Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 others in

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

So this is awesome.....apparently it never occurred to any journalist to talk to the truck driver and get his story out, but a taxi driver had him in his cab and the idea came to visit his brain. And he had a cell phone. The rest is history:

Truck Driver Involved In Tour Bus Crash Describes Horrific Ordeal « CBS Los Angeles

Journalists suck.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

Hawkeye10 said:

So this is awesome.....apparently it never occurred to any journalist to talk to the truck driver and get his story out, but a taxi driver had him in his cab and the idea came to visit his brain. And he had a cell phone. The rest is history:

Truck Driver Involved In Tour Bus Crash Describes Horrific Ordeal « CBS Los Angeles

Journalists suck.

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The crash occurred at 5:17 a.m. The truck driver blacked out for a minute and when he came to he then got out of his truck to help the bus passengers. He was then transported to hospital to have his injuries attended to. The video you have posted was recorded on his way HOME from the hospital.

There is a time and a place for journalists to obtain interviews from those involved in such situations if they are willing to be interviewed and it is not whilst they are assisting others, it is not whilst they are being transported to hospital and it is not whilst they are receiving treatment.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

Hawkeye10 said:

Ya I have no information on that. I mostly lost interest in the question of the safety of the Mexican truck drivers on American roads when I found out that so far at least the numbers of deaths by truck seem to be stable over a lot of years. However I do feel like trucks have gotten much more aggressive than they used to be based upon what I have seen on the road. I am left to wonder if I am right or wrong about there being a decline in the quality of American Truck drivers now that I know that the death numbers say that everything is calm. This would be a good thread topic actually, "Has there been a change in the quality of American Truck drivers in the last say decade, and if so how do we know, and why?"

Maybe I start it.

I dont have any answers at the moment, all I got are questions.

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Yes, because the standard by which a driver is considered, "qualified", is bull****. A written test and a few hours in the driver's seat do not a truck driver make.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

apdst said:

Yes, because the standard by which a driver is considered, "qualified", is bull****. A written test and a few hours in the driver's seat do not a truck driver make.

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The accident seems to have been the fault of the Bus Driver.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

calamity said:

The accident seems to have been the fault of the Bus Driver.

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Bus drivers are required to have a CDL. They're commercial drivers.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

apdst said:

Bus drivers are required to have a CDL. They're commercial drivers.

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I know that.


You lost me.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

calamity said:

I know that.


You lost me.

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I guess my point, is that the bus driver had his head up his ass and wasn't conducting himself as a professional driver.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

apdst said:

I guess my point, is that the bus driver had his head up his ass and wasn't conducting himself as a professional driver.

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Something obviously went wrong. He may have dozed off or simply misjudged the stopped vehicles ahead. Easy to do either one at 5 AM. This guy drove the troop to the Casino the night before. So, he had either no sleep or caught only a cat nap in the bus while the troop gambled at the casino. Either way, he was a danger and at high risk of fatigue.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

calamity said:

Something obviously went wrong. He may have dozed off or simply misjudged the stopped vehicles ahead. Easy to do either one at 5 AM. This guy drove the troop to the Casino the night before. So, he had either no sleep or caught only a cat nap in the bus while the troop gambled at the casino. Either way, he was a danger and at high risk of fatigue.

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Fatigued driving could definitely be the primary cause. The bus ran 15 feet into the trailer, so he was hauling ass big time, as well.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

apdst said:

Fatigued driving could definitely be the primary cause. The bus ran 15 feet into the trailer, so he was hauling ass big time, as well.

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Few things in life I fear more than being stopped on the interstate as the last car in line. My eyes are glued to the rearview until a car or truck finally comes to a stop behind me.

Also, when flying down the interstate at 70 or 80, it's amazing how fast you come up to stopped traffic. One second of inattention at the wrong time and it's ka-boom.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

calamity said:

Few things in life I fear more than being stopped on the interstate as the last car in line. My eyes are glued to the rearview until a car or truck finally comes to a stop behind me.

Also, when flying down the interstate at 70 or 80, it's amazing how fast you come up to stopped traffic. One second of inattention at the wrong time and it's ka-boom.

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I certainly feel ya there...lol. The very second I notice a backup I put ny emergency flashers on and start tapping my brakes trying to do everything I can to alert vehicles behind me and I've already chosen an escape route (if possible) should I see the vehicle behind me isn't going to stop in time.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

apdst said:

I certainly feel ya there...lol. The very second I notice a backup I put ny emergency flashers on and start tapping my brakes trying to do everything I can to alert vehicles behind me and I've already chosen an escape route (if possible) should I see the vehicle behind me isn't going to stop in time.

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Totally. Flashers, brake pumping and escape route. You got it.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

Crossfire said:

They certainly are a pain in the rear to drive. Parking is really not as bad as you think as long as there is enough room. There are certain visual markers to look for to make parking a breeze. If it is a tight spot all bets are off and it can take a while for that 500 point maneuver into a spot. The worst is driving on a breezy day. The wind can blow a truck all over the road and make it look like they fell asleep or something. CThat can be very scary for the driver of the truck and all the other vehicles around them.

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We were driving across Nevada in a heavy duty pickup towing a big trailer. My buddy was driving, I in the passenger seat, when he suddenly started to slow down and pull to the right. I couldn't see anything for a while, then the nose of a big truck was visible through the driver's side window. Soon, the first trailer, weaving around in the wind (Nevada can get really breezy) appeared. After that, the second trailer, weaving around even more. Then, to my surprise, the third trailer, really whipping back and forth. The truck got ahead of us, and I just held my breath as it whipped back and forth, taking up both lanes. I was sure it would crash, but the driver got it back under control and continued on.

Those three trailer rigs aren't legal in California. They shouldn't be legal anywhere, IMO.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

calamity said:

Few things in life I fear more than being stopped on the interstate as the last car in line. My eyes are glued to the rearview until a car or truck finally comes to a stop behind me.

Also, when flying down the interstate at 70 or 80, it's amazing how fast you come up to stopped traffic. One second of inattention at the wrong time and it's ka-boom.

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Exactly, and yet at least half of the drivers on the freeway have no fear of driving a car length or so behind the vehicle ahead. Tailgating has to be one of the primary causes of pile ups.

Re: Tour bus crashes into big rig in Desert Hot Springs; 11 reported killed, 30 other

Hawkeye10 said:

Ya but this bit about truckers pulling out right in front of others forcing them to slam on the brakes, I see a lot of that on I-5 here...."I am bigger than you, I will do what ever the **** I want to do" seems to be the modus operandi.

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When a trucker puts on his lane change signal, he's moving. Stay out of his way. Going up a steep grade, a trucker is going to be right on your behind if you slow down. Never ever EVER assume a truck is going to stop at a just-turned-red intersection if you're making a left turn in front of him. Yield to truckers if they're on your behind since, if they're loaded, they cannot stop if you do. (Things I've learned from truckers.)

Suburban Chicago here. Often on the tollways/X-ways sharing the road with truckers. In bad weather, snowstorm for example, they've been my heroes. I've often followed a safe distance behind knowing that I can probably stop faster than he can. That's helped me out more than once as I've driven in blinding snow to the first exit so I can get off and stop in bad weather. (Used to drive 300 miles from central Wisconsin to Illinois at least once a month in winter.) I've never seen reckless. Career truckers can't afford tickets. Tens of thousands have a few hundred thousand tied up in their rigs. Others would lose their jobs in a New York minute with reported reckless driving, accident or gross speeding.

Drivers from other countries? I doubt they have as much to lose. All bets off.