the incident at indy

[City Driver]

if you didnt hear about it, you should of

at our ups freight terminal, it was about 2 weeks ago when management put workers lives at risk to save a couple bucks

a yard jockey started to pull out a loaded pup from a door...after she made her cut, the trailer fell off (for disputed reasons)....the landing gear was really torn up and the trailer was leaning at like a 45 degree angle BARELY staying up....so they put another trailer next to it so if it fell it would fall into the other trailer and stay up

this trailer had 15,000 lbs of poison and 5,000 lbs of flammable liquids...very dangerous situation

did they call a wrecker? no
did they call a hazmat team? no

who did they call? 6 dockworkers and 1 yard jockey all on forklifts....the yard jockey is also a stuard

they move the 2nd trailer that was being used to block it in case it fell, had 4 forklifts pick it up and 3 more on the other side to hold the forks up and keep it from tipping back over to the other side

this whole situation was handled in the worst way possible....there was hazmat drums breaking through the side trailer wall

i wasnt out there but i watched almost the whole thing from the dock

there was a dock superviser and the dock manager out there to tell everybody what to do

i talked to some of the dockworkers and they said it was pretty scary being underneath a trailer that was ready to tip over on them

i know they could of refused to do it, and i would of refused to.....but still, this whole thing was crazy

then to top it all off they back the trailer into the dock and open it up...much of the hazmat was spilled obviously and hazmat trailers that are believed to have leaks or damage should be closed up and kept away from workers


thats the end of my rant

 

[drewed]

It should have been refused, it was a poor choice on managements part, but also the stewards to allow it to be done. Had it not been for the hazmat on board (you guys just had loaded it correct?) what was done probably wouldnt have been bad. I woulda have had the forklifts support pull the tractor under it crib the hell out of both ends and unload it where it stood....having the hazmat a wrecker should have been called and they could have taken what precautions they felt were needed

 

[City Driver]

It should have been refused, it was a poor choice on managements part, but also the stewards to allow it to be done. Had it not been for the hazmat on board (you guys just had loaded it correct?) what was done probably wouldnt have been bad. I woulda have had the forklifts support pull the tractor under it crib the hell out of both ends and unload it where it stood....having the hazmat a wrecker should have been called and they could have taken what precautions they felt were needed

yea it had just been loaded at our terminal...i really didnt like the fact that the steward himself was out there allowing it all to happen

i tried to get pictures of this whole mess but it was to dark....one of the dockworkers who was out there took pictures secretly ill try to get a hold of them

 

[evilleace]

Wow I would contact OSHA about that one that is crazy and definetly unsafe your steward, and the workers should have known better.

 

[pickup]

if the yard jockey who dropped it was also the steward, I could see a conflict of interest in his head. He might have been too emotionally involved in this issue to do the right thing. And everyone else would follow his lead naturally.

 

[City Driver]

if the yard jockey who dropped it was also the steward, I could see a conflict of interest in his head. He might have been too emotionally involved in this issue to do the right thing. And everyone else would follow his lead naturally.

no its a different jockey....the jockey who dropped the trailer is a female....the stewards a guy named ***********

 

[Braveheart]

How is it that no one reported it to OSHA, DOT and so forth.

Some one should still do that!

 

[tieguy]

How is it that no one reported it to OSHA, DOT and so forth.

Some one should still do that!

I think I may agree with Braveheart on this one. Lets call Osha and Atlanta on this one. The management team and those six who supported the cover up all need to be fired for endangering the general public.

 

[squirlygirly]

don't touch, leave area, tell supervisor!!! ~:->

 

[brett636]

I live in indy and did not hear about this. Although I work in the package division and not freight. Sounds like a scary situation where some poor judgements were made.

 

[MechanicForBrown]

where was ketter when you needed them

 

[diesel96]

I thought this thread was going to be about car racing.....

Anyway, I'm wondering if most Frieght drivers have HazMat endorsements on their liscense, have placards on their trailors, and is it common to carry that much hazmats in one trailer ?

 

[brett636]

where was ketter when you needed them

Probably around the corner making sure a driver can recite the 10 point commentary.

 

[pickup]

I thought this thread was going to be about car racing.....

Anyway, I'm wondering if most Frieght drivers have HazMat endorsements on their liscense, have placards on their trailors, and is it common to carry that much hazmats in one trailer ?

there's no way they could get away with transporting hazmat on a consistent basis without placards or hazmat endorsed drivers pulling them. I am going to assume these were 55 gallon drums weighing on average about 500 pounds each loaded. That would come out to 10 drums (2 and 1/2 pallets )for the flammables and obviously 30 drums for the poison (7 1/2 pallets) If shipped to the same company, probably on 10 pallets. that would take up about 1/2 of a 45 foot trailer. That is pretty common for an ltl company that pulls hazmat. By the way, based on the weights and the substances, this would require a poison placard(class 2) and a flammable placard (class 3). I still keep my hazmat endorsement on my license even though I don't need it so I am still familiar with the rules.
I don't believe the trailers have to be placarded on private property, only just before the driver hits the road with the proper paperwork.

I also don't believe that the any driver, including the yard jockey have to have a hazmat endorsement while pulling on private property

 

[JonFrum]

I'd like to know the whole story. Maybe someone can post further details.

Certainly the incident should be reported to the appropriate agencies, investigations done, and lessons should be learned.

But I'm not sure it was handled incorrectly by the employees.

First, I doubt it's even possible for a pup to tip over. It's not far off the ground to begin with, and the rear wheels tend to keep it from tipping. If it didn't tip during the first few minutes due to top-heavy shifting contents, then it isn't going to tip. [Here on the package side of UPS, we had pups with hydrolic legs ("landing gear") that allowed us to pump up the front of the trailer several feet higher than normal. Sometimes one leg would give out, and the trailer would tilt severly, but I never had one actually tip over. Usually I'd just bang on the other leg, or angle the Leveling Valve to drain the fluid out of the leg, until it lowered the trailer to the normal level position.]

Second, the incident was bad, but the trailer had to be returned to the level position sooner or later. I say, the sooner the better, especially if hazmats are possibly leaking. Especially since you have experienced people and the right equiptment on hand. An outside contractor would probably just do the same thing as the workers on hand did. [By the way, did any employees refuse a request/order to participate?]

Finally, the second Steward and six dockworkers driving the forklifts probably were trying to help out the first yard jockey by minimizing the severity of the incident. The sooner the trailer is returned to level, the sooner people can get inside and go to work dealing with whatever hazmat danger there is. No need to make the problem any bigger than it already was.

 

[City Driver]

I'd like to know the whole story. Maybe someone can post further details.

Certainly the incident should be reported to the appropriate agencies, investigations done, and lessons should be learned.

But I'm not sure it was handled incorrectly by the employees.

First, I doubt it's even possible for a pup to tip over. It's not far off the ground to begin with, and the rear wheels tend to keep it from tipping. If it didn't tip during the first few minutes due to top-heavy shifting contents, then it isn't going to tip. [Here on the package side of UPS, we had pups with hydrolic legs ("landing gear") that allowed us to pump up the front of the trailer several feet higher than normal. Sometimes one leg would give out, and the trailer would tilt severly, but I never had one actually tip over. Usually I'd just bang on the other leg, or angle the Leveling Valve to drain the fluid out of the leg, until it lowered the trailer to the normal level position.]

Second, the incident was bad, but the trailer had to be returned to the level position sooner or later. I say, the sooner the better, especially if hazmats are possibly leaking. Especially since you have experienced people and the right equiptment on hand. An outside contractor would probably just do the same thing as the workers on hand did. [By the way, did any employees refuse a request/order to participate?]

Finally, the second Steward and six dockworkers driving the forklifts probably were trying to help out the first yard jockey by minimizing the severity of the incident. The sooner the trailer is returned to level, the sooner people can get inside and go to work dealing with whatever hazmat danger there is. No need to make the problem any bigger than it already was.

the landing gear was snapped and buckled up at a odd angle, youd have to see it but the trailer was resting on the wheels like normal, and the corner of the bottom of the trailer

the corner i pointed to in the yellow arrow was resting on the ground, the trailer was ready to tip

saying a pup cant tip is absolutely ridiculous

remember, it was a yard tractor, with a hydraulic 5th wheel, which means the landing gear stays in its exact position and the 5th wheel platform raises the whole front end of the trailer a foot off the ground maybe......in our yard we have to raise it all the way cuz our yard is in absolutely terrible shape and if you dont then you will scrape the ground with the landing gear

Second, the incident was bad, but the trailer had to be returned to the level position sooner or later.

dockworkers and ups freight employees are not qualified to be doing this kind of work at all, its like saying the tenants of an apartment complex should fight a massive fire before the fire department gets there because "the sooner the fire is out the better"

Finally, the second Steward and six dockworkers driving the forklifts probably were trying to help out the first yard jockey by minimizing the severity of the incident. The sooner the trailer is returned to level, the sooner people can get inside and go to work dealing with whatever hazmat danger there is. No need to make the problem any bigger than it already was.

they were all ordered by management to do this, nobody volunteered this....i think the steward showed poor judgement and so did all the dockworkers (many who arent very experienced at all)

and yes they are 55 gallon drums, usually between 400-700 lbs

 

[drewed]

I think Jon was thinking of tipping fully towards the landing gear side?


It would be an ok defense to do what they did if they had not known what was on board, the fire analogy fits this situation well, if theres nothing to gain do you risk youre life to fight a fire, or let it run its course/ wait of the FD to show up?

 

[City Driver]

the trailer sat for about 20 minutes before the dockworkers were ordered out there, and everybody on the dock knew the contents of the trailer before they went out there

 

[tieguy]

Its goofy not sure how dangerous it was. six forklifts should have more then enough lifting power for the situation.

how the hazardous materials were cleaned up and contained would be the biggest question I would have.

Not sure an outside agency was required to be called in.

Really not sure any laws or rules were broken here. But if they were feel free to make your phone calls. Brown cafe won't fix anything in that regards.

 

[JonFrum]

City Driver,

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you here, (I'm glad you posted the info,) but if a trailer is supported at three corners, by both rear tires and the other front leg, how can it tip on its side? It's not physically possible unless it was loaded top-heavy and the contents all shifted to the low side. There just isn't enough vertical space between the front corner of a level trailer and the ground directly below. Even the corner that collapsed to the ground functions as a support of sorts and would serve to resist further tilting. Whatever rigidity the trailer frame has will resist fiipping over on its side as well, because the rigid frame is attached to the relatively stable rear wheels. Now if the trailer also had a flat tire on the same side as the collapsed leg, then maybe the trailer would flip over.

Apartment dwellers shouldn't fight a "massive" fire, but they should fight a small fire. That's why there are fire extinguishers mounted on the walls. And some places have hoses as well! The sooner a fire is out the better for the property and for the residents. Fires get exponentially worse as the seconds tick by. If you can safely put a fire out or keep it at bay until the firefighters arrive, do it.

The forklift drivers probably never lifted a trailer exactly like that before, but it's not hard. You slide the forks under the side of the trailer and slowly lift. Not much different than a normal lift, except you should do it very slowly so you are sure to cordinate with the other lifters.

[I'm assuming the trailer fell completely off the shifter's 5th wheel and the shifter was not under the trailer and supporting it in any way. Correct?]

Again, did anyone refuse a request/order to help?