Tragic Pile-up with Silver Lining

Re-Entering Highway Traffic 

By Randall C. Resch    

An east coast tow company transported a disabled vehicle from the highway’s shoulder. While slowly merging into fast moving highway traffic and over-head lights “on,” a motorist rear-ended the slow-moving carrier and was killed instantly. Regardless that the motorist crashed into the carrier, a wrongful death lawsuit ultimately blamed the carrier’s operator. 

This narrative is specific to highway scenarios where law enforcement isn’t on-scene. A slow-moving tow truck creates a considerable danger that demands precise movement on the tow operator’s part.  

AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety reported approximately twelve percent of interstate (highway) deaths were the result of crashes occurring on emergency shoulders. It’s estimated that as many as 600-individuals are killed annually with thousands more injured while situated on highway shoulders.  

Referring to the opening fatality scenario, the approaching motorist failed to slow-down and move-over; it was their improper reaction to SDMO (Slow Down Move Over) that caused their death. 

Worse yet, a tower’s survivability is challenged by some state laws prohibiting tow trucks from driving in-traffic with over-head ambers, strobes and rotor lights activated. 

Because on-shoulder crashes are frequent occurrences, consider these suggestions for tow trucks and carriers re-entering traffic from right shoulders or center medians: 

1. For SDMO “reaction” by motorists, tow trucks and carriers must be parked inside the shoulder (stationary) with over-head, emergency lights ”on"
2. From parked, at-idle positions, look rearward in the tow truck’s mirrors for approaching traffic 
3. Start driving forward; emergency light’s “on,” looking for a substantial gap between the tow truck and approaching traffic 
4. Activate the truck’s turn-signals to indicate your direction of travel and the lane you intend to occupy  
5. While remaining inside the shoulder’s white-line, accelerate and gain speed being aware of vehicles or obstacles that may be ahead on the shoulder. Watch for locations where the shoulder lane runs-out or pinches to a point 
6. With “Head on-a-swivel”, accelerate and estimate a realistic gap in-traffic to re-enter traffic 
7. Anticipate that same direction traffic may change lanes toward you at the same time you’re re-entering traffic  
8. Increase truck speed to approximately 50-miles-per-hour while watching following traffic. Merging from center-median or slow-side shoulder requires the truck’s speed to reasonably equal traffic flow  
9. Use turn signals. Keep arms inside the truck’s window for fear a motorist could crash into the tow truck  
10. When a substantial gap in-traffic is available, carefully merge into the next lane with the turn-signal still activated as speed increases  
11. Merge only when safe to do so. Once re-entry is safely made way into traffic-lanes (as allowed by state law), turn over-head emergency lights “off” unless the tow or load (for safe travel) impedes traffic 
12. Never assume they see you 

This is a great topic for your safety meetings. Re-entering traffic lanes from stopped, slow-rolling positions requires total attention and perfect depth-perception.  

This narrative may seem basic and unimportant, but it’s a necessary component of defensive driving and tow truck operations. I guarantee another unfortunate traffic collision like the opening scenario will happen again.  

Speed Limiters – Friend or Foe?

By Brian J. Riker

A common sight on America’s highways are two tractor trailers from large national fleets riding side by side for miles as they attempt to pass each other, incapable of building up the speed necessary to do so and so poorly trained they don’t know enough to give up and fall back in line. Annoying surely, safety hazard? Absolutely! 

Now imagine, if you will, a world where truck speed limiters are activated at some arbitrary speed on nearly all commercial vehicles operated within the United States. The dream of safety advocacy groups, large fleets and many government regulators is the nightmare of responsible professional drivers -including towers- everywhere. Worse yet, this nightmare is getting closer to becoming reality. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on May 4, 2022, proposed just such a scheme with their latest advanced notice of proposed rulemaking. This is nothing new; the FMCSA has been attempting to implement arbitrary, often dangerous, speed restrictions on large commercial vehicles for many years at the behest of large trucking companies and their trade associations. What is different about this proposal is the questions they are asking, especially centering around if speed limiters should be on all commercial vehicles or just the largest of trucks. Previous proposals only wanted to restrict CDL required vehicles whereas this proposal is asking about requiring speed limiters on all trucks greater than 10,000 pounds. 

Why is this so bad, and what does it have to do with towers? First, most towers operate trucks that likely would be covered under this proposal and though I do not advocate speeding under any circumstances, the proposed top speeds may hinder a tower’s ability to respond in a timely manner to requests for service by law enforcement, especially those responding in rural areas with great distances to travel on open highways. 

Next, we have the increased danger to all highway users that occurs when vehicles travel at substantially different speeds. This is why states with split speed limits for cars and trucks are dangerous and see more rear end collisions than other states without split speed limits. With proposed speeds as low as 62 miles per hour, imagine how many more times a truck will be passed or otherwise have to interact with other road users! These interactions are where and when crashes occur. This could even interfere with motorists’ ability to safely execute the requirements of slow down/move over laws because of traffic being forced to travel in tight clusters. 

Lastly, unless the speed limits imposed by these devices are variable to account for variances in state speed limits, professional drivers will lose their ability to use their best professional judgment on what is a reasonable and prudent speed at which to travel while maintaining safe interactions based on traffic volume, location and road conditions. Often the best course of action is to change speed, higher or lower, to avoid conflicts with other road users. Having a fixed, arbitrary speed limiting device installed removes this option from the professional’s toolbox. 

If you happen to agree, or disagree, with these points or the need for these speed limiting devices, now is the time to make your voices heard. Please contact your state and national associations and file written comments on this advanced notice of proposed rulemaking by visiting www.regulations.gov and searching for FMCSA-2022-0004. Please be respectful, clear and explain how this would impact your safety or the safety of your employees, family, etc. Include any data you may have available to prove your points. Please provide answers to the twelve specific questions contained in their notice as part of your individual comments. 

The speed limiter mandate is being promogulated under false pretenses. Simply put, large fleets are pushing for mandatory speed limiters to gain a competitive advantage over independent fleets when recruiting drivers. If all trucks are set up virtually the same, then there will be less of an advantage working for small fleets. At least that is how the large motor carriers see it. 

Safety groups are wrongly pushing for speed limiting devices to save lives, and although that is a goal we all should support, the data behind their request is flawed. While speed is a factor in many trucks involved in crashes, it is rarely the truck that was speeding, nor was the speed at the time of the crash more than the posted speed limit. Having a truck artificially limited to an arbitrary speed will not prevent these crashes; in all likelihood it will increase the number of cars crashing into the rear end of large trucks. 

If safety were the true reason for speed limiting devices, then the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation of variable speed limiting devices that respond to the posted regulatory or advisory speed limit on highways would be installed on all motor vehicles -not just large trucks. That is a proposal that makes sense from a safety perspective since numerous studies show that traffic is at its safest when all vehicles are travelling at the same speed. 

Whatever side of this issue you are on, now is the time to make your voice heard. The public comment period is short, only 30 days, and closes on June 2, 2022. Act now and make your voice heard! 

The Dangers of Unguarded PTO Components

By Randall C. Resch   

A newbie tower in Texas purchased a vintage wrecker from a small town tow company and shared with me his plans of hoping to grow his own company. He told me he used it around town for farming tasks on his parent’s rural property. He excitedly asked, “Would you have a look at it?” With interest, I moseyed to the old tow truck noticing (first thing) the vintage wrecker’s winch was missing its topside power take-off (PTO) drive chain cover.   

Although he was aware the cover was missing, he was eager to learn what was necessary to “make the old truck safe.”   So, in a safety’s sense, I explained that the tow truck’s wrecker equipment came originally outfitted with a PTO chain cover. I sadly advised that finding a replacement wouldn’t be likely, but he could have a metal shop build a replacement.   

While modern wreckers have advanced hydraulic and electric drive-systems, there’s plenty of old school wreckers still being used across America. If yours is an old-style wrecker or carrier with chain or shaft-driven PTO, this narrative should be of interest to you. 

PTO History 

Experimental PTOs were reportedly built as early as 1878, with homemade versions constructed over subsequent decades. It wasn’t until 1918 that Edward A. Johnston, an engineer with International Harvester Company (IHC), designed the first PTO for attaching farm implements to tractors. 

Mr. Johnston suggested a farm tractor’s PTO system could power implements and attachments between a tractor’s “tail shaft” connecting its engine to its transmission. As early PTO systems gained popularity and a means to power mechanical drive trains, it brought value to other service applications that powered dump truck boxes, fire truck pumps, cement truck barrels, tow truck winches and a bevy of equipment types. 

Although the system became highly desirable, PTO’s and their use led to hundreds of injuries and fatalities. According to the National Safety Council, they reported six percent of US tractor related fatalities (in 1997) involved PTOs. Farmers, children and workers didn’t foresee the dangers of unprotected shafts spinning upwards to 1,500 rpm. 

Beware the Dangers 

OSHA investigations identified this class of accident having to do with workers working in close-proximity to unguarded PTO components, or their extremities were dragged into spinning shafts because of baggy clothing and loose flying hair. The Internet is full of incidents where workers and equipment operators were violently injured or killed being caught in PTO components.  

Early tow truck mechanisms derived power from the truck’s engine to a connecting driveshaft. Mechanically, a large chain connected a PTO pump to the wrecker’s winch. A drive chain connected two gears’ between both systems where a spinning main (drive) shaft caused the winches gear’s to turn.  

Safety guards were strategically mounted so to cover dangerous spinning parts. When mounted in proper locations, guards kept objects, operators and personnel from being entangled in a PTO’s chain, shaft, or drive sprockets. Especially dangerous to tow operators are components that are openly exposed when safety covers are removed. Regardless as to your tow truck’s system, consider seven simple safety recommendations: 

1. Before working on systems, chock tires, place transmission in-gear or park while applying the E-Brake 

2. Always disengage the PTO  

3. If a guard is removed, situate a warning notice at the driver’s station or steering wheel. 

4. Turn engine “Off” and remove keys before exiting the cab. Removing ignition keys ensures no one can pre-maturely start the truck while maintenance is performed. 

5. PTO guards should never be removed during wrecker, boom and winch operations.  Inspect frequently to ensure guards are in good condition. 

6. Keep away from PTO components. Remove loose fitting clothing to avoid getting caught in spinning components. 

7. Never operate a tow truck when guards are removed, defective or missing. An unprotected, spinning PTO shaft or uncovered components can result in great bodily injury or death. My best advice: stay far away from an operating system.