Dump Truck Driver Seriously Injured In Collision With Flatbed Truck

A driver was seriously injured Thursday after a dump truck’s tire blew out, causing the vehicle to collide with a flatbed truck, overturn and lose its load on Interstate 95.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, dump truck driver Jorge Enriquez, 48, of Hialeah, is in serious condition at a local hospital.FHP troopers said both vehicles were traveling north on I-95 shortly after 7 a.m. when the dump truck’s tire blew out. The driver lost control, veered to the right and struck the smaller flatbed truck pulling a trailer.

A man is recovering after he became trapped under the bed of a dump truck on Thursday.Investigators said the incident happened at Borco Trailers on Johns Street. Johnstown Assistant Fire Chief Chris Selfridge said the man was doing repairs to the vehicle and didn’t have the safety stops in place.Selfridge said the hydraulics were somehow activated to manually lower the bed and the worker became pinned between the frame and bed of the truck.The man was transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, Selfridge said.

A dump truck is a truck that is used for transporting loose material. Examples of these materials include gravel, sand, and dirt. These loose materials are normally used for construction purposes. A dump truck is usually equipped with a hydraulic open box bed. The bed has a hinge at the rear, which allows the front of the bed to be lifted. This allows the driver to drop the contents of the bed on the ground behind the dump truck. For those interested in driving a dump truck, there are four main truck options available, including standard dump trucks, transfer dump trucks, and side dump trucks.

A standard dump truck driver is responsible for operating a dump truck with a full truck chassis that has a dump body which is mounted to the frame. To dump the load, the driver uses a hydraulic arm, which is mounted ahead of the front bulkhead, to raise the dump body. Some standard dump trucks have a tailgate which moves on a hinge, while others are configured to be lifted and opened by a pneumatic ram. Standard dump trucks have at least one front and back axles. Because it has a shorter wheelbase, a standard dump truck driver has more control and ability to maneuver than drivers of larger dump trucks.

A different dump truck that you may be interested in driving is a transfer dump truck. A transfer dump truck is a standard dump truck that pulls a separate trailer. This trailer can be used to transport materials like asphalt, sand, and gravel. The container that is being towed is known as a B box, and is powered by an electric motor. A driver may enjoy operating this truck because it allows a large load to be transported without taking away from the steering ability and maneuverability of the truck.

Another available machine for drivers is the side dump truck, which uses a hydraulic ram to dump the load to either the right or left side. This truck presents many attractive features for a driver. It allows the load of the dump body to be quickly unloading. It is also one, if not the most, stable of the dump truck family, which prevents it from tipping over. The only disadvantage for a driver is that a side dump truck is longer than the previous dump trucks, which detracts from its ability to be easily maneuvered.

Although the average person can haul whatever they need to in the back of a pick-up truck, for someone who makes a living moving things, that just won’t suffice.

Many individuals opt to become truck drivers and some focus their business on the business of moving dirt or gravel. For them a dump truck is a necessity. Investing in a dump truck is costly and therefore it’s prudent to consider used dump trucks for sale as opposed to purchasing new insert.

Finding dump trucks for sale isn’t as difficult as it may first seem. There are many auction houses that handle the sale of construction equipment. They regularly have a list of upcoming items including any used dump trucks for sale. With a little research you can find out when auctions are held and where after a short time.

Those interested may even be able to preview the dump trucks for sale to get a better idea of which one suits their needs and budget. Once the auction day does roll around, they can bid with confidence in the hopes of securing the equipment they need to make a living first of all.

If you don’t have access to an auction in your pursuit of used dump trucks for sale you may want to consider contacting local construction companies to see if they are selling any. Many companies upgrade their trucks and equipment with the beginning of each new construction season. They are eager to sell the equipment and might be able to offer you a choice of used dump trucks for sale following this.

Just as you’d have a mechanic check over a used car that you were going to purchase, you want to do the same thing when you are looking at used dump trucks for sale. In this case you would be more interested in finding a heavy duty equipment mechanic who is well versed in the operation of the dump truck at the same time.

If you are considering one of several used dump trucks for sale have the mechanic give you his or her advice on which one has the most potential for the price. Although some used dump trucks for sale may seem like a great bargain because of their reduced price that could be a clever way of hiding the fact that you’ll need to do some major repairs before they are operational to demonstrate.

When you are considering used dump trucks for sale remember to keep in mind that looks can be deceiving and seeing what is under the hood is very important before any money exchanges hands. You want to get the most out of your investment. for example.

Truck and trailer makers are offering 2007 models certified by the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program. The EPA says the trucks can save owners $11,000 annually while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and air pollutants.

Freightliner, International, Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt and Volvo are participating in the program. SmartWay-designated models include the International ProStar and Volvo VN and, in 2008, the Freightliner Century Class S/T and Columbia.

SmartWay-approved equipment can reduce fuel consumption 10 to 20 percent by reducing wind resistance, the EPA says. Each Smartway truck can save 2,000 to 4,000 gallons of diesel per year – or $5,680 to $11,360, at current retail prices.

SmartWay trucks or engines have:

A dump truck with its trailer bed in the raised position crashed into the North Fork of the Lewis River bridge on southbound Interstate 5, then was struck by a tractor-trailer early Thursday morning.

According to the Washington State Patrol, a 1996 Kenworth dump truck driven by David Olson, 43, of Woodland left the yard of Groat Brothers Transportation in Woodland around 2:30 a.m. with the trailer’s bed upright.

The raised bed snagged some power lines in Woodland. Olson continued, entering the southbound lane of I-5 from Woodland. About a mile down the freeway, the trailer hit a metal support beam of the North Fork bridge. That caused the dump container to come off the trailer frame, blocking the right lane. Olson stopped a short distance away, also blocking the right lane.

Soon after, a 2005 Volvo tractor-trailer owned by Swift Transportation and driven by Timothy Price, 21, of Bend, Ore., collided with the dump container lying on the freeway. The dump container flew into the air, then embedded in the Swift trailer. The Swift rig then jackknifed, blocking the center and left lanes.

Price had a bump on his head. Olson was not hurt but was cited for second-degree negligent driving. Department of Transportation officials inspected the bridge, which has overhead supports, and found damage to three metal beams. An inspection found the bridge to be structurally sound, but the damage will need to be repaired in the future.

The right lane of the freeway was closed for a short time until the trucks were removed. The center and left lanes were blocked for more than two hours but were cleared in time for the morning commute, the Washington State Patrol report said.

Dave Andrew with Cowlitz County PUD said a power pole was damaged but did not lead to any outages.