TRUCK TRAIN ACCIDENT IN NEVADA
I don't know if you have been watching how this is unfolding with this truck on hwy95 in Nevada that ran into the side of the train..But all trucking owner really need to check this out...It is a fact that a truck drive was going south on hwy95 south of hwy and ran into the side of Amtrac ..killing the driver and five passengers on the train...why it happened and exactly what went wrong is for the investigators to figure out...But it is not the investigators but the news media and the public out cry...Information on your CDL is not available to the public..we are told...but this guy had so many speeding tickets...The CSA rating is public but the media just adds what they want to sell the story...This trucking company ,the only thing reported was for equipment violations and they were rated at 30 or 32..not to bad...but the media has them as a killer trucking company because one truck was O.S. on a slick tire. If you go to San Francisco Chronicle...S.F.Gate.com and read the remarks that people have written..OMG..They are ready to string up any and all truck drivers ...Now to the main point...We the trucking industry needs to get rid of these meat in the seats...and the think they are truck drivers..You know the ones that don't have a clue what they are doing..but think they do..I am tired of sticking up for them when they have accidents like this..This is not the first and will not be the last...But WE need to clean up this industry or these fine ASSUMING public will get laws pushed through that will be laws that I don't even want to think about...WE need to raise the bar out of the mud when drivers get hired...Hopefully CSA will get rid of some of these drivers..Some new drivers will be good drivers over time...but most need to do something else...Let them work in a factory or some place else. The big boys and their driver training and pass everyone that comes through needs to stop...I talked to one guy that had his license for less than a month and the company wanted to make him a trainer...some are better with 6 months...A trainer needs at least 5 years experience to do decent training... not a month or 6 months...Maybe it is time that WE put our foot down...All of you small and medium companies ...do you think that you can survive a 10, a hundred million dollar lawsuit? and you brokers..think of this, if you brokered a load to this guy..somehow the lawyers will get you involved in the lawsuits because you should know what kind of driver is hauling your load..You know how the lawyers get everyone involved...This needs to be a wake up call to get rid of the bottom of the barrel types...I am tired of trying to stick up for these people just because they involve my industry...Maybe if we had a better reputation we just might get some respect and better freight rates...Like it was in the 70's and early 80's.. and then we could afford to pay a driver that is a real driver the money that they deserve....Just like the other forum about uniforms....