Show truck goes up in flames due to a KW refrigerator

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
This is what is left of our show truck.

Sent from my PH44100 using EO Forums mobile app
 

Attachments

  • 1375399365677.jpg
    1375399365677.jpg
    32.6 KB · Views: 73
  • 1375399589104.jpg
    1375399589104.jpg
    90.6 KB · Views: 73
  • 1375399643088.jpg
    1375399643088.jpg
    91.9 KB · Views: 71

roadeyes

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I think an electrical kill switch both inside and outside the truck is a great idea. Not only for fire protection but it also acts as a theft deterrent as well.
It was standard on all the buses I used to operate.
 

bubblehead

Veteran Expediter
Nobody should ever have to lose a truck. Below are pictures of the first truck we lost last year due to Travel Centers of America not hooking up a starter right and this is what happened to the truck.

Dave, thanks for the photos and info. Looks like the truck is at Walmart :eek: As far as TA not taking responsibility for their mistakes, I have been hearing more stories from other owners about TA denying settlements on their mechanics mishaps. I would like to hope that TA will own this one and quit playing hardball on cases where it is obvious that the cause was from their guys...I am just one truck but I am paying close attention and hope the 15,000+ other members are doing likewise.
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
I feel bad for Bruno's loss.

On the starter fire, I understand Bruno is still working on a settlement, and thus won't discuss all the details, but win or lose I hope he shares all the details.

TA must have a reason to think it wasn't their error.

The only bad repair I ever was involved in with a TA was handled properly by the TA. They admitted the mistake, and paid to rectify the problem. It impressed me. It was a couple thousand dollar deal.
It was also pretty cut and dry. It was an obvious mistake on their part.
 
Last edited:

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
Dave, thanks for the photos and info. Looks like the truck is at Walmart :eek: As far as TA not taking responsibility for their mistakes, I have been hearing more stories from other owners about TA denying settlements on their mechanics mishaps. I would like to hope that TA will own this one and quit playing hardball on cases where it is obvious that the cause was from their guys...I am just one truck but I am paying close attention and hope the 15,000+ other members are doing likewise.

TA took responsibility for the fire. It's their insurance company that is dragging their feet.
 

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
Dave, thanks for the photos and info. Looks like the truck is at Walmart :eek: As far as TA not taking responsibility for their mistakes, I have been hearing more stories from other owners about TA denying settlements on their mechanics mishaps. I would like to hope that TA will own this one and quit playing hardball on cases where it is obvious that the cause was from their guys...I am just one truck but I am paying close attention and hope the 15,000+ other members are doing likewise.

I don't have any problems with Travel Centers of America as they have always admitted when they were at fault for a repair. We still use TA still to this day. Their insurance company is the ones dragging their feet on the truck fire. We had a repair this past week that one of their shops hooked up something wrong and the truck had to go to the Freightliner dealer to get fixed. The dealer found out that the part was hooked up wrong by TA causing the truck to have problems. The Freightliner dealer called the TA shop where the work was done and explained what they found. The manager of that TA shop sent us a check in the mail for the Freightliner bill.
 

MissKat

Expert Expediter
the pictures make me want to projectile. I could really drive the he=double hockeysticks out of that beautiful girl. And park her in places that would make you go "huh?"
 

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
Thank you Misskat for the pictures. I was told today that they will total her as it would cost about $65,000.00 or more to put her back together. I had the truck insured for $75,000.00 which still wouldn't replace everything that this truck had. We just spent over $10,000.00 on her redoing the whole front end so she steered like new. We put new kin pins, new front bumper, new matching seats that said Elite on them and all brand new tires. The whole front end was all new. She looked and drove better than when you drove her.

Sent from my PH44100 using EO Forums mobile app
 
Last edited:

pearlpro

Expert Expediter
WOW man so sorry for your loss that was a sweet ride...have you thought of maybe buying the totalled truck...for parts, those front end parts might still be workable unless the heat got too bad ...or engine etc...might be worth a bid...once a roaring fire gets going like that your better off getting away from it anyway, diesels not too explosive but once some real heat gets to those tanks it can become a bomb quick...Any vehicle fire if it cant be put out quickly or the electrical system disconnected it will just continue to melt the wiring and ignite stuff....I used to carry a large set of bolt cutters for this purpose, if things got bad, real bad Id use them and cut the battery cable....a trick I picked up when i drove tow trucks...
 
Top