ChrisMerchant's Blog

Let me preface this with a few statements:

*1) I have a Class A Commercial Driver's License, the average motorist has a Class D.

*2) I have been driving Class 6 through 9 vehicles for the past 14 years, the bulk of it in Class 8. (Class 6 is a dump truck, class 8 is a 5 axle semi, and class 9 is more than 5 axles and heavier than 80,000 pounds, often wider or longer than normal.) I've driven both Classes 8 and 9 here in Orlando.

*3) I have driven over two MILLION miles without an accident. (The average person drives 12,000 per year. In 40 years, the average person will not drive 1/4 of what I have.)

*4) I have worked for 2 road construction companies, one in Ohio and one here in Florida.

*5) In the past decade, I have not received a citation for any infraction of any traffic law.

*6) With all of my experience, the most important mile: the next one. 

In my years driving a truck, I've seen my share of accidents. Whether it was the 48 car pile-up on I-80 in snow covered Pennsylvania when 23 died, or the 5 car accident on I-4 last week in Plant City where two died, one thing remains the same: Lack of Attention. The Ohio Highway Patrol has "HUA" listed as the secondary cause of almost every major accident. (Head Up A##) My cousin, a Florida Highway Patrol officer with over 15 years service protecting Manatee County motorists, agrees.

 The one thing I hope you take away from this blog is this: YOU ARE NOT AS GOOD OF A DRIVER AS YOU THINK YOU ARE, NEITHER IS THE OTHER GUY.

"Because it occupies space, all matter has volume and impenetrability, since two objects cannot occupy the same space simultaneously." (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.  2001-05.) Why quote physics? Ask the 5 who died this morning on the Turnpike. If you can't see, slow down. Everyone is screaming "Why didn't they shut the road down?" I'm asking "Why didn't the people involved in the collision slow down when they couldn't see???"

 Speed kills. The faster a vehicle moves, the more inertia is has.

*If you can't stop in the distance you can see, slow down.

*If you're not sure if you should speed up to pass the guy on your right to make the exit ramp, slow down and go around behind him, you need to slow down for the ramp anyways.

Let's talk inertia for a second:

*Which has more force behind it? A Honda Civic doing 80 or a Ford F-150 doing 55? The Civic. The Civic also has less of a tire-footprint on the ground, therefore more of a chance of rolling over at speed.

*What's the average weigh of a semi truck? That honestly varies, depending on application. A good run-of-the-mill average weight is 75k pounds. A 75,000 truck moving at 55 MPH will hit an object with a force in excess of 6,250,000 pounds of force. That little car or SUV you're driving will not win if you're in a collision with a semi-tractor trailer. Period. You will be lucky to be alive after the collision. Just ask the 5 that died this morning.

 


What about that road construction worker you drove past today? What if something happened and he tripped into the lane as you went zipping by him too fast? You'd probably survive the collision. Provided his buddies in The Zone weren't caught up in a fit of rage and didn't rip you to pieces (They'd probably get off with probation for doing so, by the way) You'd possibly spend a year in prison for vehicular manslaughter. That worker you killed? Don't worry, his kids will go to college, thanks to the insurance companies. They'll probably live a better life, because Mommy will have no debts because the life insurance will pay off the mortgage and the cars.  The kids will sleep better after a while, too. Daddy won't be leaving the house so early, waking them up in the morning. He won't come home too late at night, either.

Top 8 most dangerous jobs? According to Forbes, Construction Worker and Truck Driver are listed as 7 and 8, respectively. (http://www.forbes.com/2002/09/03/0903worksafe.html> )