Manslaughter charges for improper towing equipment.

pitch wrote:
Beat me to it Caveman. Many many states allow agricultural operation of semi's with out a CDL. I occasionally haul beans, corn,etc from the combine to the bin, traveling on town county and state roads. I hold no special license nor is one required.

Yup but the thing about that is many of those Ag-Semi drivers have been driving that rig,,,, ON THE FARM,, since they were barley in the double digits (or younger).. That is why I knew about trailers not latching properly on the ball... Happened on the farm. Long before I had a license to "hit the road". And when it did we simply re-attached, Happened again when I had a PUP and later a TT but I already knew what to look for, that is 4 different hitches (Pup broke one) and a few U-Hauls on top of that.

Farm boys have a very good general education when it comes to things like Tractors and Trailers.. I mean, how many of you can even start a Ferguson TO series? (Most people can not, Since it was the first motor vehicle I ever drove.. Easy for me) .

Bumpyroad wrote:

keymastr wrote:


I have to do the same every year with my boat. The sticker tells the LEOs they don't need to bother me and all is good.
.

what state inspection do you have for boats each year? all I have done the past 55 years is mail in my $$ every 2-3 years for renewal. the only inspection I had was by the coast guard reserve to get their sticker.
now the state wardens do check for life jackets, etc. if you are unlucky, in fact my friend got a ticket for not having a throwable device. his question to the officer was that since he was alone, who was going to throw it to whom? still cost him $50.
bumpy

One I'm aware of is in areas where Coast Guard & Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol, they will do a safety inspection and give you a one year sticker that indicates you passed. Then, hopefully the CG, game wardens, etc. wont stop to check you again. It isn't related to state registration.

The throwable rule when solo is kind of odd :)

There are some things that are constant, like not knowing where one is in relation to where one wants to be.
I saw it happen three times today.
I was on Main street, in the lane I knew I needed to be in, when traffic stopped, even though the light was green. It turned out, there was some dingbat at the intersection that wanted to turn right, but he (she?) was in the center lane. So, even though it would be very simple to take a round about way to get to the airport or wherever, this person STOPPED in the center lane and waited for traffic to clear in the right lane so he could move over and turn onto Airport Road! Yes, blocked traffic because of lack of attention!
Then, about 1/4 mile further along on Main, a person waited until the last few feet before moving over to take the 6th Ave. N. exit!
The same thing happened at the King Avenue exit off of Laurel Road!

I had a friend once who "forgot" to tie his aluminum boat down, and didn't make sure the winch was latched. When the boat slid off the trailer, he didn't notice it until over 3 feet of the bottom, from the transom forward, was ground off! By the way, he was a licensed multi-engine commercial pilot, qualified in several models of fire bombers, cargo aircraft, and passenger aircraft!

Sorry, but NO license or inspection will prevent a trailer from disconnecting if it isn't hitched properly. Unless, of course, you want to have a LEO inspect the rig each and every time it is hitched up.
I don't think that would be practical!

hardly a day goes by I don't see some person, usually female type, with a cell phone plastered to her ear yakking away while semi paying attention to where she's going in states where this is illegal. now that person he/she had to take a driving test, eye test, etc. but is still a menace on the road.
bumpy

Bumpyroad wrote:

bid_time wrote:
OH - Yes, more testing and regulations are required. That's why you see so many RV's flying off the road left and right every time you travel; and innocent people being killed by the thousands. Give Me A Break!! While you're at it we need testing and regulations for procreation, we have a much worse problem with stupid people procreating.

x2
bumpy

X3 For those who think licensing is a good idea and don't buy in to the arguments already pointed out think about your states licensing department. Is it efficient now? Can your get your license or renewal in a reasonable amount of time? Well, if it is like our state, adding more requirements like this will cause a backlog that will result in a full day at the motor vehicle dept.!
And why stop with trailers. Lets require motorhome drivers to have a special license too. Really clog up the system.:E

keymastr wrote:


I have to do the same every year with my boat. The sticker tells the LEOs they don't need to bother me and all is good.
.

what state inspection do you have for boats each year? all I have done the past 55 years is mail in my $$ every 2-3 years for renewal. the only inspection I had was by the coast guard reserve to get their sticker.
now the state wardens do check for life jackets, etc. if you are unlucky, in fact my friend got a ticket for not having a throwable device. his question to the officer was that since he was alone, who was going to throw it to whom? still cost him $50.
bumpy

I don't have a problem with a mandatory inspection program. Get it inspected, get a sticker showing you are in compliance and no hassles for a year or two.

I have to do the same every year with my boat. The sticker tells the LEOs they don't need to bother me and all is good.

Maybe a slight inconvenience but will catch the grossly unsafe vehicles that I would rather not share the road with.

yes there is always a segment of the population that with make mistakes!
A truer statement was never uttered. That segment is 100% of the human race. Even if you never allow any one to talk to you while you are hooking up, even if you use a printed check list, even if you use reminder tags. All of these things are aids towards perfection, but the chance for error is a constant. Do not become complacent due to your years of experience or your inflated ego.

Commercial pilots are required to endure recurrent training and testing every six(6) months. But, it certainly doesn't keep THEM from excercising their right to commit pilot error.
Look, there will always be a segment of the population that's going to make mistakes.

bid_time wrote:
OH - Yes, more testing and regulations are required. That's why you see so many RV's flying off the road left and right every time you travel; and innocent people being killed by the thousands. Give Me A Break!! While you're at it we need testing and regulations for procreation, we have a much worse problem with stupid people procreating.

x2
bumpy