Pennsylvania is one of the most coal rich places on Earth. They’ve been mining the stuff there since the 1700s. Since coal does not move itself once dug out of the ground, it is loaded on trains, trucks, and barges to its final destination. Dump trucks are used in many shapes and sizes because often the coal is dumped into large hoppers or mounded into huge piles. One such truck recently off loaded the load of coal and set off on a return trip to the mine…with the dump body up.
The driver discovered the body was up when it smashed into a bridge at high speed, ripping the dump off the truck and leaving it perched on the bridge like some sort of a giant kickstand. The driver was apparently unharmed, although we think his employment status may have suffered injury. His ego certainly suffered a deep, deep, contusion.
As you’ll see in the photo below, two giant rotating boom wreckers came to free the dump body and reopen the road. We can only begin to imagine the cost of the towing bill from this operation. If PA operates like most of the states here in New England, the cost of that job was passed right onto the offending company to the tune of several tens of thousands of dollars.
Moral of the story, if you drive a dump truck, check your mirrors of peek out the back glass to see what’s what before driving away!
Thanks for Ford141 for the tip!
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Can we say stupid?
Terminal case of dumb-ass!!!
I have driven many dump trucks of all sizes, from single axle one tons to 40 foot semi dumps. All are squirelly just driving the truck out from under the load. I have no idea how guys get out onto the road with out noticing the body is up.