Lessons Learned:
Old Habits Can Be Costly

by Frederick C. Clark, ARM
Vice President, Transportation Services

The Scene
It was a fine sunny summer afternoon for traveling west on Interstate 30. As usual, Stu was early for his evening deliveries to the warehouses across the city. He normally drove the three hours from Petersburg to south of Centerville and then parked and waited the hour or two for the commuter traffic to lighten. His regular shady spot under the Jensen Road overpass was open and waiting for him — a place to relax and catch up on some paper work. Catching a few winks was also not out of the question.

Harvey was running about an hour and a half late for his normal trip. Deep Terminal had delayed his unloading because of an inspection that was in progress. Harvey would take the Jensen Road turn off, as he always did, at 5:00 p.m. just in time to catch all the downtown traffic in Centerville.

The Accident
“Just move over to the right and take the exit after crossing under the overpass.” These were the thoughts drifting through Harvey’s mind when his driving career suddenly came to a stand still with the sound of crashing metal, broken glass and scraping concrete.

The accident that resulted caused serious injuries to both drivers and the loss of both tractor trailers. Most of the freight on Stu’s trailer was not salvageable. Harvey was unable to ever drive again because of his injuries. Stu was on disability for seven months before he could resume driving.

The Investigation
The investigation determined that Stu’s vehicle had been parked for 30 minutes on the paved shoulder, four feet from the traveled roadway. The “entrance” lane to the Jensen Road exit began 14 feet in front of where Stu’s tractor was parked. The right turn signal of Stu’s truck was operating at the time of the crash; however, there were no warning triangles or flares to notify the presence of a parked vehicle. In addition, the rear profile of Stu’s trailer was dark blue, making its visibility difficult.

Harvey’s tractor trailer was traveling at 40 MPH at the time of the crash. The highway speed limit was 55 MPH, and the exit ramp was posted for 25 MPH. Visibility was momentarily restricted because the bright sunlight contrasted with the dark shadows under the overpass. Harvey’s vehicle was also not using any headlights. In addition, he had the habit of pulling over to the right shoulder to start his approach to the exit ramp early.

The Results
These two “habits” of Harvey and Stu ended in a crash that neither driver will ever forget! The investigation confirmed that both drivers were familiar with the area and that they regularly repeated these patterns in the past. It just so happened that on this particular day, Harvey was a little late for his lane change into the shoulder for the approaching exit ramp, and Stu was either a little early or right on time for his stop. Neither of these “habits” was safe. Stu’s choice of parking spot was unsafe and inappropriate at best and illegal at worst. Harvey’s actions were unsafe and illegal.

Each driver should have identified and classified roadway and driving hazards. They should have predicted the actions of the other driver. Harvey should have picked a better lane positioning and a slower speed. Stu should have used warning signs when parked, if it was not a safe parking area. Fellow drivers and terminal management may have been able to observe and correct these BAD habits.

Frederick Clark has a BS degree in Chemistry and over 30 years of experience in the safety, health and environmental field. He has gained expertise in many aspects of personal and fleet safety and loss control management. He serves the fleet safety needs and distribution-related needs of clients by providing training, assessments, risk analyses, and other loss prevention programs.

XL Environmental • Risk Control Division • 520 Eagleview Boulevard, PO Box 636, Exton, PA 19341 • Phone: 800-327-1414 • Fax: 610-458-7285 • xlenvironmental.com

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