BACKGROUND: A log truck driver was driving his loaded truck one spring day in the South. Weather was not a factor in the accident.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The truck driver was experienced and in good health.
UNSAFE ACT OR CONDITION: The driver was crossing railroad tracks and apparently did not see an approaching train.
ACCIDENT: The train hit the rear of the trailer and dragged the entire rig about 100 yards along the track before the trailer flipped over on its right side, tearing the rear wheels out from under the trailer. The logs stacked on the trailer tumbled off. One of the logs pierced the truck’s cab. The rig came to rest between the track and a parallel road.
INJURY: The truck driver was unhurt in the accident.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: When crossing highway-rail grades, professional log truck drivers observe the following steps, recommended by trucking and railroad safety experts.
- Approach every crossing as if a train is coming. Consider reaction time, crossing conditions, train speed, truck and train braking times, weather conditions, and the number of tracks. Expect a train at any time. Remember, there may be as many trains as there are tracks.
- State and federal regulations-and common sense-require that you slow down as you approach every crossing. Slowing down allows you to stop safely when a train is either approaching or occupying the crossing.
- Open your window, turn down the radio, heat, or air fan and listen for a locomotive horn.
- Before entering a crossing, be sure there is room on the other side to clear it.
- Check for obstructed view of the tracks. Remember that weather conditions can impair vision.
- Signal and make a gradual stop. Turn on your four-way flashers to warn following traffic. In a line of traffic, leave them flashing until other traffic has stopped behind your truck.
- If you can safely do so, pull off onto the shoulder or a stopping lane while you check for approaching trains.
Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/