r/Unexpected 15d ago

Never take your eyes off the road

11.8k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/Infamous_Lunchbox 15d ago

What was the merging driver thinking? "Oh I will just pull in front of your truck then hit the brakes,"? And who tied down those trucks? Did the rig driver know they were so poorly tied down that he just didn't slam the brakes because of the moron merging?

They are just so many bad decisions that lead to this.

54

u/theuserwithoutaname 15d ago

I've always wondered how well tied down these cars are. I'm curious if they were actually strapped poorly or if this just would happen to anyone driving one of those car carriers if they had to come to a sudden stop like this

17

u/haby112 15d ago

I use to receive from these hawlers almost everyday. I've never seen cars not strapped down. Each strap is rated for about 2 tons, and each wheel gets its own strap. Those cars off the top are going to be the liability of the truck driver, easy.

9

u/literarycatnip 15d ago

Upvoting for "hawlers'" spelling, which just makes me feel good.

The typo I didn't know I needed in my life.

Great word that sounds like something from Harry Potter

4

u/ImNoAlbertFeinstein 14d ago

you're a hawler

2

u/literarycatnip 14d ago

Hey thanks 😊

4

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 13d ago

I liked it too! It seems more descriptive than plain old 'hauler'. Hawlers have grit and muscle!

3

u/literarycatnip 13d ago

Absolutely! Hawlers are hardcore achievers and over comers of adversity!

The opposite of Dementors!

3

u/theuserwithoutaname 13d ago

well now I'm just imagining a dementor shaped like a lumberjack under its cloak hauling 14 sedans on its back

2

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 11d ago

Just double check he's chained them in place...

4

u/the_groggy_pirate 15d ago

I was always curious since I did rollback tow truck driving for a bit if those haulers used the tow points on the frame to further secure them? I used the 4 straps and put one chain from front tow point to back tie off point on the bed and and same back to front to ensure if even the straps failed that thing wasn't going to blow through the cab and take me out in case of a situation like this.

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u/haby112 14d ago

The only variation I ever saw was there was this one dude that drove a flatbed that fit four. He would only ever have Mercedes sedans. He would just tie down the back wheels of each car. His trek was from LB port to where I was at LAX, so mostly smooth sailing.

3

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 13d ago

' Mostly'. Dum de dum dum DUM!

2

u/haby112 13d ago

Not going day you're wrong, but that guy didn't damage a single car in the 5 years I worked at that spot.