  Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 6498 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 70.236.198.22 |
Yesterday during the evening rush hour, an accident occurred at the Mack Avenue exit on I-75...gravel hauler crushed a woman to death. THIS morning, another went OVER the sweeping bridge connecting I-96 and I-94. Too strange to have these happen nearly simultaneously...but NOT unlike that rash of 'double-bottom' gasoline hauler accidents we had back in the late-80s/early 90s and even that string of steel hauler freak accidents before that. I've heard anecdotally that weird trends happen in emergency rooms, like Receiving, where all of a sudden four people from various parts of the city just HAPPEN to choose to pick up chainsaws or Louisville sluggers or One-Irons to do in the chosen receivers of their punishment. Four or five will happen in ONE night...then a week later, the next 'cool' tool will be picked up...without any obvious collusion amongst any of the bad people. But what of these darn gravel haulers?! Homeland Security watching the Gasoline tankers too closely, and THESE are the only way the bad guys can muck up our rush hour?! Oh yeah, mere co-incidence... | ||
Kilgore_south Member Username: Kilgore_south Post Number: 156 Registered: 05-2005 Posted From: 24.176.20.117 |
Yeah the two of them on consecutive days is freaky. Not surprising though - ask anybody who drives a truck in Michigan. Those double-trailer gravel trucks tend to be extremely heavy and driven by complete yahoos. Wow the picture of this morning's wreck is pretty impressive. | ||
Caseyc Member Username: Caseyc Post Number: 622 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 206.18.111.5 |
Telefon......someone call chuck bronson. pronto. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 1303 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 69.129.146.186 |
It comes from pushing the limits of what's possible until the accidents start happening, then everybody backs off. A while back i read a book about it happening in bridge building, and the whole Enron fiasco shows it in accounting. It happens in every field. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1145 Registered: 04-2005 Posted From: 68.60.45.70 |
Not to make you feel old Gannon, but the double-bottom tanker trouble was in the MID 70's! Sorry  | ||
Dougw Member Username: Dougw Post Number: 1300 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 136.2.1.101 |
Gravel Hauler #1: http://www.clickondetroit.com/ news/9764446/detail.html Gravel Hauler #2: http://www.clickondetroit.com/ news/9767737/detail.html | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 1064 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
It's the "Collective Unconcious", they're all tapping into it. It's like deer season, the deer tap into the "Collective Unconscious" and know that it is deer season. That's why when it ain't deer season you see deer all over the place and when it is deer season you can't find a deer. Read Carl Jung, he'll tell you all about the "Collective Unconscious." Livedog2 Its not open season on dogs, is it? | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 1065 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
The 100th Monkey Theory is the same thing. The 1st monkey washes his food in the rainforests of the Amazon and the next thing you know the 100th monkey is washing his food in Japan. They tap into the "Collective Unconscious" and move toward a higher evolution. Human beings are not as good at it, except for balck folk, as animals because animals are use to following their instincts but people's thinking usually get in the way. Livedog2 | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1916 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
I wouldn't call the gravel hauler drivers, or any truck driver for that matter, all yahoos. I know quite a few and the vast majority are very professional, respectful of traffic laws and very safety consious. There are a few, as with any profession, who are careless. Unfortunately two of them happened to cause serious accidents. I'm guessing that the accident this morning is partly to blame on how the truck driver is paid. A lot of the more respected companies pay their drivers by the hour. However a lot of gravel hauling companies pay their drivers by the load. There is an obvious incentive then to drive faster, take some short cuts (both street-wise as well as safety-wise), etc. so that you're able to get an extra load delivered by the end of the day. I'm guessing the trucking company the driver worked for paid by the load. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 6502 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 70.200.190.22 |
Good stuff, all. Thanks Livedog2, heh, I was obviously going for that collective subconscious, although there is evidence that with most mere humans it is the collective UNconscious, and I just read a book encouraging everyone to pursue their SUPERconsciousness!! It's ALL collected for you, if you get there. ...and NO open season on dogs! You can come out of that closet now... Let's hope these gravel dudes are done...although you always hear that things come in threes. Some say bad things, I think it's ALL things. There WAS one gravel hauler pulled over on northbound I-75 near 11:30 this morning...and I stayed FAR away from every one of 'em on my morning cruise around the city. I always dash past those coiled steel spring flatbeds...and out west you will still find double gas tankers, even IF they aren't the tall ones we used to allow here. Mid-70s, huh, PSIP? Didn't think I was paying this kind of attention back then... Cheers, keep your eyes peeled on the roadway! On my way to NYC this weekend...always HATE the way the truckers freak out those who don't understand momentum on those high hills. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 248 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 69.136.155.244 |
The seeming co-incidence in August is due to the same reason why don't we hear about any gravel haulers tipping over in Michigan during January - our short construction season is drawing to a close. Also, there is the proliferation of early completion incentives in construction contracts. BTW, the "mixing bowl" contractor beat his required completion date by 40 days - someone in the MDOT engineering group needs to sharpen their time standards! | ||
Keith Member Username: Keith Post Number: 3 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 72.245.107.66 |
I'm not surprised by the accidents. I don't know how many times I have seen the tandem gravel haulers doing 70+ on 94 right through downtown weaving between lanes to pass the cars . The tandem trucks should be outlawed in the city. Apart from the reckless driving, their presence increases accident risks for folks trying to merge onto the freeway. You often have to come to a complete stop on an entrance ramp if one of these happens to come by as you are merging. | ||
Zulu_warrior Member Username: Zulu_warrior Post Number: 2986 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.251.27.41 |
Actually its the Nain Rouge...... | ||
Nainrouge Member Username: Nainrouge Post Number: 67 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 209.104.146.146 |
Sure, blame the little red guy.... | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 598 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 35.12.22.102 |
Over here in the Lansing area there was a controversy about a gravel hauler that was spilling a lot of its load on I-69 and damaging cars, but there wasn't enough hard evidence and the truck company denies any wrongdoing. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 6519 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 70.200.190.22 |
I'd be happy to see them send ALL semi-trucks to surface roads during the peak rush hours. At LEAST force them to ONLY use the middle lane, and absolutely leave room for cars to get from the merge to the speed and back...they can really screw things up. There are too many dynamics against that...MikeG presents one of the strongest arguements on that score. I've thought for years that one way to bring a city to gridlock and affect it negatively for a very long time...would be to orchestrate a series of simultaneous gasoline tanker accidents during that time period. JUST before I moved out of Orlando in 1986, a tanker overturned on that I-4 overpass right in the middle of downtown. The whole town was at a standstill for the entire day. Of course, that was after the town started its meteoric growth...and already the streets were approaching capacity. Of course, now I'm on a Homeland Security watchlist... | ||
Sticks Member Username: Sticks Post Number: 99 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 207.91.250.131 |
While I echo Bvos' statement that most truck drivers are very courteous and are actually safer and more defensive drivers than the four-wheelers, I have to agree with Kilgore in the end. Gravel-trains have notoriously bad drivers. In that I mean, not using signals, driving the normal speed limit, not keeping it between the lines, etc. Not to mention all the pebbles they kick up into your windshield. And Keith, just be thankful you're not in other states where triples are actually allowed to run on the interstates. I'm pretty sure both the Hoosier and Buckeye allow this, but Michigan only allows up to doubles on our roads. (Message edited by Sticks on August 31, 2006) (Message edited by Sticks on August 31, 2006) | ||
Bibs Member Username: Bibs Post Number: 558 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 205.188.116.137 |
I recently heard that there is a server shortage of long haul truck drivers due to the baby boomers retiring and many are making big bucks hauling stuff for FEMA down in Lousiana. We might be seeing more accidents due to inexperienced drivers on the road. Another issue is that some of interchanges were built in the 50s or 60s when the speeds were much lower. The ramps are sharp, short and not banked well. If the gravel in his truck suddenly shifted to one side while going around a sharp curve, it could have caused it to flip. Just a wild guess. | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 573 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 205.188.116.137 |
I was driving down 275 and one of those double haulers started fishtailing. It finally ended up going down the freeway sideways. I cringe everytime I have to drive past one. When driving to TN, I found those truckers are like the Jeepers Creepers truck in the movie. They just ride up on you on those skinny two lane mountain roads! I hate having to pass trucks of any kind if I have to drive next to them. I've seen too many close calls. I also knew a guy who drove one of those gravel haulers and he got high on a regular basis while working. THAT scares the crap out of me. | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 2907 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 66.167.211.42 |
Being a former truck driver, I assure you that the large majority of truck drivers are not yahoos. In fact, I met many with far more common sense and wisdom than many of my college educated peers. That said there is, like everywhere else the usual share of yahoos. But that is not the problem. The biggest problem is that drivers are paid by the mile and / or load, not the by the hour. This has always been around, particularly with the independents, but seriously spread to the corporates by the 1970's. These so called 'incentivized' drivers are increasingly being squeezed like the rest of working America. The faster they go, the quicker they cut you off, the less time they spend putting on their pebble guards and checking their equipment, and on and on, the more money they make. Add the pressures cutting into their wages by construction zone delays, traffic jams, soaring fuel prices, etc. and we have a formula for disasters and chipped windshields. Requiring drivers to work hourly would make a huge difference, but the transportation industry has practically free reign in Michigan. That starts with the largest load limits in the country and ends with broken roads and tragedies like the ones being discussed. And neither party has the guts to take them it. | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1922 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
A lumber truck driver dumped his load this morning at 96 and the Davison. Something's in the air with these truck drivers: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20060901/U PDATE/609010435 | ||
Barnesfoto Member Username: Barnesfoto Post Number: 2413 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.246.29.74 |
and then there's the garbage truck story... http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/U PDATE/608310455 | ||
Mtm Member Username: Mtm Post Number: 77 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 134.67.6.11 |
Ok, here's another one: spousal-unit just called from N.275 near Ecorse. Flatbed semi aparently went into the ditch after hitting several cars. He said that one of the sedans looks like the truck literally ran over it - said it's like something out of CSI. S.275 closed at Ecorse and traffic backup is almost to 96. | ||
Craggy Member Username: Craggy Post Number: 207 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 24.199.130.243 |
I just wish the gravel haulers would securely cover their loads. I've had way to many dings, dents and cracked windshields caused by gravel haulers. Also, hose down your truck on occasion. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 278 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 69.212.35.13 |
Having driven the expressways for over 40 years (including the Lodge the day it opened)it's been my experience that double-botton drivers are the worst of the worst. J.B. Hunt/Schneider rejects for sure. They are not only incompetent, but rude. They drive the center (or left center) lanes most of the time, at substantially below the speed (traffic flow) of all other drivers, forcing people to pass on the right. I firmly believe that's how they get their rocks off...screwing up the flow of traffic/4 wheelers...asserting the only power they have in life. (Sorry, Gannon, driving the center lane is the worst thing they do, the most dangerous.) The legislature and State Police don't give a damn about true traffic safety, as evidenced by the imposition of different speed limits for different types of vehicles on the same roads with no meaningful lane restrictions. The quality of prefessional truck drivers has declined precipitously over the past few years, and the roads are correspondingly more dangerous. (I drive high performance vehicles, aggressivly but carefully, 30,000+ miles a year, and it's no fun any more.) [I worked my way through law school as a Teamster driving asphalt trucks, and flag trucks for extra wide loads, cross country. Been there, done that.] | ||
Tkshreve Member Username: Tkshreve Post Number: 16 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 12.32.128.68 |
So how many accidental deaths and/or serious injuries are we looking at in the metro Detroit area this year that were caused by careless driving from Truckers and Heavy Duty automobiles? Is the influx of these big vehicles attributed to Granholm's race to fix the roads? It seems there is a serious problem with the way Michigan conducts its road work. Poor merging techniques and barriers is one of my most hated parts of construction. Not only could MDOT do a better job getting traffic to merge, but the police need to TICKET people who push to the front of the pack in the merging lane. These people PI$$ me off. If you go to other states, the traffic utilizes the 2 mile warning sign stretches to merge and everyone lets people in. This is how to effectively merge traffic. The pace does not slow very much if the traffic works together. Instead we get jack a$$es who will try to jump to the head of the line. They need to be ticketed or shot. You don't have to guess which one I would be for. | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1925 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
Here's the blurb about the 275 crash. It appears from the article that the truck just happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time. That said, the info did come from the Freep so don't take it as fact. http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20060901/NEWS99/ 60901009 | ||
Ghetto_butterfly Member Username: Ghetto_butterfly Post Number: 644 Registered: 09-2004 Posted From: 68.60.139.186 |
Reading through this thread as well as others similar involving passenger cars, bus drivers, truck drivers, such as the "doing 160mph on 696" thread just recently, makes me again realize why, over the years, I went from a happy driver to a scared shitless driver - based on personal experience of course, not because I was reading about it. Not ever in my lifetime, driving as much in Europe as well as in the US, have I ever seen such aggressive, disrespectful, dangerous, careless driving as here in Metro and City Detroit. Please God, give us some decent mass transit, so that I can ditch my car and say goodbye to driving around here. Plus, I HOPE that the white trash asshole piece of shit who harrassed me with his roadraging behavior today on Grand River will plant his van into a tree and get his license revoked for reckless driving for eternity AND will spend some jailtime just to be some big guy's bitch for a while. |
