There is nothing wrong with his link. It lists the same data with a Colorado cover page that my PA CDL manual lists. I do think you’re actually referring to page 2-8, as 2-9 covers steering and suspension pre trip inspections. For the meat of brake inspections, go to Section 5 beginning at 5-49. Whether you feel this is excessive or not isn’t in question. Those of us who hold CDLs and feel the public safety is important comply with the recommendations.
Call bullshit to your heart’s content. I never said that a driver was expected to have X-ray eyes. I do expect that if they undertake the responsibility of piloting a rig weighing 40 tons or more that they will invest the time to properly and thoroughly pre-trip the vehicle. I also don’t give a damn if the guy worked there for a week or a decade, his responsibility is neither heightened nor diminished by his status as a new hire. Personally, I’d tend to be even more detailed with a new employer until I determine their level of diligence with respect to my write-ups and general vehicle maintenance.
Apples v oranges mean anything to you?
Interesting posit. If a bearing fails, how does that part individually allow wheel exit from a vehicle? Last time I checked, there were castle nuts, cotter pins, and other retainers involved.
danceswithcats, perhaps I missed something in your posts, but you seem to place an inordinate amount of blame on the driver.
Do you not feel that the company involved is a major factor in this crash? If not close to 100%?
Not being a CDL driver, I’m not sure what a specific driver’s responsibility is, but it really seems to me that an employer should be providing mechanically-safe equipment to its employees.
I call it 60/40 company/driver as a CDL driver in the past and a current CDL holder I know its my responsibility to ensure I am driving a safe rig. Every job I had, had mechanics who would do the tire changes and all major work that needed done but would not know the brakes/tires/wiring where bad in between check-ups unless I as the driver alerted them to that fact. Its in every manual I have ever seen for the driver to do a pre-trip inspection.
They took great care in fixing problems the drivers detected because the drivers would not go out that day if the truck they had was not safe.
I would lose my job before I lost my life.
Its sad, its a tragedy and I do feel bad for those who lost there lives, and feel the company should get what ever the maximum they can throw at them, but the driver is not blameless just because he is dead IMO.
You’re correct, I do place a large burden on the driver for one simple reason: A truck with defective brakes, inoperative lights, and other flaws is in no position to harm the motoring public unless it is driven on the public roadways.
Without question, the company is culpable, but if their drivers keep on driving pieces of equipment which should be redlined, when is the issue forced into management’s lap?
My CDL is issued by the state in which I reside, not by any employer. In exchange for the privilege of that license, I consider it my obligation to ensure that nothing I drive or permit to be driven is unsafe. This never struck me as a brain stretch.
Here is another article talking about his criminal past, though I’m taking that with a grain of salt, considering the media hype I’ve seen in other stories.
Something I missed from the first story I linked in my previous post:
The question of whether Naafi even hit his brakes is also being examined.
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It would seem that the driver was also at fault in this, at least IMO. He shouldn’t have been operating a heavy vehicle at all. The company shouldn’t have hired him, and the company should have maintained it’s vehicles. Quite a combination of circumstances went into the accident it would seem.