# Fuck you for cutting corners, American Crushing & Recycling **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 31, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960 "2005-07-31T02:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/1 "2005-07-31T02:07:44Z")
This happened about a mile from my house. The more I read about it, the more sad and angry I get. A major accident happened yesterday morning. You can [see pictures here](http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-avocrash-pix,0,4791184.photogallery?coll=hc-big-headlines-breaking&index=1). You can [read the story here.](http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-avocrash0730.artjul30,0,6657230.story?coll=hc-big-headlines-breaking) What the fuck are the owners of this business thinking? Per the article > [@](#): > > The truck’s owner, American Crushing & Recycling, has had trucks and drivers ordered off the road for safety violations in 10 of the last 16 inspections over the past two years. That out-of-service rate is nearly three times the national average, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Do you care so fucking little for safety that you can’t fucking take care of your vehicles. Is the bottom line so fucking important that you’re willing to risk accidents and deaths just to make some money? And do you care so little about your own employees that you’re willing to put them into deathtraps? > [@](#): > > Among the dead was the dump truck driver, who screamed for help as flames consumed the truck’s cab. Other motorists tried to rescue the man, but were driven back by intense fire fed by spilled fuel. I hope the above paragraph haunts you for the rest of your miserable fucking lives. I hope you get sued to the last fucking penny. I hope the only item you are left after you get your asses reamed in court is one of your decrepit dumptrucks. And I hope you die in a fiery crash. ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/2 "2005-07-31T02:38:30Z")
Hi, rex–I know exactly how you feel–I’m in West Hartford and I know that intersection like the back of my hand. I’ve had my own scary moments on 44 but only in winter. In any event, I hope there is a criminal investigation–I can’t even imagine what the driver went through once he realized he had no brakes and then survived the crash only to be incinerated… It’s just awful. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/3 "2005-07-31T03:04:57Z")
What’s so sad about this is that from reports the driver knew his brakes were blown, and so he veered into the oncoming lane (knowing that it was a red light) to avoid the cars stopped in front of him, and then after passing them tried to veer back into the lanes he was supposed to be in, but the force of the turn caused the truck to overturn. Right into the cars in the opposing lane stopped at the light. So sad, just looking at the pictures. And I am just fucking shocked that this company continued to put these under-maintenanced vehicles on the road. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/4 "2005-07-31T03:06:37Z")
> [@KSO](#): > > Hi, rex–I know exactly how you feel–I’m in West Hartford and I know that intersection like the back of my hand. I’ve had my own scary moments on 44 but only in winter. > > In any event, I hope there is a criminal investigation–I can’t even imagine what the driver went through once he realized he had no brakes and then survived the crash only to be incinerated… It’s just awful. I’m actually in West Hartford as well, live right off Mountain Road, where all the traffic was stopped/being diverted. ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/5 "2005-07-31T03:37:11Z")
I live in Torrington, about 1/2 hour from that intersection, but I work for a newspaper and we were all over this story yesterday (and today) because the commuter bus involved in the accident was owned by a company in town and was carrying people from Winsted, the next town over from us. The owner of the dump truck company has refused comment to us, and every other media source apparently. Not that I blame him…he’s looking like quite the evil one at this point. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/6 "2005-07-31T04:46:03Z")
One minor point of order, kids. A minimum of two parties are culpable in these incidents: the truck owner, and the operator. Those of us who hold CDLs are expected to perform pre-trip safety checks, and if the vehicle is unsafe, refuse to operate it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/7 "2005-07-31T05:15:22Z")
I’ve been here. My brother-in-law lives in Simsbury. Scary to think about. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/8 "2005-07-31T12:27:30Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > One minor point of order, kids. A minimum of two parties are culpable in these incidents: the truck owner, and the operator. Those of us who hold CDLs are expected to perform pre-trip safety checks, and if the vehicle is unsafe, refuse to operate it. How often does that happen in real life? Every once in a while, I read about the results of surprise roadside inspections done by county or state police. In almost every case, they find a large number of trucks with serious safety problems. For many trucking companies and drivers, it passes inspection if it can move under its own power. The truck drivers also do their best to evade the inspections. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/9 "2005-07-31T15:37:54Z")
**dwc** , good point on the CDL requirements. IIRC, an air brake test is required by law every time you take the vehicle out on the road. There should also be s backup brake system that kicks in when the main system fails. Did both systems fail? Were both systems operational and up to spec? This story reminds me of tragic accidents that have occurred in my home town, on Indian Head Hwy in so. PG County. Loaded dump trucks can’t stop in time for the red light, barrel through the intersection, and crush the occupants of cars crossing the highway. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/10 "2005-07-31T15:57:37Z")
I believe the operator of the truck has been sufficently punished. The owner, however - I hope criminal charges are pressed and that he loses everything he has ever owned or thought about owning, or will ever own again. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/11 "2005-07-31T19:13:12Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > One minor point of order, kids. A minimum of two parties are culpable in these incidents: the truck owner, and the operator. Those of us who hold CDLs are expected to perform pre-trip safety checks, and if the vehicle is unsafe, refuse to operate it. (another local Doper) Normally, I would agree. In this case, however, it appears that the failure wasn’t a hydraulic or air pressure one, but in the brake mechanical components. You can see obvious parts of the brake shoes and disks strewn down the mountainside. Does a CDL give a driver the ability to tell from a visual inspection if these parts are about to break? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/12 "2005-07-31T20:12:06Z")
> [@mks57](#): > > How often does that happen in real life? Every once in a while, I read about the results of surprise roadside inspections done by county or state police. In almost every case, they find a large number of trucks with serious safety problems. For many trucking companies and drivers, it passes inspection if it can move under its own power. The truck drivers also do their best to evade the inspections. Speaking only for myself, if I drive it as a CDL operator, I’m going to pre-trip it. This drove a former manager crazy owing to my “wasted time” every morning, but I invited him to fire me whenever he bitched and that never happened. The law is on my side. > [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > IIRC, an air brake test is required by law every time you take the vehicle out on the road. There should also be s backup brake system that kicks in when the main system fails. Did both systems fail? Were both systems operational and up to spec? There are primary and secondary air systems on newer vehicles, with low air warnings on both reservoirs. Truck brakes require air pressure to _release_ the brakes nowadays, but the spring brakes can only apply if the pushrod isn’t “stroked out.” As part of a pre-trip inspection (post confined to brake systems only), the operator is supposed to look for loose brake components, cracked, chafing or rubbing hoses, evidence of leakage from axle seals, cracked drums, thin lining, and slack adjusters with greater than 1" of play. > [@paperbackwriter](#): > > Normally, I would agree. In this case, however, it appears that the failure wasn’t a hydraulic or air pressure one, but in the brake mechanical components. You can see obvious parts of the brake shoes and disks strewn down the mountainside. Does a CDL give a driver the ability to tell from a visual inspection if these parts are about to break? A hard factual answer your query is not possible. It becomes an issue of judgement for the operator based upon previous experiences with the vehicle(s) in the fleet and management response to deficiency write-ups. An otherwise sound truck with minor cracking in a brake hose would generate a maintenance request. New or old, if the slack adjusters are out of range, I wouldn’t drive it. It’s also highly improbable that a well maintained and inspected truck suddenly falls prey to catastrophic parts shedding. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/13 "2005-08-01T00:13:10Z")
> [@mks57](#): > > How often does that happen in real life? Every once in a while, I read about the results of surprise roadside inspections done by county or state police. In almost every case, they find a large number of trucks with serious safety problems. For many trucking companies and drivers, it passes inspection if it can move under its own power. The truck drivers also do their best to evade the inspections. The legally mandatory driver safety inspection does not include a detailed inspection of the brakes; it is, after all, just a driver’s daily/pretrip inspection, not a mechanic’s inspection. Even if the driver’s doing his pre-trip, a lot of the problems that could cause the brakes to fail would not be detected. That’s why you’re supposed to have a proper preventive maintenance program. I know from immediate and practical experience that most trucking companies do their level best to keep their trucks safe; some are more skilled at it than others, but they generally do try. I can tell just from the limited info in the linked article that this was not one of those companies. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/14 "2005-08-01T02:21:18Z")
For some recent statistics on the problem, see [Roadcheck 2005](http://www.cvsa.org/programs/04roadcheck2005.cfm). The numbers are frightening. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/15 "2005-08-01T03:53:40Z")
> [@mks57](#): > > For some recent statistics on the problem, see [Roadcheck 2005](http://www.cvsa.org/programs/04roadcheck2005.cfm). The numbers are frightening. That’s not as bad as it looks. Although they say the trucks are chosen randomly, I know for a fact they aren’t - I’ve sat with enforcement officers during big blitzes and seen how they pick out trucks they know are bad. And while 29% “out of service” sounds terrible, an OOS defect could include many things that are bad, but the list includes a lot of violations that aren’t really big deals. ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/16 "2005-08-01T13:20:17Z")
Here’s an update–you might have to register to read it–if so, I apologize. [Link](http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-avocrash0801.artaug01,0,1676477.story?coll=hc-big-headlines-breaking) The driver of the truck had a valid CDL and had worked at the company for less than one week. His name hasn’t been released because they’ve not been able to locate his next of kin. So incredibly sad, for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/17 "2005-08-01T13:41:37Z")
From the same article: > [@](#): > > American Crushing & Recycling has a long history of problems with trucks passing DMV muster. The company is owned by David R. Wilcox, and it was formerly known as Wilcox Trucking. > > While it was known as Wilcox Trucking it was cited for 89 driver violations and 448 mechanical violations by the DMV, records show. The company’s vehicles were deemed unsafe and ordered off the road 101 times during a seven-year period. > > Wilcox Trucking was disbanded in 2001, but David Wilcox didn’t go out of business. Instead he formed a limited liability corporation in 2002 - American Crushing & Recycling - and has been operating out of Bloomfield ever since using much of the same equipment that had already been cited for problems by the DMV when it was owned by Wilcox Trucking. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/18 "2005-08-01T14:20:31Z")
> [@mks57](#): > > How often does that happen in real life? Every once in a while, I read about the results of surprise roadside inspections done by county or state police. In almost every case, they find a large number of trucks with serious safety problems. For many trucking companies and drivers, it passes inspection if it can move under its own power. The truck drivers also do their best to evade the inspections. Thats extremely opinionated isn’t it? As someone who has carried a CDL for 10 years and worked in the trucking industry for the first 5 years. We did local runs, home daily, and every morning we where required to check our trucks. If anything was not up to par with the checklist(Adjusting brakes, checking lights, checking air pressure, checking tires, and more where all part of the checklist.) that truck would be a “No Go” and we would then move on to a secondary truck if one was available. If one wasn’t available we would wait until the mechanic’s came in and A: Fixed the problem B: Put you to work in the shop. We got paid for a half hour every morning to do the checklist. And yes we avoided the inspection stations not because we had something to hide, but because we needed to try to get from point A to point B in certain time frames. And when your in an inspection station if you run into a wait, it can ruin your day. Just like you avoid red lights if you know a way too, thats a tiny delay compared to some inspection set-ups. Actually the longer delays where from “spot” inspection stations, wiegh/inspection stations we usually did not avoid as they where run quickly. And this was not an isolated case as my fathers company also has the same requirements for his drivers, and just talking to others I have found that to be the case in the majority of companies. Your comment was like saying all accountants are like Arthur Anderson they try to hide money, shred documents before being discovered, and help cost investors and employees millions. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/19 "2005-08-01T15:15:38Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > It’s also highly improbable that a well maintained and inspected truck suddenly falls prey to catastrophic parts shedding. :dubious: (emphasis added) It’s becoming more and more clear that American Crushing and Recycling’s trucks were _not_ well-maintained and inspected. See the article **KSO** linked to. Be dubious all you want, I (an hundreds of others) saw the brake parts on the road. That certainly looks like catastophic parts-shedding. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960/20 "2005-08-01T15:37:23Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by **danceswithcats** > > It’s also highly improbable that a well maintained and inspected truck suddenly falls prey to catastrophic parts shedding. > > (emphasis added) > > It’s becoming more and more clear that American Crushing and Recycling’s trucks were _not_ well-maintained and inspected. See the article **KSO** linked to. > > Be dubious all you want, I (an hundreds of others) saw the brake parts on the road. That certainly looks like catastophic parts-shedding. Reading the rest of the post your quote came from, and putting it in context, I would say **DWC** is not dubious, he’s speaking to another person who expressed skepticism. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-for-cutting-corners-american-crushing-recycling/314960.md?page=2)