Tanker Driver Dies Swerving To Avoid Hurting Motorists

Here's one thing I noticed when I drove for Navajo, whenever I was driving through Chicago or in the northeast (around New Jersey or New York), that some drivers like to take up that open space in front of a rig, ESPECIALLY when traffic is stopped and you are trying to gradually slow down. One second you had enough space to stop without coming to a "hard stop," the next second, your space became one car length shorter.

You always have to pay attention in this business.

Complacency can get you or others hurt or killed.

Dave

What is Smith training? I've seen it mentioned a couple of times in the forums.

What is Smith training? I've seen it mentioned a couple of times in the forums.

Through the magic of Google, I found that the Smith Training teaches "5 keys":

1. Aim High in Steering®

2. Get the Big Picture®

3. Keep Your Eyes Moving®

4. Leave Yourself an Out®

5. Make Sure They See You®

Here's the PDF file for these. Yes, they registered these phrases.

Hahahaha. Sorry. I should have gone there first. Thanks for the info.

No Charges Against Alleged Mattress Dropper Who Caused Tanker Driver’s Death

The van driver who allegedly lost mattresses on the New Jersey Turnpike last week, causing a crash that led to the death of a tanker truck driver, does not face criminal charges.

40-year-old Dalip Kumar, who drove for JSK Transport, was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline when traffic slowed suddenly for the mattresses in the road. An SUV cut off Kumar’s tanker. Kumar swerved to avoid hitting the SUV, sending his truck rolling over the guardrail. The truck exploded and Kumar was trapped inside and killed.

The 26-year-old van driver, Adam Abuhamoud from Linden, stayed at the scene of the crash. He was questioned by investigators, but there have been no charges filed against him.

A representative from JSK said that Kumar’s split second decision was heroic: “He definitely put his life at risk because he could have easily gone straight and veered into the other cars.It’s was definitely a very courageous act he did.”

No Charges Against Alleged Mattress Dropper Who Caused Tanker Driver’s Death

The van driver who allegedly lost mattresses on the New Jersey Turnpike last week, causing a crash that led to the death of a tanker truck driver, does not face criminal charges.

40-year-old Dalip Kumar, who drove for JSK Transport, was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline when traffic slowed suddenly for the mattresses in the road. An SUV cut off Kumar’s tanker. Kumar swerved to avoid hitting the SUV, sending his truck rolling over the guardrail. The truck exploded and Kumar was trapped inside and killed.

The 26-year-old van driver, Adam Abuhamoud from Linden, stayed at the scene of the crash. He was questioned by investigators, but there have been no charges filed against him.

A representative from JSK said that Kumar’s split second decision was heroic: “He definitely put his life at risk because he could have easily gone straight and veered into the other cars.It’s was definitely a very courageous act he did.”

It sucks this driver lost his life. It truly does. But.....

While the mattresses may have came off his truck or van and may have caused the cars to start breaking and its clear in the video ,once the truck moved , that he was clearly trying to miss the black car/suv that cut him off......But there were more factors involved than just a mattress.

but here is the kicker did anyone see the white car that was inn front of the suv and in front of the truck before the truck swerved? Not the one that merged in front of the black suv but the white car in front of that one?

Watch the video close up (full screen) and in High Definition. The truck was less than a truck length from the car i front of him when 2 cars merged in front of him and cutting off what little space he had.

Now imagine if the truck had left proper spacing in front of him in the first place instead of only half a truck length. Sure the cars might have still cut him off but at least he would have had more time use his brakes before having to change lanes fast.

Now I am not trying to blame the truck driver. I am only pointing out the reason why ALL safety everywhere always stresses proper following distances. One second of lapse of judgement can cost you your life.

All of this speculation and "what I would do is..." kind of stuff is fine for teaching purposes, but, the reality is you have absolutely no idea what you would do in any given traffic hazard the required a split second reaction. There are way too many factors involved to predict what would be the right response.

As has already been said, the best way to avoid a potential crash is to not be in it. Keeping a good distance is the only right answer.

It saddens me to see stories like this or drive by crashes where it is obvious live(s) have been lost no matter the cause. Someone lost a loved one.

One of the first things I noticed driving is that most cars have zero respect for drivers space.

It's hard to fault drivers for following to close when every time you slow to allow proper following distance ANOTHER car cuts you off.

I know we should keep slowing and reestablish that distance between us and them. It just gets really old really quick is all I am saying.

One of the first things I noticed driving is that most cars have zero respect for drivers space.

It's hard to fault drivers for following to close when every time you slow to allow proper following distance ANOTHER car cuts you off.

I know we should keep slowing and reestablish that distance between us and them. It just gets really old really quick is all I am saying.

One of the Smith Systems videos talks about this. If you let 100 cars cut in front of you in a day and it costs you 3 seconds each time, you've lost a total of 300 seconds or five minutes.

Those other drivers don't do it for a living. They don't have anything personal against you. They didn't plan well and are late for work or something similar most of the time. They just don't know how to drive safely. We should all be better than them. If five minutes is going to make or break you as a professional driver, maybe you should have talked to dispatch about how tight he load was scheduled.

One of the first things I noticed driving is that most cars have zero respect for drivers space.

It's hard to fault drivers for following to close when every time you slow to allow proper following distance ANOTHER car cuts you off.

I know we should keep slowing and reestablish that distance between us and them. It just gets really old really quick is all I am saying.

One of the Smith Systems videos talks about this. If you let 100 cars cut in front of you in a day and it costs you 3 seconds each time, you've lost a total of 300 seconds or five minutes.

Those other drivers don't do it for a living. They don't have anything personal against you. They didn't plan well and are late for work or something similar most of the time. They just don't know how to drive safely. We should all be better than them. If five minutes is going to make or break you as a professional driver, maybe you should have talked to dispatch about how tight he load was scheduled.

Just reread this, didn't sound quite right. It isn't aimed at you, Chris. It does get old quick. Driving with better following distance, looking out as far ahead as you can, leaving yourself an out, etc., will greatly reduce stress and frustration while driving. Understanding that the majority of drivers you encounter don't have those tools and skills helps take the sting out of the dumb things they sometimes do as well.