A Reminder About Quick Passes of Trucks

[Nice n Easy Rider]

Just in case anyone has forgotten why it is important for us riders to make passes of trucks as quick as possible:

 

Shannon, N.C. — A Robeson County child was being treated at UNC Hospitals on Thursday after being struck by a tire from a tractor trailer.

 

The Highway Patrol said a truck blew a tire while traveling along North Carolina Highway 71 in Shannon on Wednesday night.

 

The tire blew off the rim and skidded into the yard of a home where Dillan Andredes, 3, was playing, trooper said.

 

The boy was flown to UNC Hospitals for treatment.

 

The driver of the truck will not face charges, troopers said.

[Mighty Manfred]

Even when we are in cage, my wife gets very nervous when passing a commercial truck. Most trucks are safe, too many are not.

 

The trucker in that story likely failed to perform some mandatory checks or maintenance. Wonder if the police looked into all that before deciding not to press any charges. Operators need to be held accountable for the public safety of their vehicles.

[upflying]

Although the story says "tire blew off the rim", I doubt that is accurate. Even with a blowout, tires stay on the wheel due to the metal bead in the tire. Most likely what happened is the child was struck by a part of the tire. It is legal for trucks to run recapped tires on all axles except for the steering axle. It's common for the recapped portion of the tire to separate from the casing and get flung far and wide. We have all seen the debris left behind, commonly known as "tire alligators".

Pretty hard for a trucker to predict when a tire tread will fail and separate.

[DiverRay]

What most people do not know is the cap is usually from a NEW tire, not a recap. As an ex truck driver, I know a little about tires and how they can fail. The ONLY time I've had tires fail, they were new, not the caps. The second biggest reason is heat, and that's usually because one tire is low or flat, and the second one of the set overheats.

Still a good idea to pass quickly, and ALWAYS look for anything that could move!

[dirtrider]

Hi Bob

 

Actually a lot of older trucks still use split rims or rims with clincher rings. If those retaining rings are bent when being installed, or all the rust isn’t removed from the ring and ring groove when installing, or the ring isn’t seated correctly that ring can blow off the rim while in use, that also means there is nothing then holding the tire on the remainder of the open sided rim.

That is one reason truck tires are inflated inside protective cages after tire work.

Split rim truck tires can be extremely dangerous if not handled and installed correctly.

 

[4wheeldog]

I was beside a semi when it had a tire blow out in the middle of Ohio........I was on my RT, and I was in the right wheel track (So the driver could see me in his mirror) in the second lane while passing......Big bang, BIG chunks of rubber, and a tire snake about 3' long went under my front tire, whipped up under the bike. Busted the bottom cowl, separated the left knee gripper thingy from the bike. I was amazed I was still upright, the impact was that violent. I pulled over to assess the damage, the driver hit the throttle and departed the area.........Leaving a trail of tire chunks for miles. I still pass trucks, but I leave a lane between us, if it is available.

[upflying]

Yep, familiar with split rims. I handled a fatal accident involving one. Tire service guy comes to a truck yard to repair a tire. Tire explodes and hits him in the head as he is mounting it.

He is a "tough guy" though so he shakes off the injury.

Finishes the repair and drives away in his 2 1/2 ton service truck. One mile later he passes out, drifts across the center line and hits a car head-on, killing the driver of the car.

[Green RT]

Actually a lot of older trucks still use split rims or rims with clincher rings.

That comment took me back. I have vivid memories of changing tires on split rims in Vietnam. We worked out in the direct sun in 100 F and 100% humidity with no power tools, just a few boards, crowbars and lots of sweat.

[Survived-til-now]

Just in case anyone has forgotten why it is important for us riders to make passes of trucks as quick as possible:

 

Shannon, N.C. A Robeson County child was being treated at UNC Hospitals on Thursday after being struck by a tire from a tractor trailer.

 

The Highway Patrol said a truck blew a tire while traveling along North Carolina Highway 71 in Shannon on Wednesday night.

 

The tire blew off the rim and skidded into the yard of a home where Dillan Andredes, 3, was playing, trooper said.

 

The boy was flown to UNC Hospitals for treatment.

 

The driver of the truck will not face charges, troopers said.

 

I guess we have all seen bits of tyre shredding off trucks from time to time but another reason not to linger near a truck is when they take a turn and you are on the outside at the time. A friendly cop from the local accident investigation team told us that we'd be surprised how often things fall off or the vehicle tips over.....

[11101110]

 

I guess we have all seen bits of tyre shredding off trucks from time to time but another reason not to linger near a truck is when they take a turn and you are on the outside at the time. A friendly cop from the local accident investigation team told us that we'd be surprised how often things fall off or the vehicle tips over.....

 

Locally we had a wood chip truck take a tumble while making a left turn at a signal controlled intersection. The official cause was the "load shifted". Well there is a reason why the load shifted. The moron driver was trying to make it though the intersection before the light turned red.