Undefeated - The Toughest Bridge in the World Durham, NC
Via Horace
This train trestle have stood its ground for the last 100 years.
This fact doesn't deter some drivers from challanging the bridge about once a month. all of them fail.
Those driver with the CDLs deserve to be fired- especially with those yellow warning lights flashing. I can see some clueless U-Haul and RV towers not knowing what was going on.
We had a driver who took our bucket truck from one side of town to the other with the winch arm straight up. When he got back to the barn, he bent a purlin and the roof sheeting- he tried blaming the helper who was in the bucket last.. I told him "You're lucky you didn't go under one of those 14' bridges in the middle of town or you would have been fired before you got back." The bucket truck stood at 13' as it was.
Amazing. My favorite was the fifth wheel near the end as the driver evidently realized it was too low, but for some reason, thought if he went slowly it would make a difference........
Let's see.... ya' got a CDL, ya' can read signs... standard truck height is 13ft. 6in. (this overpass is 11ft. 8in.) Bright yellow warning sign (it even has flashing yellow warning lights). Many of those straight trucks were local.... ya' think they would know about this BRIDGE THAT EATS TRUCKS, but I guess not! We've got an overpass in my neck o' the woods that is 13ft. 6in. going east.... but going west is 12ft. ?in., it surprises the hell out of so many truckers! Cause yer' thinkin'.... "I came into the shipper this way, I just go back out to the interstate this way".... Several times a year, some out of town driver makes the local news broadcast this way. Hell of a way to get yer' 15 min. of fame....
Yup!... But the bridge height IS CLEARLY MARKED on both sides (east/west). I can understand though. I have been in many counties that have mis-marked warning signs. I stopped traffic on a little two lane one time, because the bridge height was clearly marked at 13 ft..... put on my (4-ways), called the shipper, asking him if that was correct, as I had no way to turn around. He assured me that ALL 13' 6" trucks will fit under the bridge. So after a 10 minute delay (and a bunch of unhappy drivers) I crept under, expecting to hear metal tearing off at any moment! Damn tight....
Those driver with the CDLs deserve to be fired- especially with those yellow warning lights flashing.
ReplyDeleteI can see some clueless U-Haul and RV towers not knowing what was going on.
We had a driver who took our bucket truck from one side of town to the other with the winch arm straight up. When he got back to the barn, he bent a purlin and the roof sheeting- he tried blaming the helper who was in the bucket last..
I told him "You're lucky you didn't go under one of those 14' bridges in the middle of town or you would have been fired before you got back."
The bucket truck stood at 13' as it was.
Amazing. My favorite was the fifth wheel near the end as the driver evidently realized it was too low, but for some reason, thought if he went slowly it would make a difference........
DeleteLet's see.... ya' got a CDL, ya' can read signs... standard truck height is 13ft. 6in. (this overpass is 11ft. 8in.) Bright yellow warning sign (it even has flashing yellow warning lights). Many of those straight trucks were local.... ya' think they would know about this BRIDGE THAT EATS TRUCKS, but I guess not!
ReplyDeleteWe've got an overpass in my neck o' the woods that is 13ft. 6in. going east.... but going west is 12ft. ?in., it surprises the hell out of so many truckers! Cause yer' thinkin'.... "I came into the shipper this way, I just go back out to the interstate this way"....
Several times a year, some out of town driver makes the local news broadcast this way. Hell of a way to get yer' 15 min. of fame....
"I came into the shipper this way, I just go back out to the interstate this way"....
DeleteI guess that is a common mistake.
Yup!... But the bridge height IS CLEARLY MARKED on both sides (east/west). I can understand though. I have been in many counties that have mis-marked warning signs. I stopped traffic on a little two lane one time, because the bridge height was clearly marked at 13 ft..... put on my (4-ways), called the shipper, asking him if that was correct, as I had no way to turn around. He assured me that ALL 13' 6" trucks will fit under the bridge. So after a 10 minute delay (and a bunch of unhappy drivers) I crept under, expecting to hear metal tearing off at any moment! Damn tight....
DeleteI crept under, expecting to hear metal tearing off at any moment! Damn tight....
DeleteI can imagine.
Most all y'all know I'm a truck driver. In my line of work I call that "delivering a bridge."
ReplyDeleteIt is one of my nightmares.
And...no...I've never done it!
:) They must have made good bridges 100 years ago.
Delete