So I’m fairly well certain that driving a commercial motor vehicle while performing a medical procedure on oneself is probably covered under some law or regulation or other, but if not, perhaps it’s one that truly ought to be considered, given a many-miles-long traffic tie-up (pictured) that was the apparent result of a distracted trucker involved in a single-vehicle crash near Overdrive headquarters in Tuscaloosa, Ala., this week.
Road crews’ attempts to recover the apparently uninjured driver’s vehicle necessitated a closure of three miles’ worth of I-20/59 east of town.
The cause of the crash? Well, according to the police report:
The driver stated he lost control when he was pulling a tooth with his hands…. He had the tooth in his shirt pocket as proof.
Catch the full story via Al.com.
And in much better news…
Land Line reported on results of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s alternate board member elections a few weeks back — happy to report owner-operator Tilden Curl is one of the four new alternates. He’ll serve a two-year term. Read about them all via this link.
In brief, in addition to Curl, whom regular readers will remember for his ideas on improving conditions long-term for truckers in this post from late last year, they are:
David Jungeblut of Sibley, Mo.
John Koglman of Oberlin, Ohio
Paul Storz of Independence, Mo.
Redux: High, wide, heavy (and cold)
Recall that Next Exit Logistics-brokered “biggest load to date” story from the Texas-based firm we wrote about in September? Today, another window into it with some rolling footage from the load out from Houston, destined for Norfolk, Va. The 100-ton Manitowoc crane ran on the trucks and trailers of independents — five, all told — with a backdrop of the brutal winter of 2013-’14.
In any case, take a look in the video below, and here’s to a safe weekend out there!
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