truck driver 110 year sentence reduced to 10

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moparmarks said:
His brakes failed because he over used them by not being in the proper gear when coming down the mountain. Then he choose not to use the run away truck ramp that would have avoided all of this.
HIS ACUTIONS CAUSED THE WRECK. Not the truck .
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I agree it's not the Truck (I am sure they did an investigation on it to verify there were no issues.) Ultimately he, the driver is responsible. But this deal jumped off the tracks well before he got behind the wheel IMO.....

Treat it like Gun control. Let's get rid of Trucks. That's the fix, right? He didn't deserve 110 years. He should have gotten something. But a whole bunch of people won't even be considered as guilty in this deal.

I looked at getting a CDL back in October and take on a new career. IMO for the pay it's not worth the stress and risk. Wheeling 40K and that responsibility is not commensurate with the general payscale. Bad, bad deal....

JW
 
He should have never been behind the wheel that day. Was not qualified and some of the blame should be put on the company too but end the end no one put a gun to his head and made him drive that route.
You wouldn't believe some of the **** I've seen in the 45 years of driving the I-70 corridor. Can't begin to count how many trucks I've seen burnt to the ground from their brakes catching fire. A lot of people and not just truckers are not "qualified" to drive that.
 
Trucking is better but worse also.Nobody uses the CB,mostly foreigners driving that can't speak english, they throw trash and piss bottles every where when there are trash cans all over,inconsiderate of others ,me me me me,I could go on but if you see a Volvo truck the driver usually has its left foot on the dash.Oh tailgating and comming over lesst thanca second infront of you especially in bad weather.I always try to be courteous and help other drivers.Half the time they can't speak english
 
Bigdummy said:
Trucking is better but worse also.Nobody uses the CB,mostly foreigners driving that can't speak english, they throw trash and piss bottles every where when there are trash cans all over,inconsiderate of others ,me me me me,I could go on but if you see a Volvo truck the driver usually has its left foot on the dash.Oh tailgating and comming over lesst thanca second infront of you especially in bad weather.I always try to be courteous and help other drivers.Half the time they can't speak english
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I've had plenty of occasions where a driver has come up to me at a loading dock trying to ask for directions and they can't speak English. They hold up their phone or in rare cases an actual map and want me to show them how to get to the next stop or exit etc. I don't mind helping but damn ya gotta be able to speak the language.
 
missing linc said:
I've had plenty of occasions where a driver has come up to me at a loading dock trying to ask for directions and they can't speak English. They hold up their phone or in rare cases an actual map and want me to show them how to get to the next stop or exit etc. I don't mind helping but damn ya gotta be able to speak the language.
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There is no logic in someone working in this country who's career is relying on the ability to understand a language. That does not mean they don't have the ability but just can't. Transfer that to basic abilities to be a responsible driver of even a basic vehicle and I don't personally see how you can be an effective driver. Morph that with 70' of truck and there is no logic.

There is a bigger problem than this kid and why it hasn't become a huge issue is beyond me.....

JW
 
SLOPAR72 said:
There is no logic in someone working in this country who's career is relying on the ability to understand a language. That does not mean they don't have the ability but just can't. Transfer that to basic abilities to be a responsible driver of even a basic vehicle and I don't personally see how you can be an effective driver. Morph that with 70' of truck and there is no logic.

There is a bigger problem than this kid and why it hasn't become a huge issue is beyond me.....

JW
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I know I know I know, but I can’t tell you why or it will get deleted as belonging in N&P.
 
SLOPAR72 said:
There is no logic in someone working in this country who's career is relying on the ability to understand a language. That does not mean they don't have the ability but just can't. Transfer that to basic abilities to be a responsible driver of even a basic vehicle and I don't personally see how you can be an effective driver. Morph that with 70' of truck and there is no logic.

There is a bigger problem than this kid and why it hasn't become a huge issue is beyond me.....

JW
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You are absolutely right. Some of my earlier posts in this thread are what I feel is the root cause of this problem. Too many improperly trained seat jockeys being put on the road in the name of $$. Yes, there is a shortage of people in this industry, but that will not be solved by just handing the keys to an 80,000 lb machine to the first dummy that shows up with a CDL that still has damp ink on it. This is a very dangerous profession that has become one of the most important industries in our consumer driven world. Virtually every single item that you and I can purchase has at one or more points in its existence travelled on a truck.
Most of us older drivers are reaching the point where we no longer want to deal with the other drivers on the road, or we are finally able to get off the road and retire, making the shortage of drivers even worse. Maybe an electric self driving truck is not the worst thing that could happen. :realcrazy:
The problem really is the lack of knowledge and experience, compounded by the language issue.
Why any authority would issue a CDL to an individual who is not able to communicate in English is a mystery to me. This is not racist or discriminatory, but common sense.
Ask any heavy truck mechanic which trucks are the most disgusting to work on.
 
missing linc said:
I've had plenty of occasions where a driver has come up to me at a loading dock trying to ask for directions and they can't speak English. They hold up their phone or in rare cases an actual map and want me to show them how to get to the next stop or exit etc. I don't mind helping but damn ya gotta be able to speak the language.
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Same thing here. I was loading at a warehouse in Ohio, in walks a driver that could not speak one word of English. The gal working had to call his dispatch and talk to them, as he could not communicate what and who for the load he was there for. I was at another warehouse unloading and in walks a driver who could not speak English, he got so irate at the shipping clerk she asked me to hang out in the shipping office with her, it scared her that much. I heard and saw him and he was ranting pretty good about something and was visibly angry.

I was just reading that pursuant to FMCSA rules:

The commercial driving test is administered in the English language only. This is pursuant to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations §§391.11(b)(2) and 383.133©(5).

What this basically says is that the federal government has mandated that you must be able to speak, read and write English to get a CDL license.

So why is it so many don't?
 
You know the 3 trailer rigs that FedEx and UPS use all over the country? Those rigs are not allowed on I-70 between here in Grand Junction and Denver with very good reason.
 
Bad Sport said:

What this basically says is that the federal government has mandated that you must be able to speak, read and write English to get a CDL license.

So why is it so many don't?
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Well a quick answer could be if they can use their phone or are allowed to have something for translation there is your answer. I can reach out to a friend of mine who recently got his CDL and ask him what he saw during the course.

But this is exactly what the next petition should be about..... Fixing this problem....
Oh the irony. The Karen's of the world want to fight someone over not wearing a Mask and yet are perfectly content playing on their phone while driving down the interstate at 70+ all the while riding beside a rig. Once again, no logic....

JW
 
Bad Sport said:
Same thing here. I was loading at a warehouse in Ohio, in walks a driver that could not speak one word of English. The gal working had to call his dispatch and talk to them, as he could not communicate what and who for the load he was there for. I was at another warehouse unloading and in walks a driver who could not speak English, he got so irate at the shipping clerk she asked me to hang out in the shipping office with her, it scared her that much. I heard and saw him and he was ranting pretty good about something and was visibly angry.

I was just reading that pursuant to FMCSA rules:

The commercial driving test is administered in the English language only. This is pursuant to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations §§391.11(b)(2) and 383.133©(5).

What this basically says is that the federal government has mandated that you must be able to speak, read and write English to get a CDL license.

So why is it so many don't?
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Had a number of shippers and security people,particularly females, tell me about verbal abuse from drivers who don't know English.
How is it possible to get a CDL if you can't speak english then?
 
missing linc said:
How is it possible to get a CDL if you can't speak english then?
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I would love to hear what the DOT says about that. But they are more worried about where you stick your GPS unit on the windshield..............lol. Boy, that was about the dumbest rule ever. They made that change about a year before I climbed out of a truck.
 
harrisonm said:
HIS BRAKES FAILED! If your brakes failed, and you caused a wreck, do you think you deserve to go to prison? If both engines fail on a Southwest 737 and people die in the crash, do the pilots deserve to go to jail?
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I'm guessing you haven't looked at any of the actual facts of the case. There is A LOT more to it than simply "his brakes failed."
 
Also if he could have read English then he probably would have understood the gazillion signs warning him of the danger ahead, maybe, I guess.
 
4 pages of personal opinions. 10 years isn't enough. 110 years is too much. How do we decide?
So much focus on the fact that this was a big truck. It really don't matter what type vehicle it was. Passenger cars collide and kill people every day. Where does the word "forgiveness" apply? If an 85-year-old Granny takes a wrong way ramp and kills in a accident, What level of forgiveness do we exercise? If instead its a drunk driver that caused the accident, Forgiveness will be measured differently for ignorance versus arrogance? I think so.
I wonder how many days of this guys 10-year sentence will be spent in civil courtrooms? I think there will be a lot of time to woller in his regrets and remorse.
"If I had only chosen the be a short order cook for Waffle House". The human condition is soooo interesting.
One more point..., They are working on driverless trucks (seems to be the only answer. It's not but that conversation is for another day). When one of those automated vehicles causes death, Who do we prosecute/crucify?
Happy New Year and God bless us all
 
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