TRI-STATE (WFIE) -
How safe are the big trucks on the road?
Around 111,000 big rigs were inspected in Indiana last year, and one in five not only failed the safety inspection, but was considered so dangerous it had to be taken off the road.
Truck traffic is heavy in Vanderburgh County on Interstate 64. We followed around an inspector for a day and half, and some of the trucks inspected were considered unsafe.
Thousands of trucks use our interstates everyday.
George Rincon has been driving a big rig for 10 years. He knows how things can go wrong.
"A couple weeks ago, I had a real bad week, transmission went out in this truck. Then, I went back to the shop and got another and the rear-end went out in it. All in the same week, so that was a bad week," said Rincon.
Commercial truck inspector, Trooper Brenda Tubbs is a wife, mother of three, and knows her trucks.
Tubbs pulled a truck over for having a shaky axle. The driver was warned.
Next, we found lose chains on the bed of a trailer. That's a safety hazard so serious that the truck was taken out-of service until it could be fixed.
"We knew about it. We just always carry them on the flatbed as long as they are in the middle. We don't worry about it, but yes, they should be in the box, yes," said truck driver Don Weis.
Tubbs inspected four more trucks in our time with her.
One had cracked tires and a damaged air hose. The next, an improperly placed license plate. Both received warnings.
But the driver of a tow-truck failed to fill out his log book for seven days, which is a critical mistake.
A dump truck had broken headlights, brake lights, and a turn signal. It had to be taken straight the shop.
"Just like you're personal car, you can go down the road a get a flat tire. Things are going to go wrong. You're going to have lights that burn out, you're going to have tires that go bad," said Tubbs.
The most common problem Tubbs sees is bad brakes.
"Brake pads, drums. There are a lot that go with the brakes, not just brakes, that are going to put them out of service," said Tubbs.
Of the six trucks we inspected, three were considered out of service.
So, does this mean half the trucks on the road in our area have problems? No, It does not. Tubbs only pulls over vehicles that appear to have issues, so that does skew with the numbers. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 66% of accidents between a truck and a vehicle, the driver of the vehicle is at fault.
Rincon drives at least 500 miles a day and he's avoided quite a few crashes.
"They like to run up beside you and they don't want to share the lane. You got to watch that all the time."
With 18 wheelers weighing 80,000 pounds and driving 55 mph all day and everyday, things go wrong all on their own.
The last thing Rincon wants is a poor judgement call from the driver of another vehicle, keeping him from getting home to his family, a wife and four kids.
Now, there are several ways you can protect yourself, your family, and the drivers of these trucks.
A few basic tips include:
- making sure you can see truck's headlights before entering the lane in front of them
- making sure you see both of their side mirrors when following them
- when passing do it quickly, don't hang out in the driver's blindspot
- remember before pulling out, that it takes big trucks longer to stop than regular vehicles
- the best advice of all, just give them plenty of space
The number of roadside inspections in Indiana in 2011 was 111,187. Of those trucks pulled over, 6% of the drivers was put out of service and 21% of the trucks were put out of service. Indiana has one of the highest inspection rates in the country.
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