Gdetrailer wrote:
You see, quite a few years ago there was nearly an entire family KILLED near Pittsburgh when an improperly secured 4K lbs chipper broke free and CAREENED head on with a passenger van.
Husband/father and two of the triplets he had on board. The 3rd of the triplets was in serious condition for awhile, but finally got to go home to mom.
Story goes that the older chipper did not have brakes, and was hitched improperly. Was debatable whether or not the chains where installed properly....State police had said that there was no damage to back of truck that would indicate it was chained.
DOT cracked down on every any anyone pulling a trailer in that area for several years after that accident. They still do ocassional spot checks of utility trailer/RVs, etc... Yes, they especially go after contractors with work trailers.
My buddy watched them do courtesy checks, in a polite fashion, near a home improvement store. They "taught" the weekend "haulers" about load securement, etc... When his turn came, their attitude changed, and they inspected him like they were looking to get him. He was fine, they lightened up, so he asked:
"You seemed helpful to all those people in front of me, but when it was my turn you got real serious. WHY?
"Because you have a CDL, they explained. You know better, if your load was not secure, we would have ticketed you. We lost a man and a couple kids on this road because of a careless contractor".
