Hat tip Boston Bob
Trucker Destroys Historic Bridge Because She Didn’t Know How Many Pounds Six Tons Was
The craziest part isn’t that 23-year-old Mary Lambright drove her 30-ton truck onto this tiny bridge in Paoli, Indiana built in 1880. It’s that she knew that the bridge’s weight limit was six tons. She just didn’t know how many pounds that was.
Seriously, that’s what she told the police after the crash on Christmas, as they note in their report:
Ms. Lambright was aware of the iron bridge stating she had driven on it several times in her personal vehicle and was also aware of the posted signage “no semis, weight limit of 6 tons”. When asked by Paoli Police why she continued through the bridge knowing the weight limit was only 6 tons she admitted to not knowing how many pounds that was. She was advised the weight of the vehicle at the time of the crash was close to 30 tons.
Lambright, who got her CDL earlier this year, said she wasn’t comfortable backing up her Volvo truck, so she just chanced it on the bridge.
That bet didn’t exactly pay out.
BangShift reports that Lambright’s company will be the one that will be in a real heap of legal crap for this, though Lambright herself should expect a $135 fine for her citations of “reckless operation of Tractor-Trailer” (a class B misdemeanor), “disregarding a traffic control device” (a class B infraction), and “overweight on posted bridge.”
The real mystery here is how she got her CDL. Lambright was uninjured.
Photo Credits: Orange County Law Enforcement
Mary Lamb-BRIGHT? SED-A-GIVE?! Mary had a little LamEbrain? “That was a priceless Steinway! Not any more . . . This is sofa king easy.
};^D
Also, she had some serious problems judging height as well.
The scariest thing is that someone can get a CDL without even having enough knowledge to know how many pounds are in a ton, or the common sense to know she needs to know that to drive her vehicle safely.
Keep that in mind the next time you end up on a freeway going close to 80 miles an hour and surrounded by semi’s.
30 > 6
I’m guessing this person will spend her career asking if you want fries with that.
I bet Affirmative Action hiring had something to do with this.
I’ve heard that truck drivers spend most of their time ‘backing up’ – another words – getting the semi into a dock. This woman said she “wasn’t comfortable backing up her Volvo truck”.
Just looking at the bridge – it’s obviously not built for semi traffic.
This must have been an affirmative action hire.
As a former long distance trucker I can tell you all with confidence that she is the present and the future of trucking. The major trucking companies would hire a Down’s Syndrome victim, Charlie Manson, or Osama Bin Laden if they had a CDl. This woman is a perfect example.
The average trucking job sucks and pays shit, so the turnover ratio is over 90% with the big companies. That figure doesn’t include bb’s job at FedEx, those jobs can be profitable as I’m sure his is.
Walmart has the best deal for company truckers, believe it or not, or at least they did last time I worked. Schneider, JB Hunt, Warner, Western Express and all of the major players just plain suck big hairy moose balls and it shows in the quality of their drivers. like this driver who is apparently too stupid to live.
This is a direct result of cheap freight – you get what you pay for America. Now, enjoy your cheap freight being piloted by newbies, somalis, and Russians. The turnover in this field is jaw dropping, because unless you’ve got a sweet deal with a buddy/dispatcher/owner – and those are more perishable than fruit laying in the sun – its an absolutely awful, miserable, nasty, disheartening job.
But, you’ll be glad to know that your government has waived the English speaking requirement in the CFR for certain immigrants from certain countries…….any guesses?
Don’t loiter next to semi’s – ever. Tell your wives and daughters because they do it the most.
@ Tommy…You are right! De-regulation destroyed the trucking industry and has lead to the never-ending price war which has dropped freight rates to the toilet and driver’s pay to McD’s workers level or lower (I’m not kidding). Try working 70 hours a week, sleeping in a truck and getting paid $600 gross.
What Tommy said is right….do not dilly-dally when you are passing a semi on the highway. Just gas on it and get around him. The driver is likely to be texting his bother in Pakistan or Egypt or playing a ‘death to amerika’ video on his smart phone.
If you think Tommy or I are exaggerating, then go to a big truck stop near a major city some morning and stand near the fuel desk and look at the drivers.
I drove large commercial (over 10 tons) vehicles for 12 years, and knew absolutely on what routes I’d encounter load or height restrictions. This person has to be a stone retard to do this, yet I see truck and bus drivers do things that are just as ridiculous daily.
It is all too common for truck drivers to misjudge the clearance under the rail bridges in this city, and there is forever a truck getting nailed under the Red Line el trestle, even though the height is clearly stated. If you are coming through Chicago, please know that the clearance under the train bridges is about 10′ 6″, which means that your truck likely does not fit. Most trucks and buses are 11′ or higher.
FedEx is different . It took me about six weeks to get through the employment process. Trucking can be very profitable if you get with the right company or own your truck like I do.I know several independent contractor drivers that make well over a 100,000 a year but they own their truck and trailer .It can be a pain in the ass but you can make money.
The turn over rate is high because it’s a hard life especially for married people with children. You have to be away from family most of the year. That’s why trucking companies are some of the biggest supporters of open immigration policy . They need people and unfortunately their hiring standards are lowered just to get bodies in their trucks.
No photo available of Mary lambright. If she caused this much destruction in a forward gear, maybe we are lucky she didn’t put it in reverse.
When I was a little kid I was in a school bus wreck, we went on a field trip to Pepsi bottling in miami. They have a round theatre up on stilts that the road goes under, and the bus driver didn’t notice it was a lot lower than the bus, and she plowed into it at about 35 mph. The rescue squad just patched everyone up and sent us home. They cleaned all the blood out of the bus, and that was that. Can you imagine something like that nowadays?
bb, very few O/O’s can make six figure’s and frankly if they say it – you’ve got to be doubtful. This is a crowd that is simply not known for their business savvy or prowess. If they are, they are likely playing a dangerous game and will get to learn the rules with an audit – which most fail. Flatbed freight is only as strong as the building boom – so expect a ‘poof’ there. Dry freight are whores. Logistics companies are dry freight whores with logistics bars and straps. Reefer freight is down and since that means food, well I’ll leave it to you to ponder. Parcel is even cracking – FedEx and UPS and losses at the post orifice (not a typo) are soaring. Boutique/specialty/HHG….another facet of the same tarnished stone.
Lysander is right, go down and roam the truck stop – especially the fuel desk. If you want to really get freaked out go to the ‘drivers lounge’……oh sweet hell. The only way people will suspect you’re not a driver is if you look, act, speak normal.
The simple reason everyone is hiring is because everyone is quitting. Fuck sakes, some fleets are going to glider kits to avoid the new EPA bullshit (def fluids/particulate filters/egr’s and more that don’t work). New truck warranties are a joke, they don’t cover shit, and yet, the cost of a truck with a sleeper that is nice enough to call home is soaring. I know of fleet….not an O/O, that forked over $164,000 for each! And that isn’t on the road. IRS 2290, fuel tax, IRP filings and fees ‘prorate’, lettering/signage, qualcomm package, insurance rates that will leave you ass raped….and more, and more. Wait now, you still don’t have a trailer. And do you want to go to CA?
Now, find a dipshit – any ol’dipshit will do, pay him about $.38 to $.44/mile and you are trucking. And right now some asshole is calculating how much that means in ‘car time’. Or that he doesn’t have to wait for loads, or weather, or jobs change/cancel – and that the world is not ‘on a route’. Does this driver go home? How long? How often? About $45 -$60K/year for being gone always, eating shitty food, surrounded by retards, hated by everyone you encounter…..think the DOT are friendly do ‘ya? Ignorance wins again. If your daughter comes to you and tells you she wants to marry a trucker…..slap the shit outta her, you are her only chance. A mercy slapping.
My insurance guy told me with a straight face, reefer freight is food – that’s part of the real economy. And he’s right. A real economy supported by nothing but lies, bullshit, and fiat. This will end badly.
Tommy , you must have had some bad experiences in trucking . It’s not for most people. Trucking is hard on your body and it’s hard to be away from home so much but the rewards are there if you’re willing to make the sacrifices .I like it because I’m very much my own boss.Fortunately I can choose to be up on I80 running east to west and back.Usually from Middletown PA to Portland Oregon with stops in between.FedEx lets me go where I want most of the time.They are firm about on time deliveries .Got to be on time .Got to be safe.( no accidents ).
Damn that’s some funny stuff right there!
bb my father owned a few over the road trucks with his other business interests, it was a tuff business in the 70’s & 80’s. It’s a nightmare now with all the new Governmental regulations! My brother manages a fleet of trucks for a large retail chain here in Arkansas, he says the regulations get more debilitating with each year.
BTW, that’s a Penske Truck which is a lease job. She’s probably working for a fly by night outfit. First rule of business you never….I said never, just form one corporation, you start at least two. One is your main operating platform the other is a live entity you keep insured and do enough business with to keep alive. Why? If your main business platform gets in trouble you can instantly roll people personnel and equipment into the other company and never miss a lick. When I operated my construction company I had three corporations. Two where described as above the third was an equipment company that my other two business rented equipment from. I did real good, banked some cash, went back to school and live comfortably today! I know just enough to be dangerous, LMFAO
Once again, goes to show why it is damn near impossible to run/own a business. Bright sparks like this moron are everywhere.
Llpoh, I really want to see a photo of this bright spark. I never heard of such a thing, putting a 23 year old chick in a big rig (with a really heavy cargo, no less). She has a CDL, yet can’t back up a truck, see the bridge top aimed at her head, and has no idea what a ton is. Bright spark, indeed.
bb, trucking has become a bad experience in general.
LLpoh
You are a giant in business compared to me. I was hoping to hear your opinion on how how set up my construction company. Wise, stupid, rolling joke, or what?
oh and bb, don’t forget – you’ve got a route. I’m referring to the OTR guy that has to follow the loads, etc. That irregular route, non hub/spoke model is for the birds. A unique twist in our line of work was the necessity to run for several – as in at least two months, at a time…..so…..
Umm.. I may be wrong in which case I do apologize to the _other_ Mary Lambert – but could _this_ be our winner based on the high headliner clearance?[img
[/img]
She’s cute and reminds me of my daughter — except the latter can drive a truck (big UHaul at least) without mishap, which is better than her poor pop’s record. (I once rearranged a few siding shingles with a mirror years ago in a U Haul.)
Come on guys — we’ve all had bad days over the years when nothing went right and we collapsed a historic structure, toppled a giant sequoia, polluted a reservoir with Polonium, you get the idea… Give the young lady a break. I guarantee she’ll never try to drive over that bridge a second time.
Maybe I just have a soft spot for cute young women. (Maybe that’s how I ended up married?)
That damn bridge looks all rickety anyway. She did a great service to the taxpayers of Indiana before somebody got hurt on it.
Sensetti – do you want to build houses? Roads? What?
Home builders go out of business one after another. Every carpenter thinks they can be home builders.
How well do you quote? How good and reliable are your tradesmen? Can you afford to change ver a big fuck-up (oops, built that house ten feet out of position. Saw that happen more than once, believe it or not. Each time the builder went broke because of it)?
How well do you quote? Huge issue. How able are you to refuse to lower the quotes in the face of idiot competition who undercut you (on their way to going broke)?
The problem with small construction is every tradesmen thinks they can run their own biz, and they it up for those that actually could.
Don’t you own the equipment you need outright? I advise not to borrow to get it. And be ready for the employees to destroy it.
Etc.
Good luck. I need more info before I could highlight other issues.
bb says: That’s why trucking companies are some of the biggest supporters of open immigration policy . They need people and unfortunately their hiring standards are lowered just to get bodies in their trucks.
My buddy says he has seen a lot of women drivers, mostly gringas driving semis. I have not taken note of Pakis or other Asians driving, most of them are doctors and lawyers. It’s native born American mongrels on the road. My buddy says he has to have a certain ‘look’ to drive a truck, can’t go around looking like a pantywaist.
BTW, bb, this is one of the few times when I have to look twice to see if ol’ bb got a brain transplant, you sound real smart and serious.
Now I understand why the govt drones at the official state weigh stations are such hard asses……….there are far too many people like this woman and bb out there driving lethal weapons.
Maybe she’ll hire bb’s lawyer who pencil whipped three speeding tickets in four days out of existence?
She was uncomfortable backing up her semi? How do you get hired let alone a CDL? She didn’t need to know how many pounds in a ton……..the sign said “NO SEMIS”. Apparently she has no idea how many inches are in a foot either!
I wonder if this female drive trend will change the loitering ratio of men/women whores at truck stops?
Just a thought.
MA
IndenturedServant says: Apparently she has no idea how many inches are in a foot either!
Few women do.
This article fully explains the countless times I’m just minding my own business, and my strong-willed wife walks by and says, “Men are such fucking assholes.” And I think to myself, “What just happened here?”
Starfker, in my early times driving commercially, I knew several 23-year-old women driving big rigs, who would not do a dumb thing like this. I wasn’t one of those women, because I was just plain intimidated by the big rigs. But the women I knew were competent, careful, and made huge money.
There’s the problem. The job no longer pays decent money and the working conditions are wretched. Why subject yourself to long stretches on the road far from home, with minimal or no creature comforts, to do a dangerous, physically demanding job with an unreliable income stream, when you can make the same money in an office working 9-5 as an admin assistant, and build a real career path? Even when it paid well, driving was a dead-end job with little opportunity for advancement and a very good chance of being killed or gravely injured.
That’s why the people you see driving trucks these days, male and female alike, are often morons and incompetents at best, and all too often are drug addled, or are shady, dangerous people who wouldn’t have stood a chance at getting hired as truckers before the 90s. I saw one guy driving for Ashe Trucking, whose vehicles I no longer see around, who displayed impressive skill pulling a long trailer out of the alley behind a grocery store where he’d just unloaded, really put on a great show of striking skill. And HE was a handsome, clean cut young man with a look of intelligence about him. But I don’t see his type anymore. What I see are people who look like drooling morons, heads nodding up and down, who will drive right under an overpass that anybody can see is 2′ lower than the top of the truck. And it used to be that truck stops were clean, gleaming places with great food and friendly people, that were refuges for highway travelers, but now they are the last places in the world you want to stop when you’re traveling, teaming with drug dealers, prostitutes, and perverts.
We now live in an unproductive economy that makes nothing, and therefore has little use for the various skills needed in a manufacturing economy, run by people who do not care how much damage they do as long as they get theirs. You can’t haul a load from Chicago to Miami in 8 hours? We’ll find someone who will, never mind that s/he can’t read, is legally blind, and has a mile-long rap sheet of drug convictions.
And, in closing, I’d like to mention something else we had back in the days when we had these highly competent, well-trained, and well-PAID truckers who took pride in their skill and safety- we had powerful, confrontational trucker’s UNIONS that bargained hard to protect their members’ high wages and jobs. When I was a kid, every kid whose dad was a trucker, said his dad was a Teamster. Were the Teamsters a “criminal” organization? Yeah, sure, but so were (and are) the American Manufacturers Association, and all the other associations and chambers of commerce representing employers. Far be it from me to defend “collectivism”, but the stone truth is that truckers’ employers are very well-organized, and come together tightly against them when it comes to setting the terms of employment. Remember that you, the trucker, are an entrepreneur, too, and you have no more but no less a right to organize to defend your livelihood than a corporation.
Picture of bb on a delivery
[img
[/img]
He claims to be able to back it up, but we’re not sure.
Chicago, I’ve known some women who were excellent drivers, my mother is one. But in my entire life I have never seen a woman back a boat down a ramp, or put a truck on a dock. Beats me
ASIG, bb may have overpaid for his rig.
ASIG says: Picture of bb on a delivery
It was an mergecie kat litteh dliberaly!