A trucker's worst nightmare (Brake failure)

[Street Guardian USA]

 

[Bungus]

O Sh't.

 

[flank]

I was was watching thinking that everyone is going to have 1 small fire extinguisher and then that guy goes running down there with two

 

[Sunny]

Horror!

 

[dashy]

Retarded van driver doesn't get out of the way.....if he didn't clip the van then the truck might not have caused an accident.

Once I pulled over for a 5-6 metre wide load and an idiot in a van behind me doesn't move over, instead stays that n his path and stares at my side mirror, it was right before a narrow bridge, the wide load stops for him, took him 30 seconds before realising there was a wide load.

 

[kamkar]

It dont seem like they value brakes or the genertal state of the cars & trucks much over there, i often see Russian crash compilations where its clear a lot of the brakes on a car/truck dont work.

Allso when cops here stop and check trucks comming from over east they are rittled with flaws, cracked brakes - not working brakes - wheel nuts you can unscrew by hand just to name a fjew.
Its so bad that if i was in charge every truck comming from the east should have a full inspection before its allowed to cross into Denmark, but i am affraid thats too strong medecine for the rubber spined Danes.

 

[DT MI]

Retarded van driver doesn't get out of the way.....if he didn't clip the van then the truck might not have caused an accident.....

White van was behind another truck (and I assume he did not have CB radio so he was unaware of what was happening). From the time the truck in front of him moved over until he was hit was about 4 seconds - not a lot of time to see the situation, analyze it, decide on a proper course of action, and then execute the plan. Hardly makes the van driver 'retarded'.

 

[kamkar]

wondering if no brake trucker could have sounded his air horn, but if it was a case of no air that would be invane.
Though that confuse me as air pressuer is what make the brakes disengage, so should no air make them slam on.

Anyway this is Russia so ther brakes proberly work with low pressure Vodka instead of brakefluid

 

[Viking]

That is what I fear when I got a 30-40 tons truck tailgating me.

PS. How do you "tell" the truck to keep distance?

 

[dash riposki]

Whatever you do, don't 'brake check' them. You have some idiots driving big trucks.

Make sure your speed isn't fluctuating. I get stuck behind a lot of cars on the highway who will slow down to 50-55 mph on a 70 mph highway, and only speed up when somebody tries to pass them. (only to slow down again)

If the truck is tailgating you. the smartest thing to do is get out of their way. They'll kill you. Get a truck number, call the highway patrol, with a description of the truck.
(Color, make, truck number, type of trailer, direction, etc)

Don't bother to call the trucking company. You'll get the run-around.
The police may not do anything, either, but chances are good if they pull that truck over, they can find something else to ticket him for.


Of course, a rear facing dash cam is your best option.


If areas with long downgrades, which are usually marked to warn trucks, and usually they have a reduced speed, keep away from the trucks!
Even with 'bad' brakes you can slow down or stop a truck, but many truckers have no skills or sense.
The smoke (and smell) you'll see coming off of the brakes on some trucks on a long downhill is from the brakes not being adjusted correctly. One or more brakes has to do more work than the others, overheats, and smokes. They will catch on fire at times, but that isn't fatal in itself.
Park, let the fire die, cool the brakes off, ADJUST THEM, and you are fine. (Assuming the flames weren't so big they melted air lines)

The worst 'runaway' truck accidents happen when the truck not only has brake problems, but the driver panics and gets caught out of gear. Nothing between you and the laws of physics to slow you down.

 

[Viking]

Whatever you do, don't 'brake check' them. You have some idiots driving big trucks.

Hell no. I don't want a big hairy sweaty truck driver, next to me in the passenger seat.

I speed normal 10 above the speed limit. I let the truck pass, as he want. Flashing the light when he got space to pull in.
I don't "play" with my life or others. At least I'm not trying to do it. Nobody's perfect.

I see more bad driver in cars, than trucks. But when it happen, I almost get the brown spot in my pants.

 

[Sunny]

That's why it's never good idea to follow 18-wheelers (or lorries as they say across the pond) too close.
That Van driver was lucky to come out alive.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

That's why it's never good idea to follow 18-wheelers (or lorries as they say across the pond) too close.
That Van driver was lucky to come out alive.

Letting them get far away from you is great advice

 

[dashy]

So not a retard, but deceased.....
Did he no where to go anyway because the he was too close to the truck in front of him?, truck in front of him should have cleared the way much earlier, the van might have leap fogged it.

 

[DT MI]

Well, if we want to start nip picking there's a few things I'd like to point out that apparently most have missed.

1. The white van was following the truck no closer than any of the other vehicles on the road were following and appeared to be at safe distance based on the traffic speed (difficult to tell for sure because of the position of the camera).

2. Even after the truck in front of the van started to pull off to the shoulder the van driver could not see the oncoming runaway truck because of the curve in the road - he still would have had his view blocked. For all the van driver knew at this point the truck driver could have had a full bladder and needed to find a tree to 'relieve' the problem.

3. If you watch the video from the beginning you'll see the truck had just passed the van and cut back into the right lane this indicating the van was not tailgating or following close. If anything the truck could have been making a questionable pass and came back into the right lane (possibly) a bit early because of the oncoming traffic.

This thread is beginning to go the route of 'blame the victim' instead of the real cause of the accident which was the runaway truck with no brakes.

 

[kamkar]

well i have to be honest my speed can allso at times go a little below the posted max speed, but i dont think its as much or as often as i go above the posted limit, and i sure as hell dont drop 20 MPH thats allmost like slamming on the brakes.

If i had a speed pilot i would not use it, anyways no matter how fast or slow i drive i allways get overtaken, though at my drive the day before yesterday i actually had 4 cars behind me, and none of them was overtaking anybody, that was a for me to see and i sort of expect one of the cars back there beeing a undercover cop car

 

[dashy]

Didn't think he was right next to the truck and couldn't swerve to the right, that is why I formed that opinion, but I wasn't 100% sure, I am just saying if he was aware....different outcomes....

He made no attempt at swerving, it pays to be paying attention.

 

[dash riposki]

You can't assume all trucks have a Comrade Band radio.

I haven't had one in the truck for years.



Sometimes you see things happening, even when you are paying attention, and can't figure out what is going on until it's too late.

Don't they have 'runaway truck ramps' in Russia? Not sure it would help with that much traffic, anyway, he was bound to hit somebody?

 

[Dee_82]

Isn't it Unusual for brakes to go on a lorry, aren't they held open by pressure, loss of pressure slams the brakes on?

 

[dashy]

When you going fast down the hill, the lousy brakes aren't going to stop a heavy vehicle after you overheated them from repeated presses, once the speed builds up, for a particular hill, you'd better have good brakes etc. Also you better be smart once you had to brake hard and long(caught out) and put it into a smaller gear than usual.
It is not uncommon for badly maintained trucks to be without a working exhaust brake, so that makes things even worse.