Nope this happened a few days ago.
This can happen to your truck.
- Thread starter Bruno
- Start date
Nope this happened a few days ago.
That was a truck that Bears towed from the Truck Stop in Lodi that had a blown motor with a messed up sleeper. Someone built many of those trucks, we have even seen one that looks just like it here on EO for sale that is a reefer unit. You think something like this will never happen to you, as Phil said "you need to have a plan set in place to be prepared in case this ever happens to you". A truck fire moves faster than you think, pull up truck fires on youtube and you will be shocked as I was. This is something that all expedite carriers and owners should take the time to talk about with drivers. Hopefully this post will get everyone thinking about a safety plan or a fire drill like Phil and Diane Madsen have.
I will post on here after they do the investigation on the cause.
We all must be prepared for things like this. Anything can happen to any one of us at any time. Weather, hurricanes or a hail storm, can cause as much damage as this fire did. A tornado can kill in seconds. Cash reserves and an emergency plan are needed by all. An unprepared business is a business lost. A unprepared driver or team and lives can be lost.
The truck was loaded and there was no damage to the customers freight. The freight was transferred to another Panther right where the cab of the truck burned. The safety department did an outstanding job at Panther Expedited Services. The first thing safety asked was if the driver was okay? They did an outstanding job.
UncleTed
Not a Member
I remember that too. It was there for a long time.
There are many trucks that look like ours. Here is one that is for sale on EO, except it is a reefer unit.
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Deville
Not a Member
A friend of mine lost his truck to a fire a few years ago. His fire started in the climate control pannel in the sleeper. The short was so bad that the truck was cranking itself with no key in the ignition as the fire department was trying to put the fire out.
I try to keep all my important papers in a briefcase so in case there is a fire I can grab that & my cellphone & go.
I try to keep all my important papers in a briefcase so in case there is a fire I can grab that & my cellphone & go.
When Myrian and I went through our bovine collision last October (while we were carrying a hazmat load), we fully expected to hear the question if the freight was okay. We were pleasantly surprised when the first question out of both the dispatcher and the safety person's mouths were inquiring about our safety. That was refreshing.
Glad to see your team is okay, Dave. For what it's worth, it's just a truck. On the plus side, you get to go shopping!
cableguymn
Seasoned Expediter
Or had all your personal belongings and the house blow in to the next zip code.
Happened to me when I lived in Buffalo lake MN 2003... Only thing I had left was my van and what I had in it. I was on the east coast when I heard the news.. Called a buddy who is a EMT out in the area. His exact works "no need to hurry.. it's all gone..."
When I got there the only thing left of my house was the foundation.
tragic, glad that your drivers are ok. When the cause of the fire is known and IF it was the repair facility please let us know. I do hope IF it was their workmanship that they do the correct thing and reimburse you, and your drivers.
guido4475
Not a Member
Phil is right- more than 1 fire extinguisher couldn't hurt.I had 2 also, just like he does, one at each door in the old straight truck..I have yet to do that in the van.In a fire situation, every second counts.It's one of those cases where it may sit there unused for so long it seems like a waste of money, but when it is needed, it is worth more than it's weight in gold.
moose
Veteran Expediter
yes it can,
just like excessive chicken lights,
it needs to be inspected daily and in compliance at all times.
a loose one can really hurt a drivers roadside inspection,
and result in a vehicle maintenance ding.
with CSA, we just might be better off burned alive, then burn by the chicken coop.
cableguymn
Seasoned Expediter
All that sparking electrical stuff could be avoided by a marine grade cut off switch straight from the batteries, just cut the power. Someone probably forgot to tighten the battery cable to the starter and then it started arcing. Diesel has like 4 times the BTUs over gas so when a fire gets going its gonna be hot. Usually a blown tire with steel threads whipping a fuel tank cause big truck fires but that could have been scary if they were just sleeping somewhere.
This is going to be a long process as they have to get investigators from two different Insurance companies together to find out where the fire started. The repair shop is sending out one and our insurance company is sending out one. We also have someone that will be there when everything is done. Right now the truck is covered up very well to protect everything for investigators. It's also in a fenced in lot with a guard on duty 24/7 so nobody will mess with the truck. It may take two months for all this to get worked out.
