Lucky plow driver.

[41chevy]

Definitely had an angel on his shoulder!

Terry Jacobson, the snow plow driver, had over 23 years of experience on the job.

“A semi truck decided to pass him on the right-hand side. That truck clipped the plow and sent the plow across oncoming traffic,” narrowly missing potential head-on crashes, said Carlos Braceras, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation to the Salt Lake Tribune.

“He went through the guardrail,” he said. “And then it went down 300 feet of embankment, rolling several times.”

Jacobson, who was wearing a seat belt, survived but still remains in the hospital with serious injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

A driver coming from the opposite direction caught the accident on video with his dash camera. UDOT distributed the video Friday.

Neil Lundell, a snow plow supervisor, said he spoke to Jacobson Friday after the accident.

“He doesn’t remember very much, other than going through the rail and rolling down the hill,” Lundell said.

Lundell said UDOT asks drivers not to pass snow plows, but drivers often ignore the warnings.

Jacobson’s accident was the fourth time this winter that vehicles have hit snow plows while trying to pass them.

The semi driver was ticketed for improper passing and failure to stay in his lane, KSTU reported.

UDOT is in the process of investigating the accident, but they said that the semi driver lost visibility while trying to get around the plow.

 

 

[carlotpilot]

not a ride i would have liked  in either vehicle

[DailyDiesel]

The safest place to be in a storm is behind the plow.

[tjc transport]

they should have charged the truck driver with attempted vehicular manslaughter instead of improper passing. 

[MACKTRUCKS4]

I had trucks rented to Penndot for 10 years. We would run trains on the interstate with 3 trucks in a row. I can't tell you how many times cars would come up and try to pass in between the trucks with rooster tails of snow flying 10 feet in the air. The trains would run 50 MPH, not that we were going slow but people are so impatient. In those 10 years, I could write a book on the things I saw.

[Dirtymilkman]

What?!? No explosion at the end?  The vehicle always explodes after it rolls down an embankment. 

[Freightrain]

^^only just after the driver gets free of the wreckage...................usually.  Unless it's a "bad guy" then they never get out in time.

[BillyT]

When the road got icy on I 80 or the Pa tpke, I used to WAIT for the plow and them follow him!

[Dirtymilkman]

This looked like a real cowboy. 

[carlotpilot]

from what i could see  in the vid tt was running to fast` his choice was to either hit the plow in the rear or try to pass him  in both scenarios he was wrong

Edited January 17, 2017 by carlotpilot

[Brocky]

Also notice he "drifted" over into the plow as at that speed he could not hold it in his lane.. 

Steering wheel holders and electronic logs make for safer drivers, JUST ask our Gubbermint!!

53 minutes ago, carlotpilot said:

from what i could see  in the vid tt was running to fast` his choice was to either hit the plow in the rear or try to pass him  in both scenarios he was wrong

 

[1958 F.W.D.]

8 hours ago, Dirtymilkman said:

What?!? No explosion at the end?  The vehicle always explodes after it rolls down an embankment. 

That's only on CHiPs or EMERGENCY! 

[Hobert62]

1 hour ago, Brocky said:

 

Steering wheel holders and electronic logs make for safer drivers, JUST ask our Gubbermint!!

 

And automatics.    I'm currently driving one and doing what I do with 11 stops a night I love it.      However we have guys that have no idea how to drive a manual and refuse to.   They say its just like driving there  SUV, and the sad thing is that's how they drive the trucks just like a 4-wheeler.     Hopefully the plow driver has 100% recovery. 

[Underdog]

We have an ever- increasing accident and damage rate at my company, with approx. 70 car carriers. Whenever the boss asks, " what is causing this?" My standard answer is E-LOGS and the 14-hour rule. Everybody is mindlessly in a hurry. Common sense thought goes out the window.

[B-42]

I could not have stated it better!  I have observed exactly the same thing  since E-Logs have become more and more common. 

[TeamsterGrrrl]

So you'd rather they be cheating on paper logs?

[r686st]

I would prefer no logs but, maybe I'm the exception. Nothing to cheat if it doesn't exist.... Drive until you are tired. It would reward those that will work hard yet let everyone go at their own pace.

[Underdog]

So you'd rather they be cheating on paper logs?

It's got nothing to do with cheating. As soon as you start your day, that internal clock tick, tock, tick,tock reminds you that any slight delay or change of plans can throw the entire day. And paycheck. So that leads certain people to make poor decisions throughout the day. Did you ever watch a contestant panic on a gameshow when they know time is running out? Not every trucking job is as carefully laid out like a teamster linehaul. Most days I start without knowing where I will be after lunch.

[Underdog]

That flatbed had a DoD load, most likely Landstar or Mercer, so probably driver is on E-LOGS. Too fast for conditions, trying to maintain average speed for the allotted 14-hour window. Again, a poor decision that ended badly. Has nothing to do with "cheating" on the logbook.

[HeavyGunner]

3 hours ago, TeamsterGrrrl said:

So you'd rather they be cheating on paper logs?

Elogs are to strict or literal if that's the right way to put it.   On a paper log you go by quarter hours, so if you're being honest you get 7 min past each quarter hour before you should (ethically) have to claim another quarter hour on your logs. So if I have plenty of time to get to a spot where I can take my government mandated (stupid stupid stupid law) 30 min break before I go over my 8 hours of work time is up and I run into trouble, i.e. Get stuck behind an oversized load or a slow moving vehicle or road conditions dictate I slow down and I don't make it to my destination where I can legally pull over I get wrote up. 1 second past 8 hrs and I get wrote up and every write goes for points against me. 4 points and you're up for review and the bosses decide whether to keep you or give you more "training". So I watch that fricken elog count down timer like a hawk because on my route 15 minutes can make or break my second load. If I don't get a second load I go home early without pay. Now mind you we work a 3 day rotating work week so getting 3 ten hour days leaves me in part time status and really stings the wallet. 

[Underdog]

Heavy gunner , you're doing it all wrong... You're supposed to leave your home terminal Drive out 5 hours to another terminal , swap trailers , eat your lunch for 30 minutes , and then drive 5 hours back to your home terminal every day. According to the rule makers , isn't that the way every Trucking operation works?

[TeamsterGrrrl]

Guys, when everybody is cheating on hours of service all you're doing is cheating yourselves. If everyone ran legal the freight rates would rise and we'd be making decent wages.

[gearhead204]

boy if our local log truckers had to run e-logs they would only be home every other day ! a lot of 14  to 16 hr. round trips this time of year. 

[Hobert62]

Another kicker is speed.   I only drive 210 miles a night, but I have 11 stops.   11 stops can make you loose alot time.   5minutes here and 5 minutes there can loose  an hour real quick.      My truck does 61mph on the floor, and usually it's doing 61mph when ever it can.   I cant even run the speed limit on the interstates so I have to make time somewhere.   

[Underdog]

Another kicker is speed.   I only drive 210 miles a night, but I have 11 stops.   11 stops can make you loose alot time.   5minutes here and 5 minutes there can loose  an hour real quick.      My truck does 61mph on the floor, and usually it's doing 61mph when ever it can.   I cant even run the speed limit on the interstates so I have to make time somewhere.   

Exactly my point about linehaul trucking. If all I had to do was 500 miles on the interstate every day, I would have no trouble with E-LOGS. My car hauling schedule is much like yours, Hobert. MAYBE 200 miles a day with lots of stops, pickups, drop-offs, and variables to suck up your time. Speaking of sucking up time, I'm starting in Little Ferry, NJ this morning with 3 stops in Brooklyn and Queens, and a reload out of JFK airport... NYC on a Friday gotta love it! Hope it all fits into 14 hours, but either way I'm going home tonight. My only hope is that all the snowflakes have gone to Washington DC for the blanket party.