Article by DK Knight
Executive Editor/Co-Publisher
The horrific log truck/SUV collision occurred on the warm, dry, clear afternoon of June 8, on a rural stretch of U.S. highway 82 near the central Alabama town of Maplesville. All four SUV occupants—two young adults, a toddler and an infant—died in the fiery wreckage. The truck driver escaped with non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities revealed little about what may have caused the crash. Regardless, four lives were snuffed out and another one likely has been permanently changed. For the families involved, the agonizing fallout will linger for years.
As is often the case in such incidents, it may have been that there simply was nothing the truck driver could have done to avoid the collision. I hope that was the case, but again, regardless, in the public’s mindset the truck driver was vilified. I can imagine the negative dinner table discussion the crash ignited after it was reported on the evening news:
—“Those *#@^#*> log trucks scare the hell out of me. I become uneasy every time I happen to be close to one.”
—“I hate log trucks. They often appear to be overweight. Why are they allowed to carry such dangerous looking, overhanging loads?”
—“Many log trucks I see are dirty and beat up. You have to wonder just how safe they are.”
—“Log trucks are a vivid extension of logging, so their drivers are probably irresponsible.”
I have heard similar statements not related to an actual crash from friends not associated with the forest industry. I don’t like to admit it, but they do make some valid points.
Good, Bad, Ugly
In a perfect world, all logging related trucks and trailers would be kept in standout condition and have responsible owners and skilled, safe, conscientious drivers. Kudos go to all the pros who try to do it right. Still, there is lots of work to be done in the trucking PR circle. As a fellow industry observer succinctly puts it: “There is still a lot of junk out there that defines our industry.”
This is particularly true in the South, where a majority of the nation’s total annual timber harvest occurs and where there are more log trucks. For various reasons, many loggers run older trucks. Older trucks are OK, provided they are sound and secure and are operated responsibly. Hey, I drive a 2004 GMC Yukon that has rolled up 283,000 miles!
Many loggers subsidize trucking with revenues derived from the harvesting side. It’s widely accepted that southern harvesting/trucking rates are typically the lowest in the nation. This is one reason southern loggers frequently turn to subcontractors, in whole or part, and often to small concerns, many of which purchase what they can afford—used over-the-road rigs not very well suited to timber transport. (Read lighter weight axles, suspensions and rear ends and sometimes sleeper cabs that add about 600 lbs. of useless weight).
I get it that lower tier loggers and subcontractors are just trying to make a living, that many are doing the best they can. I commend them for their work ethic and acknowledge that some operate responsibly. However, think about their collective disservice to the industry, which, to a large degree, reflects its prevailing culture and pay rates. Speaking of culture, why is it that enforcement authorities in some states tend to give owners of shabby trucks and trailers a pass?
Consider, too, the types of log loads the motoring public encounters all too often. Some of them are so ugly they’d make a freight train take a dirt road. Loads like the one depicted here should never leave the woods, nor should they be accepted.
Fortunately, there are many logging and/or trucking businesses that go on the trucking offensive. They are careful who they hire; train them well initially and retrain them periodically; constantly emphasize safety; conduct random drug tests; abide by all rules and regulations; insist on pre- and post-trip inspections; pay by the hour instead of by the load; embrace a staggered in-woods arrival and departure schedule; rely on scales; use GPS and/or dash cams; add extra trailer lights and/or tape; and keep trucks and trailers in excellent condition and looking good.
One thing that could help reduce accidents would be to make prevailing state GVWs legal on interstates within a given state. This would streamline access to many mills, save time and operating costs, and decrease truck traffic in highly congested areas and on two-lane highways. I have never understood why two prominent national industry associations do not pull together for Congressional approval of this.
While obstacles keep piling up for the transportation component, it can be improved. For that to happen, all parties involved—loggers, truckers, drivers, mills, associations, insurance providers and agents—must want it. They must buy in. A new non-profit organization, TEAM Safe Trucking (TST), is slowly developing a program that hopefully will help. Follow TST on Facebook or contact rick@swampfoxagency.com; 843-761-3999.