A FedEx driver has a bad day:

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/

On Sunday, April 6, 2014 11:47:32 AM UTC-4, Bill wrote:
A FedEx driver has a bad day:



http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/

Thanks for posting that. I saw the beginning of that on the teaser for
the TV news, but they only showed it going as far as the lawn. It looked
like it was going to hit the house for sure. He got lucky, it ended a
lot better than it could have....

trader_4 wrote in
:

On Sunday, April 6, 2014 11:47:32 AM UTC-4, Bill wrote:
A FedEx driver has a bad day:



http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...-amused-by-fed
ex-guy-chasing-after-his-runaway-truck/

Thanks for posting that. I saw the beginning of that on the teaser
for the TV news, but they only showed it going as far as the lawn. It
looked like it was going to hit the house for sure. He got lucky, it
ended a lot better than it could have....



We had a sort-of similar incident in our town about 10-years ago, except
the outcome was a lot worse. I didn't see the actual crash, but I watched a
lot of what happened immediately afterwards.

A tractor-trailer carrying beer was parked at a retail-store loading dock,
with the driver inside that building. There was a downward slope from dock
to road. The truck rolled downhill, across the street, and crashed into a
drugstore on the other side of the road, stopping about 15-feet inside the
store. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.

It took several hours to extricate the truck from the store, and damage to
the store was extensive. The driver insisted the brakes had been set before
he left the truck. I don't know enough about semis to know how this could
have happened.


--
Tegger

On Sunday, April 6, 2014 8:47:32 AM UTC-7, Bill wrote:
A FedEx driver has a bad day:

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/

The parking brake had to have broken because everybody always
uses it every time they park, always.

On Sun, 6 Apr 2014 18:43:44 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

On Sunday, April 6, 2014 8:47:32 AM UTC-7, Bill wrote:
A FedEx driver has a bad day:

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/

The parking brake had to have broken because everybody always
uses it every time they park, always.


Occaisionally everyone suffers a "brain fart".Also, with an automatic,
the driver will often take a "shortcut" and just use Park - and a park
pawl can let go. Belt and suspenders means you never get "em bare
assed." The chance of loosing park AND the E brake at once are 1 in
several million

On 4/6/14 9:07 PM, wrote:

Occaisionally everyone suffers a "brain fart".Also, with an automatic,
the driver will often take a "shortcut" and just use Park - and a park
pawl can let go. Belt and suspenders means you never get "em bare
assed." The chance of loosing park AND the E brake at once are 1 in
several million

I remember when people just left their vehicles in first gear to
keep them in place.
There was an attempted car theft in Omaha, NE a few weeks ago. The
would be thief had to run when the cops showed up. He didn't know how
to drive a stick shift. Oddly enough, he couldn't run faster than cops
can drive or faster than radio waves.

Tegger wrote:

The driver insisted the brakes had been set before
he left the truck. I don't know enough about semis to know how this could
have happened.

With great difficulty unless the brakes were completely out of adjustment.
There are two brake circuits, one for the tractor, one for the trailer. When
you pull the button out, you're dumping the air pressure, allowing the
spring brakes to be applied. In other words, it's a failsafe system; lose
air pressure and the spring brakes are applied.

That system can be a major pita in the winter. If the trailer has been
disconnected or the spring brakes are set, they can freeze to the drum. Then
you're laying under a trailer at 5 below beating on the drums with a 5 pound
hammer. Must be the reason I don't drive a truck anymore

wrote:

The parking brake had to have broken because everybody always
uses it every time they park, always.

Right... Fortunately nobody was around except a few mules and they don't
talk much, but I stopped to open a gate once and didn't set the parking
brake on the pickup. Luckily, it wasn't moving too fast by the time I
noticed it was following me.

On Sun, 06 Apr 2014 21:23:08 -0500, Dean Hoffman
" wrote:

On 4/6/14 9:07 PM, wrote:

Occaisionally everyone suffers a "brain fart".Also, with an automatic,
the driver will often take a "shortcut" and just use Park - and a park
pawl can let go. Belt and suspenders means you never get "em bare
assed." The chance of loosing park AND the E brake at once are 1 in
several million

I remember when people just left their vehicles in first gear to
keep them in place.
There was an attempted car theft in Omaha, NE a few weeks ago. The
would be thief had to run when the cops showed up. He didn't know how
to drive a stick shift. Oddly enough, he couldn't run faster than cops
can drive or faster than radio waves.

Once when I was driving a cab in Chicago, I saw a cop chasing someone.
I waved him into the cab and we turned right at the corner, right at
the next corner and the guy was still ahead of us, running the wrong way
across a bridge over the Chicago River. I could have driven after him
but there was a cop in my car! I asked him what to do and he got out
and chased after the guy. I guess he caught him becaue he'd rested
for 3 blocks that the guy was running.

On Sun, 06 Apr 2014 20:33:20 -0600, rbowman wrote:

wrote:

The parking brake had to have broken because everybody always
uses it every time they park, always.

Right... Fortunately nobody was around except a few mules and they don't
talk much, but I stopped to open a gate once and didn't set the parking
brake on the pickup. Luckily, it wasn't moving too fast by the time I
noticed it was following me.

When it's going forward, it's a lot easier to climb in than when the
FedEX trauck was going backwards.

And in the video we just watched, is there something wrong with my DSL?
Do I need FIOS?

Because I saw the driver open the door and it was still open when it got
to the tree, and all of a sudden it was 15 feet past the tree, and I
couldn't see the door anymore.

Did it hit the tree, get knocked off, or further open?

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/

micky wrote:
On Sun, 06 Apr 2014 20:33:20 -0600, rbowman wrote:

wrote:

The parking brake had to have broken because everybody always
uses it every time they park, always.

Right... Fortunately nobody was around except a few mules and they don't
talk much, but I stopped to open a gate once and didn't set the parking
brake on the pickup. Luckily, it wasn't moving too fast by the time I
noticed it was following me.

When it's going forward, it's a lot easier to climb in than when the
FedEX trauck was going backwards.

And in the video we just watched, is there something wrong with my DSL?
Do I need FIOS?

Because I saw the driver open the door and it was still open when it got
to the tree, and all of a sudden it was 15 feet past the tree, and I
couldn't see the door anymore.

Did it hit the tree, get knocked off, or further open?

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/

Further open. It's still attached to the truck after getting caught on the
tree.

On Mon, 7 Apr 2014 03:22:43 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
wrote:

micky wrote:
On Sun, 06 Apr 2014 20:33:20 -0600, rbowman wrote:

wrote:

The parking brake had to have broken because everybody always
uses it every time they park, always.

Right... Fortunately nobody was around except a few mules and they don't
talk much, but I stopped to open a gate once and didn't set the parking
brake on the pickup. Luckily, it wasn't moving too fast by the time I
noticed it was following me.

When it's going forward, it's a lot easier to climb in than when the
FedEX trauck was going backwards.

And in the video we just watched, is there something wrong with my DSL?
Do I need FIOS?

Because I saw the driver open the door and it was still open when it got
to the tree, and all of a sudden it was 15 feet past the tree, and I
couldn't see the door anymore.

Did it hit the tree, get knocked off, or further open?

So he didn't get off scot-free. He came close.

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/

Further open. It's still attached to the truck after getting caught on the
tree.

rbowman wrote in
:

Tegger wrote:

The driver insisted the brakes had been set before
he left the truck. I don't know enough about semis to know how this
could have happened.

With great difficulty unless the brakes were completely out of
adjustment. There are two brake circuits, one for the tractor, one for
the trailer. When you pull the button out, you're dumping the air
pressure, allowing the spring brakes to be applied. In other words,
it's a failsafe system; lose air pressure and the spring brakes are
applied.

That system can be a major pita in the winter. If the trailer has been
disconnected or the spring brakes are set, they can freeze to the
drum. Then you're laying under a trailer at 5 below beating on the
drums with a 5 pound hammer. Must be the reason I don't drive a truck
anymore



This incident happened at the height of summer, so there was definitely no
ice involved.

I figure the driver was lying. The local newspaper never did a followup
article after their original article covering the incident, so I have no
idea if the driver was ever charged with anything.


--
Tegger

On 4/6/2014 10:00 PM, micky wrote:
Once when I was driving a cab in Chicago, I saw a cop chasing someone.
I waved him into the cab and we turned right at the corner, right at
the next corner and the guy was still ahead of us, running the wrong way
across a bridge over the Chicago River. I could have driven after him
but there was a cop in my car! I asked him what to do and he got out
and chased after the guy. I guess he caught him becaue he'd rested
for 3 blocks that the guy was running.

Nice to know there are (or were) some good
citizens around. Thank you.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 4/6/2014 10:05 PM, micky wrote:
And in the video we just watched, is there something wrong with my DSL?
Do I need FIOS?

Because I saw the driver open the door and it was still open when it got
to the tree, and all of a sudden it was 15 feet past the tree, and I
couldn't see the door anymore.

Did it hit the tree, get knocked off, or further open?

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/


I watched from here, the tree bent the
door hinge further open. Ouch.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 4/6/2014 11:47 AM, Bill wrote:

A FedEx driver has a bad day:

http://consumerist.com/2014/04/04/th...runaway-truck/


Doesn't say what he did but with the lights on, he may have left it
running. When I turn my car off, it locks in park.

Back where I worked, employees running shuttles or delivery vehicles
were not only required to shut them off when they left them but if on a
hill, chock the wheels.

We had a contractor with a construction vehicle come in and hope out of
the truck while it was running and it went backward and took out 4 cars.

I've reported workers doing this in hilly area where I live and in a
park I frequent.

On Mon, 07 Apr 2014 09:50:02 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 4/6/2014 10:00 PM, micky wrote:
Once when I was driving a cab in Chicago, I saw a cop chasing someone.
I waved him into the cab and we turned right at the corner, right at
the next corner and the guy was still ahead of us, running the wrong way
across a bridge over the Chicago River. I could have driven after him
but there was a cop in my car! I asked him what to do and he got out
and chased after the guy. I guess he caught him becaue he'd rested
for 3 blocks that the guy was running.

Nice to know there are (or were) some good
citizens around. Thank you.

It wasn't solely selfless. I got a good story out of it.

I remember now, if the bridge were vacant I would have driven the wrong
way on a one-way street/bridge, and it was vacant but the red light on
the north side of the bridge was going to turn green I'm sure,, and I'd
be going the wrong way. I think a Chicago River bridge downtown is
about 50 yards long. It has two halves, both of which iift up when a
boat comes.

On 4/6/2014 9:07 PM, wrote:
Occaisionally everyone suffers a "brain fart".Also, with an automatic,
the driver will often take a "shortcut" and just use Park - and a park
pawl can let go. Belt and suspenders means you never get "em bare
assed." The chance of loosing park AND the E brake at once are 1 in
several million


I've had a couple vehicles, the e brake did nothing
for reverse motion.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Tegger wrote:

....snip...


I figure the driver was lying. The local newspaper never did a followup
article after their original article covering the incident, so I have no
idea if the driver was ever charged with anything.



The "follow-up" wasn't sensational enough to be newsworthy. No one in the
general public cares if the driver was fired or charged, it's the idea of a
runaway 18 wheeler that gets our attention.

Now, if they had flogged the driver in public or made him lay down as an 18
wheeler rolled over him, you can be sure it would have been covered. Some
poor slob losing his job, maybe losing his pension, maybe going to jail for
a short time? Nah...not news.

On Mon, 07 Apr 2014 18:06:52 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 4/6/2014 9:07 PM, wrote:
Occaisionally everyone suffers a "brain fart".Also, with an automatic,
the driver will often take a "shortcut" and just use Park - and a park
pawl can let go. Belt and suspenders means you never get "em bare
assed." The chance of loosing park AND the E brake at once are 1 in
several million


I've had a couple vehicles, the e brake did nothing
for reverse motion.
A properly set up e-brake is about 60% as effective in reverse as in
forward in stopping a vehicle. Mabee a bit better in holding it.

On Mon, 07 Apr 2014 18:06:52 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 4/6/2014 9:07 PM, wrote:
Occaisionally everyone suffers a "brain fart".Also, with an automatic,
the driver will often take a "shortcut" and just use Park - and a park
pawl can let go. Belt and suspenders means you never get "em bare
assed." The chance of loosing park AND the E brake at once are 1 in
several million


I've had a couple vehicles, the e brake did nothing
for reverse motion.

I've had several. The hand brake which worked in reverse was the '95
Chrysler LeBaron. Even though the '84 and '88 didn't. Figure that out.

Nor does the 2000 Toyota Solara.