[Graymist]

I was just wondering if you guys out there noticed any particular pattern to the accidents due to the bad weather this winter, in terms of which companies' trucks were involved more frequently than others.

[doug33]

no no pattern ,but if there was one then I don't think you could call them " accidents".






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[NevadaJim]

What info are you after? Even if you saw 10 trucks of one company and 10 of another it wouldn't mean squat. Unless you knew exactly how many trucks a company is running versus how many accidents they had the number of accidents means nothing. What you're asking doesn't make any sense unless you're after percentages. The number of accidents in itself means nothing. I agree with doug33, they aren't accidents. All wrecks have a cause, too fast, not paying attention, driving when conditions weren't agreeable, too tired, etc. If everyone did what they are supposed to do, there wouldn't be "accidents".

[Useless]

I think that Doug33 and NevadaJim make some very valid points here; there is a big difference between an "accident" and a "wreck". If more people understood that important distinction, the highways would be much safer!!

[Graymist]

Pardon my ignorance....but all said and done, be it an "accident" or a "wreck", the end-result is similar : damage to property and / or life, the semantics notwithstanding.

What I was trying to get at is, if a particular company's trucks were involved in more accidents / crashes / wrecks relative to that of other companies during this winter, it might give us some idea about which companies are throwing caution to the winds when it come to safety ( or are condoning the same ), on the altar of racking up more miles / deliveries.

[NevadaJim]

Still too many variables to consider. Some might not have much freight or even drive in the snowbelt areas. Regardless, my opinion is it's the drivers that need to be smart enough to shut it down when weather dictates. Too many times some are quick to jump on a company over stats they see, when in fact drivers have a major role to play in making smart decisions. Not all drivers are angels, and a few bad apples can tarnish a companies reputation. Maybe we should focus on good and bad driver decisions, and not so quick to bash a company over a few irresponsible drivers or incidents. We can't help each other by bashing companies. But, we CAN help each other by learning from others dumb mistakes.

[homer]

you talk about it too much you might have an accident.its good for you to drive into the "snow belt" jimmy.deeper and deeper. i try not to judge those who have been unfortunate, its better to console them with tales of my own close encounters

[hitman]

Originally Posted by NevadaJim

Maybe we should focus on good and bad driver decisions, and not so quick to bash a company over a few irresponsible drivers or incidents. We can't help each other by bashing companies.

Exactly. It's the person behind the wheel that controls the truck, not the company name on the trailer.

[choperbob]

ops: I been told after my 1.5 years experience, 2 winters, I have now learned just enuff to be real dangerous out here. My dad says a good percentage of "accidents" during the winter happen to drivers with between 6 months and 5 years. but also the longer I drive the higher the odds are against me.

[Windwalker]

I may catch some flack on this one... BUT.....

In the years I've been on the road, it looks like the companies that do the training are the ones you see involved most. However, it's not ALL the training companies.

With "Wrecks", it's generally the large companies that I read about complaints with trainers. It seems like the more complaints with trainers, the greater the number of wrecks. Examples: I don't remember the last time I read a complaint about training at Roehl, and I don't remember the last time I saw a Roehl truck wrecked. Haven't read many complaints about training at Millis, and the last time I saw a Millis truck on the side of the road for reasons other than mechanical breakdown was when his trailer slid off the shoulder into the ditch (on ice) and the right side was down on top of his drives so he could not move. I used to see a lot of J B Hunt wrecked, but not so many anymore. CFI or TMC, it's been quite a while. Now, look at some of the other training companies, especially the ones that I hear about "TEAM TRAINING", and I'd bet I'll see half a dozen of each of them in wrecks this winter. The quality of training seems to have a lot to do with it.

Now, with accidents, it spreads out a bit different. Drivers with more experience start to get too confident and cocky, too much in a hurry, short on sleep, tailgate, and find themselves in a situation they can't get out of... And an accident happens. You'll also find that when it's the fault of a 4-wheeler, they don't care if it's a training company or not when they cut in front of the truck and cause the accident. Like my brother... 27 years without an accident of any kind. A 4-wheeler alongside his trailer changed lanes... Right under the middle of his trailer because the right lane was running out. Then could not understand why the truck didn't go off the road to the left to allow her to get on the road. :shock: Or in CA, on I-15. when a pick-up passed a truck, then got directly in front of the truck... But forgot about the bumpers on the vehicles. The back bumper of the pickup hooked the front bumper of the truck, and they came to a stop with the pickup "T-BONED" in front of the truck. When a drunk driver crosses the median, he doesn't care of it's a training company or not. He's addressed his own vehicle "TO WHOM EVER IT MAY CONCERN", no matter how much experience the driver has, or how many trucks the company has.