OOPS! Wish i would have had a video camera

fixerupper · Jun 29, 2015

Was following a belly dump rock truck this noon doing 60 MPH on a two lane highway when a cap threw off on a passenger side trailer tire. A few seconds later the whole load of what looked like 1" crushed limestone spread out on the road. The flying cap evidently caught an air line. He laid out a nice smooth three or four inch thick layer of rock across the entire two lanes. We were far enough back to get slowed down, but when we were approaching the rock we were meeting a semi that wasn't slowed down as much. Had to get over on the shoulder and as far away from the flying rocks coming from that truck's wheels as we could. Being a part time small time trucker I kind of felt bad for the driver. I'm sure he was on the phone right after it happened. Now if you were him, who would you call first? The DOT or the local sheriff to get some flashing lights to slow down traffic? I'd probably do 911 and let them handle the DOT. The value of the load is probably only $500 so that is fairly insignificant.

Dick2 · Jun 29, 2015

Liability could be gigantic compared to the value of the load so he better do something quick to protect the motoring public.

Billy NY · Jun 29, 2015

Police, 911 first, so someone is on the scene to prevent further incidents with traffic, then the boss in regards to the equipment failure and clean up.

Did this trailer turn over or was it a flow boy or center belly dump like you said, that the gate opened up on somehow and laid that stone out ? Those stones get to bouncing at speed, they're not far off from being bullets.

I was following one of those really odd looking trailers on the NJTPKE one time, they look like shipping containers, at an angle, " Rain For Rent" was the company. Driver had left pea gravel on the fenders and horizontal surfaces and it was raining down off the trailer on to the road surface, then bouncing upward gradually higher. They did get a call about that with reference to a truck number, location and time of the incident. Whenever possible, I will make that kind of phone call, be it something malicious or stupid like this, or if I see something going wrong on a truck to be helpful, hoping they catch it in time.
Rain For Rent Trailer photo

D beatty · Jun 29, 2015

I would be getting traffic stopped first and setting flares. By the time you get traffic stopped somebody has already called the police and if not I call. After that I would have to call company I drove for so that could deside what actions that they need to do at there end.

fixerupper · Jun 29, 2015

Billy I forgot to mention it was a belly dump. My son pulled a belly dump for awhile. He owned the tractor and the guy he was pulling for owned the trailer. An air valve had a slow leak and would let the belly open just a little bit and sprinkle rock while he was going down the road. A woman with a cracked windshield ran him down and boy was she hot. Son told the owner of the trailer to either fix the trailer or son was leaving. Owner did a half cobbled patch job and son left and pulled for someone else.

Spook · Jun 29, 2015

(quoted from post at 11:21:48 06/29/15) Was following a belly dump rock truck this noon doing 60 MPH on a two lane highway when a cap threw off on a passenger side trailer tire. A few seconds later the whole load of what looked like 1" crushed limestone spread out on the road. The flying cap evidently caught an air line. He laid out a nice smooth three or four inch thick layer of rock across the entire two lanes. We were far enough back to get slowed down, but when we were approaching the rock we were meeting a semi that wasn't slowed down as much. Had to get over on the shoulder and as far away from the flying rocks coming from that truck's wheels as we could. Being a part time small time trucker I kind of felt bad for the driver. I'm sure he was on the phone right after it happened. Now if you were him, who would you call first? The DOT or the local sheriff to get some flashing lights to slow down traffic? I'd probably do 911 and let them handle the DOT. The value of the load is probably only $500 so that is fairly insignificant.

Another example of why we need to ban those stupid recaps. After having a recap come off and smash the hood of my car on I96, I hate the dam things.

paul · Jun 29, 2015

Curve just past my place, a year ago, I don't drive that direction very often so it was a couple days later I noticed the county did an odd thing,
put new one inch rock along the shoulders of the tar road, just in the curve area. I wondered why.

Couple weeks later I happened to be talking to a county worker, and he asked if I noticed anything, they found a load of small rock laid out on
the tar road, was a real hazard because of the small S curve and hill, ESP for a motorcyclist, would just laid one out and over the higher side of
the bank into some swamp grass..... The county swept it up and swept it off.

They didn't know who lost the load, owner/trucker didnt call it in.

Paul

jon f mn · Jun 29, 2015

Before you blame retreads check out this link.
Tire failure rates

D beatty · Jun 29, 2015

jon f mn here in Indiana they have been picking up pieces of caps and chunks of tires from large trucks for over 30 years. About 25 years ago they had several guys picking rubber tire chunks in front our house and was able to talke to them. They were telling me at that time there were more new tires failing than caps.

vscummins · Jun 29, 2015

last people i would ever call would be dot get the state highway department out there with a snow plow or grader to get it off the road
probably 911 or sheriffs office first

showcrop · Jun 29, 2015

(quoted from post at 11:42:51 06/29/15) Police, 911 first, so someone is on the scene to prevent further incidents with traffic, then the boss in regards to the equipment failure and clean up.

Did this trailer turn over or was it a flow boy or center belly dump like you said, that the gate opened up on somehow and laid that stone out ? Those stones get to bouncing at speed, they're not far off from being bullets.

I was following one of those really odd looking trailers on the NJTPKE one time, they look like shipping containers, at an angle, " Rain For Rent" was the company. Driver had left pea gravel on the fenders and horizontal surfaces and it was raining down off the trailer on to the road surface, then bouncing upward gradually higher. They did get a call about that with reference to a truck number, location and time of the incident. Whenever possible, I will make that kind of phone call, be it something malicious or stupid like this, or if I see something going wrong on a truck to be helpful, hoping they catch it in time.
Rain For Rent Trailer photo

I am pretty sure that those are silt interceptors. The contractors have to set them up and pump silty water through them to keep the silt out of the waterways. when they get fairly well full of silt they open up at the end and clean them out with a skid steer.

fixerupper · Jun 29, 2015

Showcrop I see those trailers in the oil fields and I have always wondered what they were for. So they are for separating sediment?

ShadetreeRet · Jun 29, 2015

Jon, the article makes sense. Heat and underinflation will kill a tire no matter what type or how expensive it may be.
The only difference I see is that when a cap comes off, it leaves it in the roadway for others to hit or dodge, I don't
think an original tire is likely to do this. Of course if people would "drive ahead" of themselves instead of tailgating,
they would be able to see road hazards and take evasive action. I live about half mile from an interstate and have been
sitting outside at night and hear a truck with a loose cap four or five miles away, flump, flump, flump, and hear it about
two miles past the house. Thanks for posting the link.

jon f mn · Jun 29, 2015

That is not just caps, virgins loose the tread the same way. It's rare for a cap to separate from the casing. If you look closely at the pieces on the road you will almost always see wire attached to it, that means the casing let go not the cap. It's very rare to see a tread without the casing. Folks just assume that since it's tread laying there that it's a cap that separated from the casing, but most times the casing is still attached. You also need to keep in mind that since the majority of truck tires on the road are caps, the majority of blow outs will also be caps.

showcrop · Jun 30, 2015

(quoted from post at 19:33:52 06/29/15)
Showcrop I see those trailers in the oil fields and I have always wondered what they were for. So they are for separating sediment?

Yes, They are fed with really big pumps, with water going in one end and out at the top at the other end.

OOPS! Wish i would have had a video camera

fixerupper

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Dick2

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Billy NY

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D beatty

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fixerupper

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Spook

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paul

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jon f mn

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D beatty

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vscummins

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showcrop

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fixerupper

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showcrop

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