Skip to main content
#
The DOT Doctor:
Add to My Yahoo!
The DOT Doctor Speaks
Tuesday, August 25 2015
Poor Maintenance Leads to $2.6M Lawsuit Settlement with Swift

Poor trailer maintenance and lack of a good PM program can lead to tragedy.  When drivers have to force tandems to slide; trouble is invited.  Drivers often use the “wiggle” system to slide stuck tandems.  To do so, one driver will push and pull on the slider while another is behind the wheel rocking the unit.  This is what seems to have occurred in this situation.  If one of the drivers “slip”; major injury can occur.   Using a trainee/trainer team, which is the norm for Swift, it is highly likely this is exactly what happened.  Hence, poor maintenance is to blame.

Sliding a fifth wheel or fixing a “jumped” fifth wheel can result in similar tragedy.  Years back a young man and his trainer were trying to fix a fifth wheel that was jumped.  The trainer had the trainee hold a crowbar under the fifth wheel while he drove the truck forward.   As you can image, it kicked.  The crowbar flew and hit the young man in the jaw busting it in multiple places.  Again, a situation that could have been avoided.

With all the technology we have available today, there has to be a better way to slide axles and fifth wheels than doing so manually.  I recall air slide and other assist mechanisms for fifth wheels.  Payne out of VA ran trucks with these on them as did many other fleets.  The cost of the upgrade well out weighted the cost of a w/c claim or worse a lawsuit.   There are push button landing gear and I recall some type of air slider for the tandems.  These items should become standard gear for trucks instead of fleet options.

In the meantime, how about a decent PM program?  Companies know when these trailers do not slide properly.  The drivers complain about them enough!  Some even write them up on their PTIs.  Stop ignoring them and address the issue.  Dispatchers that order drivers to “make it happen” when you report that they cannot be slid are also part of the problem.  There is no call for a driver to have to put themselves in harm’s way just to get the job done!

The rest of the story - http://www.ccjdigital.com/jury-awards-2-6-million-to-swift-owner-operator-for-negligence-in-equipment-maintenance/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=08-25-2015&utm_campaign=CCJ&ust_id=fe99038b61&

Posted by: The DOT Doctor AT 05:03 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email

800# is no longer in operations.

Please dial direct at:       903-910-9075

Search
 
Bookmark and Share
Email
LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
Add to favorites
Digg
Delicious
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Cost of trucking
With the small profit margin, while pay unnecessary fines? TDD can help!
Site Mailing List  Sign Guest Book  View Guest Book 
TDD: Compliance, Business, Logistics and Risk Management Services, Financial Analysis and Tax Filing

The DOT Doctor
USA, Mexico and Canada

phone 1- 903-910-9009 US Services

                                                    1-903-910-9075 Mexico/Canada Services

info@thedotdoctor.com

Copyright © 2017 by The DOT Doctor

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by:

The DOT Doctor

Email: Webmaster@thedotdoctor.com

Website: http://thedotdoctor.com

Free SEO Tools

Search Engine Submission - AddMe

Google+