I was lurking over at another site

[Orangetxguy]

and I saw a post about "hit da bridge accidents"............ ........So I thought I would post a link to some pictures....because it really is mind-boggling what truck drivers....and Non-truck drivers seem to do.

Collection : Historic photos: Q-C's truck-eating bridges


And yes......I have driven under that very bridge (US61- 11'8") several times. Of course.....with a unit that is only 10' 8".

[robertt]

When I was driving that was always one of my biggest fears......driving along and someday not paying attention that ONE time and hitting a bridge, especially as much driving as I did in NYC, Jersey, Philly, Balt, D.C. area's. Either I was extremely lucky or I DO have an attention span longer than that of a gnat, as my wife often accuses me of.

[Malaki86]

I dunno if it's the drivers fault or not. The entire thing is only outlined in yellow & black "warning" stripes, along with the 2' tall 11'8" clearance sign. I think it needs to be marked better. Maybe something like "Hey stupid - if you can read this, you're in trouble. If you can't read this, give up your license."

[Orangetxguy]

I dunno if it's the drivers fault or not. The entire thing is only outlined in yellow & black "warning" stripes, along with the 2' tall 11'8" clearance sign. I think it needs to be marked better. Maybe something like "Hey stupid - if you can read this, you're in trouble. If you can't read this, give up your license."

Mal.......You're just to to FUNNY!!!

[MichiganDriver]

I was riding down the road the other day and pulled alongside a rig that looked like someone tried to open the first 3 or 4 feet of the trailer like a sardine can. I smiled at the driver. He smiled back. Enough said.

[GMAN]

You really have to be watchful when you run in the Northeast and New England. The cities are old and trucks were not as tall when many of their bridges were built.

[Malaki86]

Louisville, KY is another place that's notorious for low-clearance bridges.

[Orangetxguy]

Louisville, KY is another place that's notorious for low-clearance bridges.

Low bridges....and really really tight alleys!!!

I went down an alley a couple years ago to deliver a lad of resin to a paint manufacturing plant. I had to fold all the mirrors in, and while going down the alley, had less than 1/2 " clearance on each side. It was only 800 feet...and it took me 43 minutes! I sweated every freaking inch of that alley! The hand-holds on my exhaust stacks and on the cab fairings, just cleared sewer lines, electric conduit and small poles that were attached to the walls of the buildings on each side!

I haven't been back.

[Sabine]

I delivered to the meat market in Chicago this past winter. Ton of construction in the area. I asked a cop which way to get out because of the low clearances to my left. They told me which way to go, made a left on the road they told me to. Underpass ahead, not marked mind you. Bright sunshine, one of those construction signs that scrolls through info, and out of the corner of my eye I catch the too low for me clearance ahead. Now remember, I asked a cop, thought I was given good info....not. I had to back up a good block at rush hour, continue on the way I was going, until I found a local driver who told me which way to go.

It is really easy to have this happen, and I am no rookie by any means, and for the most part very cautious.

[Orangetxguy]

I delivered to the meat market in Chicago this past winter. Ton of construction in the area. I asked a cop which way to get out because of the low clearances to my left. They told me which way to go, made a left on the road they told me to. Underpass ahead, not marked mind you. Bright sunshine, one of those construction signs that scrolls through info, and out of the corner of my eye I catch the too low for me clearance ahead. Now remember, I asked a cop, thought I was given good info....not. I had to back up a good block at rush hour, continue on the way I was going, until I found a local driver who told me which way to go.

It is really easy to have this happen, and I am no rookie by any means, and for the most part very cautious.

Most LEO's, unless they are DOT certified, seldom understand what a driver means, when asked about "legal" routes for trucks. Part of a "truck legal route" is clearances of 14' or greater and widths of 26 feet or greater.

[golfhobo]

and I saw a post about "hit da bridge accidents"............ ........So I thought I would post a link to some pictures....because it really is mind-boggling what truck drivers....and Non-truck drivers seem to do.

Collection : Historic photos: Q-C's truck-eating bridges


And yes......I have driven under that very bridge (US61- 11'8") several times. Of course.....with a unit that is only 10' 8".

I think it's a conspiracy on the part of the railroads!! They want to destroy the trucking industry.... one truck at a time.

[Orangetxguy]

I think it's a conspiracy on the part of the railroads!! They want to destroy the trucking industry.... one truck at a time.

Yeah!!! They even have a couple "Truck Eaters" here in Texas!! One is on US-59 north of Cleveland TX. Vans with air-ride suspension hit it frequently....cuz their drivers don't read the signs and obey the flashing yeller lights!

There are a couple out west of Waco though....that don't have them flashing yeller lights! Just the signs....that drivers don't read!!!

[VPIDarkAngel]

Why did I just know that there'd be a Dollar General wagon (of the pre-liftgate era) in there? And why did I know that the originator of this one would remind us of how much shorter a tanker is than a van? haha

[One]

Lots of rookie outfits in those pics.... But i must say up in the NYC area it seems like the sign will say 13 foot for example and trucks pass fine anyway...

[Instigator]

HAHAHAHAHAHAA I looked at that sight and have not laughed so hard in a long time. Every single bridge crash was driver error! There are no excuses for this at all. I too drove in the NYC 5 boroughs area for 16 years and New Jersey, Philly, Baltimore etc. Heck even Canada has low bridges. Its all part of truck driving. This is why I laugh at recruiters that wont hire me becasue I have been out of a truck for 13 years and recently got back in, experience is something earned, never forgotten. I have personally witnessed a few of these trucks hitting bridges when I was delivering in the Bronx back in the early 80's, it was just a funny maybe even funnier seeing it happen in real life. And you know exactly what is happening when you hear it, rapping the trailer down until the truck stops!

I will admit, I have hit a few bridges in my day, but at least I was crawling at the time to see if I could make it, I never ripped a roof off! (Made a few dents and dings though!)

[MichiganDriver]

Lots of rookie outfits in those pics.... But i must say up in the NYC area it seems like the sign will say 13 foot for example and trucks pass fine anyway...

The answer is the color of the sign. White signs are gospel, yellow signs are there to show you that the folks in charge have a sense of humor. One explanation I've heard is that the yellow signs are off by a foot, another is that they measure from your axle instead of the ground. My personal theory is a lawyer told them to lie about the height so each and every driver that hits a bridge will automatically be at fault. lol

My truck is 13'2" and I scraped a bridge with a yellow sign that said 12'4". I crept under at maybe 2 mph and heard the deflector scraping. I had to drop my air and back out from under. It was at those nasty RR tracks just E of Flatbush Ave. I think it was Avenue P.

There's a concrete bridge on I-278 that gives me the willys. It's marked (yellow sign) at 12'10" and yet it looks like it's about 11'. I get a knot in my stomach every time I go under it.

[Orangetxguy]

Why did I just know that there'd be a Dollar General wagon (of the pre-liftgate era) in there? And why did I know that the originator of this one would remind us of how much shorter a tanker is than a van? haha

Hey! You would be surprised the number of people who slam on their brakes so they aren't at a low bridge at the same time as a tanker! All they see is a truck. Not that the tank is shorter than a van or reefer!! I've seen it countless times at the RR overpass north of Cleveland TX!!

[Orangetxguy]

The answer is the color of the sign. White signs are gospel, yellow signs are there to show you that the folks in charge have a sense of humor. One explanation I've heard is that the yellow signs are off by a foot, another is that they measure from your axle instead of the ground. My personal theory is a lawyer told them to lie about the height so each and every driver that hits a bridge will automatically be at fault. lol

My truck is 13'2" and I scraped a bridge with a yellow sign that said 12'4". I crept under at maybe 2 mph and heard the deflector scraping. I had to drop my air and back out from under. It was at those nasty RR tracks just E of Flatbush Ave. I think it was Avenue P.

There's a concrete bridge on I-278 that gives me the willys. It's marked (yellow sign) at 12'10" and yet it looks like it's about 11'. I get a knot in my stomach every time I go under it.

That is at the shoulder though.....Not out on the lane of travel! At least ....the overpass I am thinking about on I-278 has the bridge-abutment at the shoulder posted.

[Windwalker]

There's one on 250 in OH that's marked 13' 7". Or at least there used to be. Only one truck I know of had a problem there. Werner went through under it, left a ledge of snow against it. I went through right behind Werner and the shelf was still glued up there. But, I guess when I got by, it fell. The guy a quarter mile behind me didn't get through under the bridge.

Then, there was one in Cleveland, TN. The signs said "TRUCK ROUTE", and pointed straight ahead. Schneider was following a pepsi wagon (only 12'), I was behind Schneider, and J B Hunt was behind me. I almost missed the sign to my right that said the R R overpass ahead was only 12' 7". I grabbed the next street to the right, and went over a block to cross over the top of the tracks. J B Hunt was right behind me. When we got back to the overpass (on the other side) Schneider almost made it through. The front half of the trailer was out from under the overpass, and he was stopped. The stack on his cab-over was bent back slightly, but the trailer was another matter.

Back when J B Hunt still had flatbeds, one of his trucks was loaded with pallets. One of the overpasses on I-94 in Detroit didn't let the very last stack through under it. There were toothpicks all over the place, and a length of 4" strap hanging from the pallet jammed into the bridge I-beam, almost to the pavement below. The tops of the back two stacks of pallets were not laying flat. I-94 in Detroit is not one of the roads you want to bounce over. Not much clearance overhead.