our truck fire and insurance

[gandrew]

May 2 at about 0230 we experienced a failure of the leading dually axle that caused tires on each side to explode like bombs and catch fire. Just a week earlier I had a PM done in Salt Lake City. The truck and its cargo were a total loss. We salvaged most of our personal goods from the cab, but that's all. We thank God that we were uninjured. Here is what I want to share with all drivers on the road. First, that little red fire extinguisher we all carry is worthless. 4-5 seconds and it is gone. I will have larger capacity units and as many as I can afford to carry in the next truck. Second: the insurance most of us carry is basic insurance through the company. It does NOT cover your APU, load bars, moving pads, tools, side boxes, or any other "personal" belongings. You must buy a rider for that. Nobody offered us one, because we bought our APU several months after signing on with the company. Got any policy papers with your company truck insurance policy? We did not, else we might have noticed what they call personal items were not covered. Get bigger and more extinguishers and buy that insurance rider this week! Don't wait, do it right away!

 

[Dreamer]

Glad you're ok, and thanks for the warning to others!



Dreamer
Forums Administrator


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[greg334]

Glad you are alright.

I try to tell people about the different insurance needs and to read the policies when they get them but many think that the company coverage handles everything.

 

[Moot]

>May 2 at about 0230 we experienced a failure of the leading
>dually axle that caused tires on each side to explode like
>bombs and catch fire.

The leading dually axle thing has me confused. Anyway, if an axle gets that hot it would take a couple dozen hand held fire extinguishers to cool it down. But I agree having at least two is a good idea.

Every truck should be spec'd with a temperture gauge for each drive axle. This will alert you to a tire problem or rearend failure.

Thanks for reminding us to double check our insurance coverage. Good to hear you are safe and I hope you can overcome this major setback and get back on the road soon.

 

[layoutshooter]

VERY sorry to hear of you fire and VERY happy to learn that you both were all right. About the fire extinguishers, two are better than one and 10lb is better than 5lb, BUT, proper training is just as important. As I former firefighter I can tell you that a 5lb bottle can put out a rather large fire in the hands of a trained firefighter. I spent many hours in training and classes in the proper use of fire extinguishers. I don't know if that would have helped with the fire you had or not but as in most things, we are never trained enough for what might happen to us. It is most likely possible to get training at a fire protection company or maybe you could pay your local volunteer company to train you. They ALWAYS need money. Safety training in this country has been going down the tubes for years. We have been dumbing down everything to do with first aid/cpr and fire safety. What a shame, it is costing lives. It is also making minor injuries major. I sure hope that things improve for you. No one should have to have something like that happen to them. Layoutshooter

 

[Broompilot]

Discuss with your insurance company and photograph the following:

APUs

Tool Box or Box's

Except for load bars and small items as you mentioned, I did bring this to my insuance companies attention: And YES IT IS COVERED. I let them know and it was installed on my truck prior to taking possession with reciepts showing so.

Now in the case of the fire loss: It was installed later, and the insurance company was not aware, so for others with APUs or other items added after you took out the insurance call them inform them and follow it up with a letter certified registered reciept return as proof:

Otherwise you might find yourself in the same boat as these people were.

Homeowners may or may not take care of any personal items like hand tools lost;

Sorry for your bad luck.

 

[ihamner]

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for posting this valuable information! You opened the door for discussion in our situation. I don't even know how to get the fire extinguisher unfastened to get it out of our truck...much less how to use it! My brother-in-law is a retired fire chief and we are going to have him teach us how to use it and what works best. Thank you so much for this information! We are getting pictures and notifying the insurance company of our additions to the truck. Thanks again!!

India Hamner
[font color="purple"] FEDEX [/font][font color="blue"]Custom Critical[/font]
D Unit
He who hesitates is not only lost, but miles from the next exit.