Over the last year we have had so many trucks around here hitting bridges with loads too tall to make it under the highway bridges. You used to never hear of it, but nowadays it seems to be happening quite frequently. Another one just hit a bridge about 3 miles North of here on US 131. A double trailer log truck that was stacked too high.

https://wwmt.com/news/local/commerc...ip-western-michigan-infrastructure-crash

people cant read signs.

Pee tests were the ruin of all good truckers

I wonder how many could be drivers who don't speak English. We have a group of FedEx drivers here who don't speak English and have been in numerous accidents. The FedEx people I've talked with have told me they use software like Google Maps translated to Spanish to find addresses. That doesn't help one driver with reading other signs along the road, including bridge clearances, while he's en route.

Well, you gotta have brains too.And be willing to use em'

I don’t blame the drivers as much as I do the ones loading the trucks. I’m sure there are height limits as well as weight limits.

Am I the only one thinking put a bar 3 inches shorter than the lowest bridge on the road at the on-ramps

a bridge repair is huge $$$ , what would a bunch height signs that hit if you are too tall cost?

Has always happened around here.


Every truck driver is ultimately responsible for his own load. Weights are one thing but height, get out of the truck and measure it.

Certain height freights have a driver ahead of the rig here They have a height stick fixed to the vehicle visible to the truck driver and monitored by the lead truck

Open box is quite different than a closed one, still the driver should know his particular height limit

Which brings us back to who is qualified to be driving, obviously, and why are they not paying attention, secondly

Lots of foreign drivers out there now, who do lack the smarts to read correctly the rules and or signs, still does not cut them off of knowing them though, might fall on the company hiring them, educating them or what, don't know about free lance drivers any more difficult to regulate them

Experienced drivers still miss a sign or two or a new bridge change without paying attention, who knows the real reason ?

Maybe the drivers should be aware of the height of their trailer or load.....maybe?

even state patrol can approve a bad plan

happened in Madison with an oversized load Jan 2025

measurements were all given plan written and approved , front clearance vehicle hit and they stopped the truck before the bridge
had to close 14 and it took them hours to back that truck up to where they could turn it around.

all the road bridges were high enough , the old railroad bridge was not.

I have tapped a couple with the excavate boom: especially if there is a bump in the road under the approach.

Every case I have heard of involved a foreign driver. I'm not saying American truckers don't hit bridges too, just that we have a big problem with foreign truck drivers causing proportionately and now overall more bad and fatal accidents.

Keith

Saw a picture of a 53' dump trailer that hit the bridge going under it. He had plenty of clearance until his female pasanger inadvertently hit the pto to raise the dump. According to the incident report. I figured the drivers new nick name was stubby after that impact.

We get a lot that cant speak English at work these days. Several have very low IQ and do very dumb things & get banned from the plant.

All true, but let's not forget the dipwad that did the loading!

We have an all steel railroad gets hit 6-8 times a year. Warning lights about 200 yards before bridge, chains hanging down about 100 yards before bridge. If your truck hits the chains you will hit the bridge. Bridge doesn’t move! Lol

AKA "whiz quiz"
Lets see some videos.....

Bridge in Durham, North Carolina called "the Can opener". Notorious for taking the roofs off trailers.

Our mills will turn a log truck around and not unload it if the logs are stacked above the stakes. Good deterrent from overheight loads.