Talk about Ford Tough
Today I was on my way home from a fairly fantastic day of work. I needed to stop and fuel up the truck and decided I'd swing by the Pilot in Nitro, WV to do so. If you're a trucker and have ever decided to stop there, you know what a pill it can be. If you haven't been yet, avoid it if at all possible. There are plenty of other fuel stops in the area, save yourself the headache.
So there I was at the bottom of the exit ramp waiting for a break in traffic so I could turn right towards the truck stop. I noticed flashy blue lights in the distance. Oh boy. What could this be, I thought, and is it gonna be in the way of the truck stop entrance?!
I finally made my way towards the truck stop when I saw the dumba$$ move of the day by Joe Schmoe trucker. Now this particular Pilot is really set up for one way traffic flow. You go to the second entrance on the right to enter if you're in a big truck and then you leave through the fuel islands at what would be the first entrance on the right big enough for trucks.
So dipsh*t broke the flow and decided he'd shoot left out of the entrance end of the parking lot. Only...apparently he didn't see the median "bump" that would be in his path of travel when turning left. My best guess is that when he finally did see the obstacle in the road his instincts said to swing WIDE to try to avoid hitting it with his trailer tires.
Well, the idiot sure did swing wide! Wide enough to put himself nearly completely over into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Well, just his tractor, the rest of his rig, the trailer that is, was straddling most of the travel-able portion of the road and thus blocking traffic flow for traffic coming from the direction opposite of my own. Thankfully, I was able to get into the truck stop.
I pulled in, picked a fuel island, fueled, and even went for a restroom break before I was ready to leave. I'd say I was there about 10 minutes and when I pulled out to the exit to wait for a break in traffic so I could turn left and get back to the interstate, the truck was still sitting in the middle of the road blocking up everything.
Only I noticed that there was a Ford Excursion parked in front of it and two cop cars blocking the road completely and officers directing traffic when necessary. I was being signaled to stay put by one of the officers so I waited for the go ahead patiently.
As I waited I watched the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Now I don't know if the tractor trailer was loaded or empty or what, but I never dreamed anything like this could or would ever happen.
The Ford Excursion began to pull forward, I assumed to get along on his merry way. But no! He his wheels began to roll and intermittently spin and I noticed a chain that connected his trailer hitch to the tow hook on the front of the tractor. I laughed and actually shook my head as I said aloud, "Oh yeah right, Jackie!"
Mid-skepticism however, I was amazed as I watched the Excursion PULL THE TRACTOR-TRAILER OUT OF THE DAMN DITCH!
Seriously! No joke. It was the coolest thing all day.
So there I was at the bottom of the exit ramp waiting for a break in traffic so I could turn right towards the truck stop. I noticed flashy blue lights in the distance. Oh boy. What could this be, I thought, and is it gonna be in the way of the truck stop entrance?!
I finally made my way towards the truck stop when I saw the dumba$$ move of the day by Joe Schmoe trucker. Now this particular Pilot is really set up for one way traffic flow. You go to the second entrance on the right to enter if you're in a big truck and then you leave through the fuel islands at what would be the first entrance on the right big enough for trucks.
So dipsh*t broke the flow and decided he'd shoot left out of the entrance end of the parking lot. Only...apparently he didn't see the median "bump" that would be in his path of travel when turning left. My best guess is that when he finally did see the obstacle in the road his instincts said to swing WIDE to try to avoid hitting it with his trailer tires.
Well, the idiot sure did swing wide! Wide enough to put himself nearly completely over into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Well, just his tractor, the rest of his rig, the trailer that is, was straddling most of the travel-able portion of the road and thus blocking traffic flow for traffic coming from the direction opposite of my own. Thankfully, I was able to get into the truck stop.
I pulled in, picked a fuel island, fueled, and even went for a restroom break before I was ready to leave. I'd say I was there about 10 minutes and when I pulled out to the exit to wait for a break in traffic so I could turn left and get back to the interstate, the truck was still sitting in the middle of the road blocking up everything.
Only I noticed that there was a Ford Excursion parked in front of it and two cop cars blocking the road completely and officers directing traffic when necessary. I was being signaled to stay put by one of the officers so I waited for the go ahead patiently.
As I waited I watched the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Now I don't know if the tractor trailer was loaded or empty or what, but I never dreamed anything like this could or would ever happen.
The Ford Excursion began to pull forward, I assumed to get along on his merry way. But no! He his wheels began to roll and intermittently spin and I noticed a chain that connected his trailer hitch to the tow hook on the front of the tractor. I laughed and actually shook my head as I said aloud, "Oh yeah right, Jackie!"
Mid-skepticism however, I was amazed as I watched the Excursion PULL THE TRACTOR-TRAILER OUT OF THE DAMN DITCH!
Seriously! No joke. It was the coolest thing all day.
Comments
It's worth mentioning that when I had to be towed in Oregon, I broke down ON THE SCALE at the Oregon Point of Entry. I was lucky that all I got was a tow.