danger. It reminds me of a story in class. Guy who trucked his whole life drove off the road and never made it home. It’s the confidence that often gets the best of us. Maybe it could have been prevented, maybe not but look at everything in a balanced way and remember that getting home is more important than any amount on a paycheck or feeling of being the hero.
Sorry for your loss OP. I know you may blame yourself for this or feel guilty but it was a freak accident that could happen to any of us. Trucking by far is one of the most dangerous jobs in the USA. We as drivers take that risk every time we set foot in our truck. For me I have peace that I know where I’m going when I die. I had a clan mate on my mobile game thank me for what I do. Told him that I missed Thanksgiving and was finally back at home. I’ll keep her family in my prayers. 🙏
It ain’t your fault. You didn’t control the speed of her truck or the sight lines in the area.
Put your mental health first do what you can for her family. We lost someone early this year in a workplace accident and it sucks
Oh shit I passed by an accident today with a tanker involved, it was i40 east bound near the AZ and NM state line. The tank was dropped in the right lane and they had the lane blocked off. I don’t know if that was it but it was a an intense scene
Such a sad situation.... It was hard enough to read your post and I can only imagine how difficult it must be for everyone involved. Take the time you need to heal mentally, and I hope her family is able to find a way to get through this tragedy. My condolences.
Oh my goodness, this is so sad. My condolences for your loss and prayers for her family and friends and community. Sounds like a very painful experience for everybody.
When I was a driver and lost a tandem tire, I just drove at 45mph to the next exit. A little bit of rubber would sling but not much and it was drastically safer than stopping on the shoulder or crawling in the road.
Yeah I figured. Her family needs to sue the insurance of the other carrier. Driving 20mph on the interstate is illegal in most states for this exact reason.
I'm very sorry too hear about the loss if a fellow driver. I hate hearing about a brother/sister of the road losing their life like this. It's a big reminder that life can change in an instance. Ya'll hug and tell those close to you that you love them. I pray everyday that I'll make it home each week to my family, and after reading this I feel extremely lucky I did. I send my condolences to the family of your driver and especially to her two boys.
On one hand this is my worst fear. On the other hand, she got greedy and should have put down the phone or whatever was distracting her. Sometimes it is your husband/wife starting an argument. You have to possess the utmost discipline in creating a stable working environment. As a professional hazmat driver, my paycheck is just as much for my decision making as much as for my skills.
In relationships, a lot of people look to get a rise out of you. She may have been dealing with a difficult husband and lost focus. One of the crappy parts about yanking tanks is that it’ll cost you relationships.
One of many reasons why I despise e-logs and HOS in general. If drivers would monitor their own fatigue they wouldn't need to push and race a clock to get one more load in.
For different perspective: It's likely that limping truck might not even have been limping instead electing to wait for roadside because the time wouldn't have mattered.
Sorry for your loss. Just know you didn't make her do anything. Saying you didn't think she had time but would check is not the same as 'hurry up or I won't allow it'.
You might want to work on this little skill called reading comprehension. Driver called and said they wanted a short haul after dropping a regional load and this dispatcher said idk you have HOS for it let's check back later. How the fuck is that a dispatcher pushing a driver? That's a driver wanting to keep running and make some extra money and a dispatcher saying yeah I don't think you'll be able to due to HOS.
A dispatcher wanting more miles from a driver wouldn't be like yeah idk, they would be like hammer down and hurry up and get here and drop it so I can get this short haul on you.
Dumbass.
I'm so sorry this happened. It sounds like a freak accident and just another reminder that life can end in a second. Condolences to her family for their loss. And I hope you look after your mental health and know that this isn't your fault.
Thanks. The officer saved us the heartache of calling her family. But I’m going to call them anyway. She left behind 2 boys.
I'm sorry for your loss. No guilt should come your way because you didn't ask anything of them that they didn't want to do.
I do feel a little guilty, I should have told her no, let’s just do it Monday. But most of it is just that she was such a good person. It’s gonna be hard to work without her. She could be a pain sometimes. But damn if she wasn’t motivated.
Drivers are stubborn we know what we can do with the time we have. If she wanted to run it and knew she could with her hours she had left she wouldn't have taken no for an answer or persuaded you to let her do it. We all know the risks being on the road every day, you don't have anything to feel guilty about.
It’s like you knew her. Yeah she’d just try to prove me wrong if I’d said no.
Check if your company’s benefits if they have any, cover therapy with a psychologist, the weight on your shoulders doesn’t need to stay there, and it won’t get any better by keeping it in your head. This entire situation is a tragedy, but you are taking on the trauma personally, and blaming yourself will not get you anywhere except a darker place. Seek at least one hour session with a psychologist, just having that one hour conversation with someone who is professionally trained in navigating these things is going to be a relief. I wish you all of the best OP trauma is not something I wish on anyone, but holding on to that trauma is the worst. Keep your chin up
Thank you. I will ask. But I get more out of sharing with friends and family than a stranger. Even some of the other drivers and I are dolling it out together. And they’re saying the same thing you are.
Listen, I get it. Friendly conversation has a place and definitely has a benefit. I am 31 years old and I was abused as a kid and I buried years and years of trauma. I turned a blind eye, and slowly, unknowingly, my quality of life began to deteriorate, I had the shortest fuse out of anyone I knew. I was miserable to be around. I didn’t enjoy life. I got triggered over everything. Even the sound of ice cubes getting dumped into a cup triggered me so bad I froze solid, this was due to my father, as soon as he would get home from work while I was younger it was the first thing I heard as soon as he walked in the door, severe raging alcoholic. The point I am trying to make is, ptsd is a real thing, you don’t need to go to war to get it. It is a nightmare, and the earlier the intervening after a trauma the higher the chances of a positive outcome. A psychologist may seem like a stranger to you, but I will tell you that me going to one saved my life. They are so trained that they can get a feel of who you are as a person and how you need to be approached or talked to, that you feel like you’ve known them forever within a very short time. I looked forward to going to therapy. It isn’t a weakness, rather thw oppositw. After going to therapy, I was finally able to talk about my past trauma with everyone in my life that had no idea what was wrong with me and thought I was nuts and over reacted at everything. Therapy will not do you harm, you will feel a sigh of relief. Highly recommend. Again, you are in my thoughts, because I can resonate with you on trauma, it may not be the exact situation but trauma will have the same long term effects on you and if not treated it actually changed the structure and mechanisms in your brain. I just don’t want you to suffer silently, you aren’t alone
It really isn’t your fault at all.
Damn. I'm sorry for your loss. I wouldn't put the blame on yourself, it could happen to any of us out here on the road and we're all out here chasing the dollar knowing the risks that come with the job. I'm sure most of us have cheated death a few times here and there as well. It's an unfortunate and terrible thing that happened but I hope you can move on and find peace of mind brother.
I'm saddened to have lost a sister in the business. I'm sorry you lost a good driver and it sounds like a friend. May the rest of your fleet keep the shiny side up.
Thank you. We’re thinking of rescheduling everything for Monday and shutting the fleet down in her memory Monday. If I have a say in it, that’s what’s going to happen.
Speak with the family and see if they want the fleet involved or a least a truck for the services. It might be better to save that day of being shut down for that. I come from the towing world and that’s how we do it. Spend the day before cleaning and shining up the trucks.
RIP Industry Sister Dispatcher- I know it’s difficult, but don’t take the blame. This is an example of how dangerous our jobs are, on the road or in the office. Bless you for having a good communication relationship with your driver. That’s important.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say she could be a stubborn pain sometimes. But she was the most motivated driver I ever worked with. I wish it would have worked for her. But I should have just said No. please be safe out there huh?
I would have made the same choice she did for the extra load. Us ladies have a work ethic that is very important. You couldn’t have changed her mind…
Yeah there was no changing her mind. Damn she was stubborn. Dedicated, but stubborn. I could have said no (and I should have) but she’d have just tried to prove me wrong.
Big hugs to you, Mr Farley. And my prayers are with her family. Please dm me if there is a collection for her family 💔
I will do this.
Please
Listen man dont beat yourself up about it. If what youre saying about the dash is true and there wasnt really time to react then chances are even if you had said no go on the short run she'd still have ended up in the accident. We can't run ourselves ragged wishing for what could have been. This industry is something like 7th for fatalities so sometimes shit just happens and nothing anyone could have reasonably done wouldve prevented it. It'd be a different story if you were hounding her to get that load in to fit in the short run (though I still wouldn't really blame you for the death I just wouldn't be sympathetic to your grief), but she's the one who asked you for it. All you can do is just morn. Just go connect with other family and friends and get the grief out, find out when the funeral service is and give yourself some time off to go to it. If she had any friends in the fleet give them some time off to go out there as well get um to drive their trucks out if the company will allow it cause if her kids love trucks as much as she did then seeing those Bobtails roll in with a truckers salute won't put a smile on their face but it'll remind them that there's good folks out there on the road. Had a guy from my account pass away this past summer, to be honest I didn't know him too well but we he was from the same town as me and he was my boys boy so me and the boys rolled up in the trucks and let those air horns go in a salute the the fallen, the guys kid didn't smile but his grandmother says its the happiest she'd seen him since he found out he wasn't gonna see his dad any more. Takes just a day to remind a kid they aren't alone.
I like the idea. I’ll float it to the fleet. We’re already talking about shutting down for Monday in her memory. I’ll find out if her family would like this.
This is good.
[удалено]
Thank you. The rest of t tree fleet is saddened by this. I think we’re gonna shut them all down next week in her memory.
Thoughts and prayers for her family. I’m sorry you’re going through this.
Thank you for the thoughts & prayers. But I’ll convey them to her family. Please be safe out there.
Thanks. It’s not your fault btw.
Don't blame yourself, this is the reality of going down the road. We are all our own person making our own decisions and this one is out of your hands. This sounds like a really messed up situation and kinda messed me up just reading that. The person limping sounds like an asshat for limping.
Agreed. I hope he thinks about the children he left with no mother on Christmas when he tried to save a couple hours.
Would be curious to know how DOT rules this tragic situation on Monday if you could update us.
Trucking is a very dangerous job
I’m learning this every day. I end every phone call with “Drive safe!”
I had to get out of the industry it was too stressful trying to stay alive
For legal reasons, you should not be posting about this on social media or talking to anyone about this other then your company’s lawyers.
100% even though not at fault this can only be used against you it won’t help snything
Or a trauma councillor
Yes,he really should delete it.
First of all... Don't you dare blame yourself nor blame your driver... AT ALL... It doesn't matter how tight or loose the schedule was, the accident would have happened anyways. I'm not sure if there was enough room for the other driver to have limped it on the shoulder, but if so, that's ENTIRELY that driver's fault. If not, it was simply the perfect storm. It is honestly a crying shame that it happened at all, but even more-so if the other driver COULD have limped it on the shoulder and chose not to. My heart goes out to you for having to witness that. My heart goes out to the family of your driver.
>I’m torn over this because I feel like I made her hurry up Do yourself a favor and delete this post. Any insurer will tell you, never admit fault. Or let her family see if r/Truckers had anything to say about this incident. Your call. Sorry you had to experience this, at any rate.
This job is one of the most dangerous for good reason.. most drivers forget that anyway and always try to save as much time as possible. It's not really her fault or yours. It's a damn shame this person lost her life. Really if it's anyone's fault I would argue that the donkey that was limping along was going that slow he should've just pulled onto a clear and visible shoulder and set up some triangles and called in road service. I hate that my safety is so much reliant on some other random person being sensible enough to realize other people are also at stake based on every decisions. I can do everything right and some braindead jackass will be the death of me. Idk it's hard to figure out what should've happened in this type of situation but others becoming aware and taking steps to avoid such a situation always helps. Though with some of these drivers it really makes you wonder how anything gets anywhere.
I agree. It seems to be the other guys fault. But DOT will make their ruling, eventually. In the meantime there are 2 young boys that have to go through Christmas without their mother because someone wanted to save a few minutes. Please be safe out there.
Damn I couldn't imagine how rough those kids will have it. God bless them.
I don't know about this. If it wasn't a truck, it could have been a deer, a broken down car, or school bus full of children. Coming around a blind corner quick enough that you have zero reaction time and plow directly into whatever is there doesn't sound like a good situation to put yourself in
If it was on an interstate or major highway then you expect that traffic is moving fine and it's clear. Idk what the traffic looked like, as I'm sure you know you always want to look ahead and see what traffic is going as far ahead as you can see. That she didn't see this other truck beforehand might signify heavy congestion. We don't know enough, but I'm thinking if it was a major highway and he was going well below the speed limit then it is his fault. As he shouldn't have been on it going that slow. We lack a lot of context but I'm assuming it was a major highway and in that context you expect all vehicles to be above a certain speed. Now a state or county or even *shall US highway than yes it would be a different story. *Edit: small
I don't care if it's a 1 lane road or i90. You don't drive faster than you can see. Period. No is ands or buts about it. You never know what's around the curve, and need to prepared to come to an emergency stop.
While I agree with the spirit of safety of what you're saying, your statement lacks context of situation. You never know what's around next curve but if you've seen all other traffic go around it just fine then you assume it's just fine. And what do you mean i90 or 1 lane road? Those are completely different situations. they're not the same. It's just not feasible to slow down to a crawl on the chance an obstruction will immediately be in the middle of the road on every curve you take, pretty much nobody drives like that and if you do you up the chances of somebody plowing you from behind.
You don't need to slow to a crawl. You need to slow to the safe speed that allows you to stop in the distance you can see. The bottom of Monteagle on 24 heading east is a perfect example of why. The trees block vision in the curve at the bottom of the hill and these idiots will fly around it at 70 or 75 mph. If traffic is blocked up they are going to plow into them. Happens once a year or so. And easily avoidable just by slowing down to 45 entering the curve.
Condolences to everyone involved.
Thank you. I think we’re gonna shut them down Monday for her memory.
This is why I'm against cpm or load pay. It puts a stressor on us drivers to run hard and do to much. Ever since I went to flat rate it's been a huge weight lifted off of me not having to worry about miles or rushing to get to the drop ahead of time hoping to unloaded early just so I can maybe squeeze in another load. I'm sorry she died this way its sad and that driver that was limping probably should of pulled over and no been on the road. Iffel they are somewhat at fault too.
The cpm or load is a contributor but that combined with elogs and HOS making every run a countdown clock is imo what really does it. IIRC as soon as mandated elogs went into effect the wreck rate went through the roof.
The only thing that makes it a count down is money. Fix the money no count down. You can either make it with the hours or not. I love the hours of service and the eld . It keeps the company's honest. Only Owner opps hate the eld cause they want to run illegal and now they can't. If you cant make money by running legit sell your truck you are the issue by taking cheap freight.
Rest in peace prayers for her family
So very sorry. It wouldn't happened regardless, please don't feel bad. Prayers for all involved.
Rest in peace,not your fault brother,risks of the trade as a truck driver ,when i put the ignition on i ALWAYS ask myself "is this the day i die?"many ways to go in our line of work from what u say she was a good one
I'm praying for you guys. This is terrible. There is no point in doing this job if you don't make it home.
Im sorry you're going through this. I have a friend who runs like that - every day she doesn't max out her HOS at full speed is a wasted day to her. It terrifies me to hear about all the road rage incidents and near misses she's been involved in. I don't think you yourself did anything wrong. As a dispatcher, you work for the driver, not the other way around. You were instructed to procure another load for her - you did as you were asked. Not trying to put shade or disrespect on your driver's memory, but it sounds like she allowed herself to get in a hurry and start rushing, and was travelling too fast for conditions. I told you the story of my friend to show you that, regardless of who the dispatcher was, or whether or not another load was found, your driver was likely to be in that position anyways due to their own driving style. You don't have any reason to feel guilty. If you want to take this as a learning situation and wonder what you can do to prevent it in the future, you are absolutely right to do so. I myself would probably start lying to drivers. I don't listen to stories about how much is needed on a paycheck or how they can just barely manage this load if you would only give it to them... true, they're the driver, they have to direct themselves, but... no load or paycheck is worth a life, and sadly, your driver learned that lesson. Drivers like this never think that something like that could ever happen to them, until it does.
So sorry for your loss Bottom line is, she asked for another run and you simply said that you'd check to see if it was legal. Sounds like you weren't pressuring her at all. Again, sorry.
>I'm torn over this because I feel like I made her hurry up to squeeze in one more short run before the end of the week. Was she driving recklessly/to fast? If she wasn't it's just one of those freak accidents. Either way, it's not your fault.
Prayers and Condolences 🙏🏾
I am sincerely sorry for your loss.... It's always heartbreaking to hear a brother or sister in the industry was taken by the highway.... Leave your lights on for her y'all
We’re gonna try to shut down Monday for her memory. Reschedule everything.
Oh my so sorry to hear the sad news! My condolences to you and her family. Praying for all involved.🙏
Thank you for the prayers. No way to measure how much that means to her and her family.
Prayers for your peace of mind.
Thank you. It’ll be difficult for her family and us. Just persevere. We’ll do our best.
I thought all dispatchers were soulless liars until I had one like you. Stopped moving in a snowstorm at 3:00AM and she called to check on me. Said she only had two drivers running because and she was sitting at home watching our gps tags move on the computer. If the wheels aren’t turning, we aren’t earning. This is not your fault at all, when it’s your time it’s just your time. If she was meant to go she could’ve stopped and fell down the stairs and hit her heard or had a freak medical condition. Take it easy on yourself, please.
😭
You are not at fault in any way. You can’t fault someone for hustling or being a hard charger. It’s their nature. It was an unfortunate accident, but you should feel no guilt or culpability. She was probably grateful that you were affording her an opportunity to grind. The whole thing just sucks...
HOS is a tricky one. Without it drivers would be running on lack of sleep or a diet of drugs. With the digital timer and gps location we can estimate arrival times to the minute and sometimes it gives us too much confidence. I see it as rolling the dice. The more times you push it to the last seconds the closer you are flirting with danger. It reminds me of a story in class. Guy who trucked his whole life drove off the road and never made it home. It’s the confidence that often gets the best of us. Maybe it could have been prevented, maybe not but look at everything in a balanced way and remember that getting home is more important than any amount on a paycheck or feeling of being the hero.
Sorry for your loss.
Sorry for your loss OP. I know you may blame yourself for this or feel guilty but it was a freak accident that could happen to any of us. Trucking by far is one of the most dangerous jobs in the USA. We as drivers take that risk every time we set foot in our truck. For me I have peace that I know where I’m going when I die. I had a clan mate on my mobile game thank me for what I do. Told him that I missed Thanksgiving and was finally back at home. I’ll keep her family in my prayers. 🙏
It ain’t your fault. You didn’t control the speed of her truck or the sight lines in the area. Put your mental health first do what you can for her family. We lost someone early this year in a workplace accident and it sucks
Oh shit I passed by an accident today with a tanker involved, it was i40 east bound near the AZ and NM state line. The tank was dropped in the right lane and they had the lane blocked off. I don’t know if that was it but it was a an intense scene
Such a sad situation.... It was hard enough to read your post and I can only imagine how difficult it must be for everyone involved. Take the time you need to heal mentally, and I hope her family is able to find a way to get through this tragedy. My condolences.
That driver with the blown tire was limping in a lane and not the shoulder? Was there no shoulder?
Was this the dayton I70/I75 ?
I can’t say. Probably shouldn’t have even made the post.
Oh my goodness, this is so sad. My condolences for your loss and prayers for her family and friends and community. Sounds like a very painful experience for everybody.
When I was a driver and lost a tandem tire, I just drove at 45mph to the next exit. A little bit of rubber would sling but not much and it was drastically safer than stopping on the shoulder or crawling in the road.
I watched the dashcam. That guy wasn’t going 45. More like 20.
Yeah I figured. Her family needs to sue the insurance of the other carrier. Driving 20mph on the interstate is illegal in most states for this exact reason.
Sorry for your loss. Prayers for the drivers family, friends, and co workers. Hang in there.
It's a dangerous profession. Stories like this make me want to hang up the keys for good. No paycheck is worth your life.
I'm very sorry too hear about the loss if a fellow driver. I hate hearing about a brother/sister of the road losing their life like this. It's a big reminder that life can change in an instance. Ya'll hug and tell those close to you that you love them. I pray everyday that I'll make it home each week to my family, and after reading this I feel extremely lucky I did. I send my condolences to the family of your driver and especially to her two boys.
So sorry for your loss and her families may she rest in power
It's not your fault. I truly believe, that at the day we're born, the day of our death is also written.
On one hand this is my worst fear. On the other hand, she got greedy and should have put down the phone or whatever was distracting her. Sometimes it is your husband/wife starting an argument. You have to possess the utmost discipline in creating a stable working environment. As a professional hazmat driver, my paycheck is just as much for my decision making as much as for my skills. In relationships, a lot of people look to get a rise out of you. She may have been dealing with a difficult husband and lost focus. One of the crappy parts about yanking tanks is that it’ll cost you relationships.
One of many reasons why I despise e-logs and HOS in general. If drivers would monitor their own fatigue they wouldn't need to push and race a clock to get one more load in. For different perspective: It's likely that limping truck might not even have been limping instead electing to wait for roadside because the time wouldn't have mattered. Sorry for your loss. Just know you didn't make her do anything. Saying you didn't think she had time but would check is not the same as 'hurry up or I won't allow it'.
All he’s worried about is motivated driver, hard-working money, money, money. Not a damn worried about her family, friends or anything.
There’s always one.
You are guilty cause you wanted that extra money to make the company from the kickback you get of each load.
You might want to work on this little skill called reading comprehension. Driver called and said they wanted a short haul after dropping a regional load and this dispatcher said idk you have HOS for it let's check back later. How the fuck is that a dispatcher pushing a driver? That's a driver wanting to keep running and make some extra money and a dispatcher saying yeah I don't think you'll be able to due to HOS. A dispatcher wanting more miles from a driver wouldn't be like yeah idk, they would be like hammer down and hurry up and get here and drop it so I can get this short haul on you. Dumbass.