Why was the truck driver stopped in the first place? No laws were broken. It’s physically impossible and equally impractical to expect a big rig driver to to clear the top of a trailer of snow & ice. There was no negligence hence no liability. This is purely natural phenomenon that falls into the ” _ hit happens” category. The other lesson to learn is not to follow close behing a big rig during winter storms.
This appears to be wishful thinking on the part of the ambulance personell. Ice off the top of a trailer is a road hazard & obviously, she was following too close. Would they expect the same result if it was a private trailer & she was tailgating?
Actually, in PA it IS a law that motorists do need to clean snow and ice from their vehicles before treading out on the roadways. It is suppossed to be considered a “negligent act” on the truck driver for not taking proper precautions but this is PA and nobody cares obviously. Reference PennDot Motor Vehicle Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter A, Code 3720. Merry Christmas!
um….it’s not where’s the beef, but where did the ice did blow?!
i used to be an OTR driver trainer for 7 yrs. it might be a PA DOT reg, but you can’t force that reg on part for a big rig.
1) no way for him/her to get ontop of that trailer and remove that.
2) there are no common services anywhere that does that kind of work.
this is a natural road hazard. it like stating that the PA State interior department is responsible for all the animals and when they come across the road, we would sue YOU and stop YOU the PADOT for not controlling your habitat. that is why these are filed as a comp clm for the vehicle and your employer’s workmans comp claim handles the medical. afterall, what is insurance for – it was designed for accidents in mind. that truck driver should have been not stopped for any reason.
You really can’t expect a Truck driver to clean the top of the rig. However, it is not appropriate to accuse the ambulance driver of tailgating when you don’t know that for a fact. Some of those sheets of ice can catch a lot of air before crashing to the ground. I’ve seen it myself and dodged a few despite being a hundred + yards behind the truck (and it was in PA none the less).
i know, having been a truck driver for 7 yrs OTR. you are correct, you could be 2 car lengths behind and still get hit, just like the alligator from the truck (for those not familiar with words of the trucking industry – the tire tread). either way, it can’t be a truck driver’s fault for the ice flying from the top of the truck. we don’t have deicers, like a plane would get deiced prior to a flight. we would not have anyway to get ontop (that would even be dangerous for the driver standing ontop of ice). so please, folks are just stupid thinking that this is an easy solution. next thing you are going to tell me is that we will create a heating bay that can melt the ice down from the top of the truck. um…that wud be interesting but that would mean every dock or facility that has trucks going in/out would have to have one of these onsite and every truckstop. but that would not be a satisfactory solution and very costly in time and money. so that is the reason why mother nature (comprehensive coverage is available and your medical benefits.)
I don’t know why this was an issue, it’s happened to me; even worse, my windshield still has cracks from flying stones…as for your comment: “It’s physically impossible and equally impractical to expect a big rig driver to to clear the top of a trailer of snow & ice.”…I have to differ with you. I have a good friend who makes it a point to pull his rig up to a low roof in the truck yard and he steps onto the trailer roof to sweep the snow and ice off. It’s not an everyday practice but if you want to be on the safe side, it can and should be done, to protect others and especially the driver from a suit, which I suspect will be filed shortly, as soon as she hears from an attorney..
that the driver was following too closely and probably thinks she’s got grounds for cashing in….oops, I mean, file a lawsuit for cleaning the crap out of her pants!
This is my third post for this…..I know you can get this service at the Petro; hell, they can pipe in a TV and HBO, can’t they? I worked at a truck stop on I-80 in college and would do this exact service for a couple of bucks…I had a big step ladder which made it easy to get to the roof of the trailer…
Please excuse my ignorance. Our company only deals primarily with commercial trucks and I have long assumed it was not “common” because we often have insureds ask if we know of some place where they can obtain this service. Granted I don’t always know if those who ask are new to the industry. Plus, any time I’ve been to a truck stop, I’ve never seen anyone atop their trailers removing ice or snow.
Do you know of other Petros or TAs who do offer this on a regular basis through the winter months? It would be great to have this information on hand; especially with the pending legislation in PA right now pertaining to stiffer fines and penalties for big rigs if ice from their trailers causes accidents.
I worked for a SOHIO owned truck stop; it was operated as a franchise so when we did clean truck roofs it was as an accommodation approved by the manager and the truck stop president and not necessarily a company wide offering. In 1975 we had a blizzard on I-80 and so demand was high. I doubt if anyone gave another thought to doing this on a regular basis but I’d bet there could be some kind of safety credit for doing this in the midwest where blizzards are more common; it probably would help on I-80 today given those pile-ups due to white outs in Centre, Lycoming and Columbia counties, maybe this should be mentioned in the hearings on that legislation…. (I know Stop 64 would be a good place to start, if some entreprenuer wanted to try).
Why was the truck driver stopped in the first place? No laws were broken. It’s physically impossible and equally impractical to expect a big rig driver to to clear the top of a trailer of snow & ice. There was no negligence hence no liability. This is purely natural phenomenon that falls into the ” _ hit happens” category. The other lesson to learn is not to follow close behing a big rig during winter storms.
Hey Dread,
I think it would more aptly be classified under the “WTF” category! Hell in a handbasket, I tell ya! That’s where this country is going!
Women Drivers……..
This appears to be wishful thinking on the part of the ambulance personell. Ice off the top of a trailer is a road hazard & obviously, she was following too close. Would they expect the same result if it was a private trailer & she was tailgating?
Actually, in PA it IS a law that motorists do need to clean snow and ice from their vehicles before treading out on the roadways. It is suppossed to be considered a “negligent act” on the truck driver for not taking proper precautions but this is PA and nobody cares obviously. Reference PennDot Motor Vehicle Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter A, Code 3720. Merry Christmas!
Law or not, how is it possible/practical/safe for truck drivers to get up there and get the ice or snow off the tops of their trailers?
It isn’t like this is a common service at the Petro.
um….it’s not where’s the beef, but where did the ice did blow?!
i used to be an OTR driver trainer for 7 yrs. it might be a PA DOT reg, but you can’t force that reg on part for a big rig.
1) no way for him/her to get ontop of that trailer and remove that.
2) there are no common services anywhere that does that kind of work.
this is a natural road hazard. it like stating that the PA State interior department is responsible for all the animals and when they come across the road, we would sue YOU and stop YOU the PADOT for not controlling your habitat. that is why these are filed as a comp clm for the vehicle and your employer’s workmans comp claim handles the medical. afterall, what is insurance for – it was designed for accidents in mind. that truck driver should have been not stopped for any reason.
fyi: from the cold of the article –
MERRY XMAS!
You really can’t expect a Truck driver to clean the top of the rig. However, it is not appropriate to accuse the ambulance driver of tailgating when you don’t know that for a fact. Some of those sheets of ice can catch a lot of air before crashing to the ground. I’ve seen it myself and dodged a few despite being a hundred + yards behind the truck (and it was in PA none the less).
i know, having been a truck driver for 7 yrs OTR. you are correct, you could be 2 car lengths behind and still get hit, just like the alligator from the truck (for those not familiar with words of the trucking industry – the tire tread). either way, it can’t be a truck driver’s fault for the ice flying from the top of the truck. we don’t have deicers, like a plane would get deiced prior to a flight. we would not have anyway to get ontop (that would even be dangerous for the driver standing ontop of ice). so please, folks are just stupid thinking that this is an easy solution. next thing you are going to tell me is that we will create a heating bay that can melt the ice down from the top of the truck. um…that wud be interesting but that would mean every dock or facility that has trucks going in/out would have to have one of these onsite and every truckstop. but that would not be a satisfactory solution and very costly in time and money. so that is the reason why mother nature (comprehensive coverage is available and your medical benefits.)
this does not sound like it was anyone’s fault. stuff happens and unfortunately it is bad. http://www.arizonaautoinsurance.cc
I don’t know why this was an issue, it’s happened to me; even worse, my windshield still has cracks from flying stones…as for your comment: “It’s physically impossible and equally impractical to expect a big rig driver to to clear the top of a trailer of snow & ice.”…I have to differ with you. I have a good friend who makes it a point to pull his rig up to a low roof in the truck yard and he steps onto the trailer roof to sweep the snow and ice off. It’s not an everyday practice but if you want to be on the safe side, it can and should be done, to protect others and especially the driver from a suit, which I suspect will be filed shortly, as soon as she hears from an attorney..
that the driver was following too closely and probably thinks she’s got grounds for cashing in….oops, I mean, file a lawsuit for cleaning the crap out of her pants!
This is my third post for this…..I know you can get this service at the Petro; hell, they can pipe in a TV and HBO, can’t they? I worked at a truck stop on I-80 in college and would do this exact service for a couple of bucks…I had a big step ladder which made it easy to get to the roof of the trailer…
Please excuse my ignorance. Our company only deals primarily with commercial trucks and I have long assumed it was not “common” because we often have insureds ask if we know of some place where they can obtain this service. Granted I don’t always know if those who ask are new to the industry. Plus, any time I’ve been to a truck stop, I’ve never seen anyone atop their trailers removing ice or snow.
Do you know of other Petros or TAs who do offer this on a regular basis through the winter months? It would be great to have this information on hand; especially with the pending legislation in PA right now pertaining to stiffer fines and penalties for big rigs if ice from their trailers causes accidents.
Thanks!
I worked for a SOHIO owned truck stop; it was operated as a franchise so when we did clean truck roofs it was as an accommodation approved by the manager and the truck stop president and not necessarily a company wide offering. In 1975 we had a blizzard on I-80 and so demand was high. I doubt if anyone gave another thought to doing this on a regular basis but I’d bet there could be some kind of safety credit for doing this in the midwest where blizzards are more common; it probably would help on I-80 today given those pile-ups due to white outs in Centre, Lycoming and Columbia counties, maybe this should be mentioned in the hearings on that legislation…. (I know Stop 64 would be a good place to start, if some entreprenuer wanted to try).
Thanks for the info, StatGuy.
Sounds like there may be an untapped market for this sort of service… It is certainly needed.