Tow Stories
Super Moderator
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 13,308
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Compare and contrast the news media version of the story, versus phillip91's account of the story below: (reread the quote below to refresh your recollection from phillip91's earlier post)
Now, the news media version:
"A truck was backing to connect to a trailer when Stimpson, a company employee, entered the vehicle's path, Greensboro police said. Emergency officials found Stimpson pinned between the truck and the trailer, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said."
Makes you wonder about what really happens in the world.
At the plant we had to back our trailer(chemical tanker) into the unloading pit and drop the trailer. Their employee had to put a lock on our gladhand while they were unloading us to keep anyone from moving the trailer. When they were finished they motioned for us to let us know we were ready to go. Normal procedure was to back up close to the trailer, gladhand lock was removed, they signed our papers and then we hooked to our trailer. The driver next to me apparently did not know this and in his hurry he backed straight to the trailer and hooked to it. While the guy was removing the lock. Never stopped, got out and looked, etc, and cut the guy in half on the 5th wheel plate.
Now, the news media version:
"A truck was backing to connect to a trailer when Stimpson, a company employee, entered the vehicle's path, Greensboro police said. Emergency officials found Stimpson pinned between the truck and the trailer, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said."
Makes you wonder about what really happens in the world.
Last edited by phillips91; Jul 13, 2014 at 12:00 AM. Reason: Fixed an autocorrect in my post.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,724
Likes: 4
From: Rogersville, TN
The news report was technically correct. He did walk into the truck's path, but the truck should not have been in the path to start with. He was pinned between the truck and trailer, but logistically with our trailers the only way that can happen is on the 5th wheel plate. Part of him was pinned, but part was not. They also left out the part about having to leave him there for several hours while osha investigated it.
Most places we go have certain procedures for how things are done. They don't have time to explain it step by step to each driver and they just assume you know how they do things there. When I check in I call the guard or loader by name, they know I have been there before and just reply "you know what to do" to save time. This driver had never been there before and did not know to let them unhook the lock first. Now they make us do the same procedure but they take our key once we unhook.
It does make you wonder what really happens in a lot of stuff you see on the news though. They can spin it however they want to in order to make it appear however it best fits their story or agenda.
Most places we go have certain procedures for how things are done. They don't have time to explain it step by step to each driver and they just assume you know how they do things there. When I check in I call the guard or loader by name, they know I have been there before and just reply "you know what to do" to save time. This driver had never been there before and did not know to let them unhook the lock first. Now they make us do the same procedure but they take our key once we unhook.
It does make you wonder what really happens in a lot of stuff you see on the news though. They can spin it however they want to in order to make it appear however it best fits their story or agenda.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 521
Likes: 1
From: Dunnellon, Fl
Newspaper articles are not written to convey all of the details. They are written to attract the consumer so they buy the paper to read & understand the gist of what occurred and often are written with space limitations. Newspaper articles should never be considered factual reports.
Each day's paid advertisements generally determines how much "news" can be printed. There are always exceptions when more news is printed than the paid advertisements support - such as after 9/11.
Each day's paid advertisements generally determines how much "news" can be printed. There are always exceptions when more news is printed than the paid advertisements support - such as after 9/11.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 959
Likes: 10
From: Medford, OR
When I've read/seen the reports about the few things that I've been involved in or an observer to that were deemed newsworthy, I've questioned whether they were talking about the same event...
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 366
Likes: 1
The news report was technically correct. He did walk into the truck's path, but the truck should not have been in the path to start with. He was pinned between the truck and trailer, but logistically with our trailers the only way that can happen is on the 5th wheel plate. Part of him was pinned, but part was not. They also left out the part about having to leave him there for several hours while osha investigated it.
Most places we go have certain procedures for how things are done. They don't have time to explain it step by step to each driver and they just assume you know how they do things there. When I check in I call the guard or loader by name, they know I have been there before and just reply "you know what to do" to save time. This driver had never been there before and did not know to let them unhook the lock first. Now they make us do the same procedure but they take our key once we unhook.
It does make you wonder what really happens in a lot of stuff you see on the news though. They can spin it however they want to in order to make it appear however it best fits their story or agenda.
Most places we go have certain procedures for how things are done. They don't have time to explain it step by step to each driver and they just assume you know how they do things there. When I check in I call the guard or loader by name, they know I have been there before and just reply "you know what to do" to save time. This driver had never been there before and did not know to let them unhook the lock first. Now they make us do the same procedure but they take our key once we unhook.
It does make you wonder what really happens in a lot of stuff you see on the news though. They can spin it however they want to in order to make it appear however it best fits their story or agenda.
When I drove OTR I always had 3-4 keys for the truck. I kept one in the ignition at all times. A second in my pocket for locking and unlocking the doors. The third was in my wallet just in case I forgot the second one in the truck. Key number four was under the hood hidden in case I forgot the first 3 inside the tractor.
I've also turned in plenty of keys at docks while the truck was still outside idling.
If a place said I couldn't have the truck running while connected to a trailer in their dock I'd drop the trailer. There's no way I would sit there and roast in the truck while they take their time.
Now with my local job I just start the truck every morning when I get to the shop and don't turn it off until I go home. I don't bother locking the door or shutting it down during the day usually. Even if I did turn it off it's not that hard to start a truck without the key.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,724
Likes: 4
From: Rogersville, TN
I don't keep that many keys with me but I always keep a spare in my pocket. Like you, I'm not sitting in 100 degree heat for 2-3 hours with no air. Most places we go have a lounge we can wait in, but the places where they take your key are usually ok with you idling as long as they know you and you've been there a few times. As long as they have a key they can say they were doing their job. Same with cell phones. They take our phone at the guard shack at some places, so I just carry a dummy phone that doesn't work and give that one to them.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,724
Likes: 4
From: Rogersville, TN
Here are a few pics of our setup. We have high fenders and narrow trailers, so there is only one place for someone to get pinned "between truck and trailer." When you feel yourself about to get ran over your first instinct is to grab on to something and hold on, which drug him over the frame cross member and up onto the 5th wheel plate. He would have been better off letting the truck knock him down and roll over him, but hard to make that decision in the heat of the moment.
Thread Starter
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More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2012
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From: Florence
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 521
Likes: 1
From: Dunnellon, Fl
Two comments ...
First - what a terrible way to leave this earth ....I can only pray he did not suffer long - said a prayer for him as I looked at the pictures - it just makes me realize how horrible it must have been.
Second - I am not a TT driver - just curious why do some places make you turn in your cell phone at the guard shack ?
Thanks
Dan
ps - be careful out there - no one gets up and thinks today is the day i will do something that will get me killed - safety first !
First - what a terrible way to leave this earth ....I can only pray he did not suffer long - said a prayer for him as I looked at the pictures - it just makes me realize how horrible it must have been.
Second - I am not a TT driver - just curious why do some places make you turn in your cell phone at the guard shack ?
Thanks
Dan
ps - be careful out there - no one gets up and thinks today is the day i will do something that will get me killed - safety first !
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 366
Likes: 1
Security. They don't want you taking pictures inside their facility usually. This is going to apply mostly in power plants and chemical plants. They don't want people on the outside knowing where sensitive things are on the inside. While you can hand them a dummy phone you best not be caught using your real one inside the plant. If they do see you on a phone they will kick you out and likely ban you for life. If you get banned from a customer most carriers will fire you as well because they don't need to be worrying about who's banned from where when trying to dispatch hundreds or thousands of trucks.
It could also be because they don't want you taking pictures of proprietary processes or machinery.
My company hauled stuff in and out of the local Caterpillar factory a few years back. They were required to tarp everything going in and out because CAT didn't want people to see what was going in and out of the plant.
It could also be because they don't want you taking pictures of proprietary processes or machinery.
My company hauled stuff in and out of the local Caterpillar factory a few years back. They were required to tarp everything going in and out because CAT didn't want people to see what was going in and out of the plant.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 4
From: Nowthen, MN
Yep, from my experience, most places that ban phones in their facility it's for security reasons, usually because they don't want pictures taken. Some places won't even let drivers inside their building at all.
Only place I've been that I had to actually turn in my phone was a State prison, but I've been many places where I had to leave it in the truck when going inside.
Sent from my HTC ONE using IB AutoGroup
Only place I've been that I had to actually turn in my phone was a State prison, but I've been many places where I had to leave it in the truck when going inside.
Sent from my HTC ONE using IB AutoGroup
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,724
Likes: 4
From: Rogersville, TN
Two comments ...
First - what a terrible way to leave this earth ....I can only pray he did not suffer long - said a prayer for him as I looked at the pictures - it just makes me realize how horrible it must have been.
Second - I am not a TT driver - just curious why do some places make you turn in your cell phone at the guard shack ?
Thanks
Dan
ps - be careful out there - no one gets up and thinks today is the day i will do something that will get me killed - safety first !
First - what a terrible way to leave this earth ....I can only pray he did not suffer long - said a prayer for him as I looked at the pictures - it just makes me realize how horrible it must have been.
Second - I am not a TT driver - just curious why do some places make you turn in your cell phone at the guard shack ?
Thanks
Dan
ps - be careful out there - no one gets up and thinks today is the day i will do something that will get me killed - safety first !
As for the phones, the others explained that, but it is a picture/video rule. I go in chemical and power plants a lot and they are big on that rule.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,724
Likes: 4
From: Rogersville, TN
And just to clarify, I didn't have anything to do with any of those accidents lol. I had about a two year span where something bad happened everywhere I went. I was in the earthquake in Baltimore, tornadoes in Joplin, Glade Springs, Birmingham and one in North Carolina. I got caught in the Mississippi flood too. My friends were asking me not to come home because they were worried what kind of disaster I was going to cause. 
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 339
Likes: 5
And just to clarify, I didn't have anything to do with any of those accidents lol. I had about a two year span where something bad happened everywhere I went. I was in the earthquake in Baltimore, tornadoes in Joplin, Glade Springs, Birmingham and one in North Carolina. I got caught in the Mississippi flood too. My friends were asking me not to come home because they were worried what kind of disaster I was going to cause.