Truck Maintenance’ Category
Fiery Houston UPS Truck Accident Traced to Distracted Driver
Monday, January 16th, 2012
A truck accident involving a UPS tractor-trailer last week is being blamed on a distracted driver. Fortunately, the accident did not result in any injuries, although it did cause an explosion and fire.
According to news reports, the UPS 18-wheeler was traveling northbound on Interstate 45 on its way from Houston to Dallas, when the driver reached out for something in the cab. He was momentarily distracted, and this resulted in the truck swerving near a construction area, and hitting the end of a guardrail. The truck then jackknifed and burst into flames.
The driver of the truck suffered injuries, and...
Pickup Truck Driver Killed in Texas 18-Wheeler Accident
Saturday, October 1st, 2011
A pickup truck driver was killed in an accident involving an 18- wheeler on Loop 1604 in Texas last week. The cattle truck was carrying about 180 cows. According to authorities, the two vehicles were traveling in the same direction, when the truck seems to have rolled over on the pickup truck. The driver was killed instantly. Authorities are trying to determine the cause of the rollover.
Rollover accidents are some of the most devastating accidents involving tractor-trailers and 18- wheelers. Unfortunately, these accidents are far too frequent, and often involve certain types of trucks, like tank trucks. One of...
Tanker Truck Driver Killed in Wheeler County Accident
Monday, September 26th, 2011
A tanker truck driver was killed, and another was seriously injured in a tractor-trailer accident in Wheeler County last week. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the accident involved a Mack tractor-trailer and a Peterbilt on State Highway 152. The Mac tanker truck jackknifed on impact, while the Peterbilt went off the roadway, rolled over, and burst into flames.
The driver of the Mack truck was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the Peterbilt truck suffered injuries, and had to be rushed to the hospital.
Commercial trucking can be a lonely and tedious, not to mention, strenuous...
Legislation to Prevent Drug Use-Related Truck Accidents Introduced in Congress
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
A group of senators have introduced a legislation that aims to reduce the number of truck drivers out there operating 18-wheelers under the influence of drugs. While current federal laws prohibit drivers from operating tractor-trailers under the influence of drugs, there are many loopholes in the current laws that allow such drivers to slip through the cracks.
The legislation called the Safe Roads Act would create a database that includes positive commercial truck driver drug test results. The database would include information from around the country, and would be available to trucking companies. These companies will be able to scan...
Man Killed in Midland County Truck Accident
Thursday, March 17th, 2011
According to Midland County police, a man was killed in an accident involving two tractor trailers last week. The accident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning on FM 1788, South of Hwy. 191. The victim was traveling in a Freightliner tractor-trailer when he turned left in front of a Kenworth FedEx truck. The FedEx struck the side of the Freightliner. The driver of the FedEx sustained fatal injuries in the accident. According to Midland police, charges are pending in this crash.
Most tractor trailer accidents end with injuries and fatalities to the occupants of the smaller...
Houston Tractor Trailer Accident Blamed on Slippery Road
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
An accident involving two tractor-trailers over the weekend is being blamed on wet roads that had been left slippery by a recent bout of rain. The accident occurred in downtown Houston. One tractor-trailer was traveling west on Interstate 10 near Houston Ave. when it slid sideways. Another tractor-trailer then crashed into the first one, sending the first truck into a wall. Neither tractor-trailer driver was injured. Even more fortunately, there were no passenger vehicles nearby that were involved in this accident.
Driving in poor weather or on treacherous roads is often a challenge, especially so for tractor-trailer drivers. It's also...
Insurance Institute Calls for Stronger Regulation of Tractor Trailer Underride Guards
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
During a rear-ender accident involving a semi tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle, occupants in the passenger vehicle may be at a high risk of catastrophic injuries when their vehicle is the one colliding with in the truck. Catastrophic injuries in such accidents can be prevented by underride guards, which are installed at the back of trailer, to prevent the front side of the passenger vehicle from sliding completely under the tractor-trailer.
However, a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that in low-speed crashes, underride guards do precious little to prevent the front of...
Truck Driver Seriously Injured byLoose Cargo
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Houston police are still looking out for a truck driver who absconded from the scene of an accident after loose cargo from his tractor-trailer crashed through the windshield of a truck behind him, injuring the driver.
The Houston Police Department has issued a call for help from the public after the accident, which occurred on the 23rd of December on the I-10 E Freeway. The crash occurred when the 18-wheeler west bound on the freeway, lost a 1-inch long steel pipe. The pipe fell off the truck, bounced off the pavement and crashed through the windshield of a...
Driver’s Medical Condition Blamed for Texas Bus Accident
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
Last week, a charter bus on its way from Dallas to Oklahoma City, hit a highway barrier just 2 miles north of Dallas. 18 passengers sustained injuries, and at least one of these persons was critically injured. Investigators are now looking at the medical condition of the driver as a possible factor in the accident.
Since the accident, there has been some confusion due to the fact that the driver speaks little English. Soon after the accident, investigators who did not speak Spanish were not able to completely understand what the driver was saying through sign language. They...
Truck Driver Killed in Midland Accident
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
A truck driver was killed in a single vehicle accident involving his truck in Midland last week. According to News West 9, the truck driver was driving a Basic Energy truck on Interstate 20 in Midland. At some point, a truck tire blew out, and sent the truck out of control. The truck swerved off the road, and crashed through the median right into incoming traffic. It then crashed into a field, and flipped over. The driver sustained serious injuries, and was rushed to the Midland Memorial Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries a few hours...
