political Best of Biden

[Geoff Weeks]

I got a simple question for y'all, would you feel better if he was a citizen?

"cause I've seen plenty do that, and get lucky and not kill someone, including myself as I had to dive for the shoulder on I-55 when someone pulled a U turn in front of me,

What is of issue the the quality of people with CDL's much more then where they come from.

I've lost count of the stupid moves I've seen in my time on the road, from every state, there is no exception to the stupidity I have witnessed. It is all done by someone who was issued  a CDL by some state authority.  

The big issue and tragedy was the driving actions, not where the driver is from.

He got what he deserved in prison and expulsion, but what causes is the action behind the wheel not being from somewhere else. 

Edited yesterday at 01:06 AM by Geoff Weeks

[Mark T]

Simple answer. He should have never been allowed to have a CDL. Period. 

[Geoff Weeks]

unfortunately, there are plenty of trucks being driven by people who shouldn't have been given a CDL, and there background has nothing to due with it.  

[67RModel]

It would be interesting to know if this illegal driver somehow managed to get his own authority or if he was just an employee driver. If he was an employee then there has to be some sort of culpability on behalf of the employer. However, if he was issued a valid CDL from Cali then who knows. Maybe citizenship and driving privilege are mutually exclusive. I don't know. Insurance and attorneys will have a field day with this one.

This won't sit well with some but the driver of that minivan had more to do with their own demise than that illegal truck driver making an illegal U turn. A local news report indicated it happened near mile marker 170 of the Florida Turnpike. The only crossover near mile 170 is the one pictured below. Based on the location of the high tension power poles I think both vehicles were heading North but it really makes no difference as the sight distance going in either direction there is at least a mile. Its a dead flat, uncongested, toll highway with a maximum speed limit of 70mph. The driver started executing the U turn before the video footage starts but it you watch the video from the beginning there is at least 5 seconds before the van impacts the trailer. The van appeared to be at maximum speed at impact. According to the Google machine, the average time to slow a passenger vehicle from 70 - 0 including reaction time is 4.5 to 5 seconds. What was the van driver doing?

[other dog]

11 hours ago, Mark T said:

Simple answer. He should have never been allowed to have a CDL. Period. 

Exactly right. He had failed the CDL test, he should not have had a CDL in the first place. It doesn't matter where he's from.

And the minivan- I know the truck was at fault for attempting to make an illegal U-turn, but the minivan driver had to have some responsibility, from what I could see they appeared to drive right into the side of the van at full speed. I mean it didn't look like they even tried to slow down, swerve, or take any kind of evasive action at all, so the driver might well have been distracted.

[Joey Mack]

I too agree that the van driver is at fault. Yes, going too fast. It is a bad mix of events.  As far as the drivers nationality, i dont care, but he cant speak english, and is not a citizen, and California gave him a CDL..  im a CDL trainer for my city, and our guys have to jump through hoops just get an appointment for the permit test.  To be clear.... I am a product of Legal Immigration. My grand parents came from Italy 115+ years ago.. 

[GA_Dave]

10 hours ago, 67RModel said:

It would be interesting to know if this illegal driver somehow managed to get his own authority or if he was just an employee driver. If he was an employee then there has to be some sort of culpability on behalf of the employer. However, if he was issued a valid CDL from Cali then who knows. Maybe citizenship and driving privilege are mutually exclusive. I don't know. Insurance and attorneys will have a field day with this one.

This won't sit well with some but the driver of that minivan had more to do with their own demise than that illegal truck driver making an illegal U turn. A local news report indicated it happened near mile marker 170 of the Florida Turnpike. The only crossover near mile 170 is the one pictured below. Based on the location of the high tension power poles I think both vehicles were heading North but it really makes no difference as the sight distance going in either direction there is at least a mile. Its a dead flat, uncongested, toll highway with a maximum speed limit of 70mph. The driver started executing the U turn before the video footage starts but it you watch the video from the beginning there is at least 5 seconds before the van impacts the trailer. The van appeared to be at maximum speed at impact. According to the Google machine, the average time to slow a passenger vehicle from 70 - 0 including reaction time is 4.5 to 5 seconds. What was the van driver doing?

The video starts just as the truck driver begins to pull out and the impact occurs at the 4 second mark.  As he goes through his turn, the van comes into view.  Judge the distance, but I would say it is about 300' away.  Take away the reaction time, eating up about 100 feet, and there was not enough distance remaining for the van to stop before impact.  A "typical passenger car" is used in the above example of stopping distance/time, but this was a mini van, which could weight 700 to 1000 pounds more, increasing those distances and the time to stop.