Alabama DOT photo via Al.comSo 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.
Owner-operator Tilden CurlAnd 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!
[youtube BAxjNWQRah0 nolink]
