I saw a Brookledge truck/trailer pulled over in the most dangerous way possible, changing a tire. It was on a curve, on a hill, right underneath a drive-through toll pass thing, on the left hand side of the road. I get that you don’t pick where you get a flat, but you do get to pick where you pull over - even if you have to limp there.
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Yes, and the laws of physics will show that lowering the velocity will decrease the severity of impacts, and therefore damage to machinery and people.
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Anecdotally, my horse was permanently injured while BL was transporting him home after purchase. The driver I initially spoke to was lovely. However, the way corporate later responded was much worse than I thought appropriate. It took me hours -on multiple calls- for them to even admit that my horse was injured during the trip. I think the man I was dealing with accidentally admitted it.
I can’t tell you how many times they repeated “these drivers are good guys!” or “these drivers have been doing this for ___ years!” or “we have video in all of our trailers!” as if it would somehow trick me into thinking that my horse wasn’t injured or something? I said, “Great, I’d love to speak with the drivers and see the video since you don’t have any knowledge of the injury.” nope I was simply trying to understand the nature of the accident in case it could help the vet give appropriate treatment.
When I read that Monarch died, I hoped that his owner didn’t have the same type of interaction with BL that I had. Hopefully they were on better behavior since this accident made the news. Tragic accidents will happen. How a company responds to those accidents doesn’t have to exacerbate the owner’s grief over losing their horse and partner. I hope BL is on good behavior in this case.
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Did they ever let you see the video?
No. They never told me what happened and never shared video. The way they refer to that technology in their literature gave me a false sense that, if something bad were to happen, that video could be helpful. That was naive of me. Their recordings exist exclusively for BL’s benefit.
They kept insisting that I document the injury to them. Eventually, I believe, he slipped up when he admitted that there was an incident in a certain town. Until then, he truly acted as if I was lying about my horse unloading with injury. The trauma is not an easy area to radiograph, so knowing the nature of the injury may have helped. Maybe not. In the end, I wish the guy had just said upfront “I’ll never tell you.” instead of dragging out all of those phone calls.
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That really is upsetting, I’d be livid. If you were in the market for a yahoo hauler, it would have been gobs cheaper for you to just hire a yokel with a stock trailer. I’m sorry that happened to you.
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I don’t know what drivers BL hires but, I have dealt with numerous CDL holders and the ones that weren’t able to speak English understood enough to drive safely. Following signs isn’t hard, especially nowadays. The drivers all have computers in the cabs that can help with directions and delivery sites are good at receiving products. I’d rather deal with someone that has difficulty with English than a crabby, cranky driver that thinks he knows it all.
I realize it’s easier for barns to ship multiple horses commercially than to have their own rigs, but I prefer trailering my own horses. The few times I’ve shipped nothing bad happened but they were late, like the next day late.
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Yeah. He was my first horse and I, again naively, thought that BL was the best horse transport company. Live and learn. I love the smaller shipper I use now.
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The stop, yield, etc. signs are all designed to be recognizable independent of language.
I agree non-English-readers (speaking English is not relevant) might not understand the programmable announcement signs, but those are not usually safety critical.
Dealing with clients at ether end is a different issue.
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Also, this sounds like it took time that it didn’t need to. I’ve had tons of experience with non-English speaking uber drivers and it’s a matter of SECONDS to pull up Google Translate on you phone, press the microphone icon and speak what you want to say. Then press the speaker icon and your phone will say, out loud, the message.
Works alarmingly well (I have even used it for Farsi for Afghan soldiers here) and it’s super fast to do. The look of understanding, nodding and then return message (same thing, just reversed) makes full comprehension super easy.
Hell, I’ve even used it to avoid being the “ugly American” when travelling (and driving!) in countries where I don’t speak the language!
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This is about a CDL requirement.
A quick google:
Commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements in the U.S. mandate that drivers must be able to read and speak English well enough to understand highway signs, communicate with the public and law enforcement, and complete required reports. This proficiency is essential for ensuring safety on the roads.
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And there is now this, even though the above was already in force:
Trump enforces order that commercial truck drivers must speak English
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Sorry, one more post, I drove a big box truck in France, once. Let me tell you, not knowing what the signs meant was definitely dangerous, and my French is decent.
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I mean… I don’t think they need to SPEAK english, if they can understand basic signage and have translation apps for communications, I’m fine with it. I’d prefer a responsible and safe driver with a limited English vocab than some yahoo that thinks our animals are disposable and are too busy rushing around to get more jobs and beat deadlines.
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Having dealt with countless drivers who speak no English, the paperwork part of it is really sketchy if legally they don’t know what they’re signing for.
I try to be understanding, but some get downright combative when you won’t unhook them from the dock until they complete the paperwork, or try and explain their trailer is too dirty for food products.
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This.
And also, we have long haul drivers from french- speaking Canada here, and Mexico. We shouldn’t correlate not being a native English-speaker to being a bad driver.
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Wow. This makes me think a little about my intended change from a aluminum on steel frame, to a new aluminum frame.
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I dont believe I said that did I?
There is a huge difference between driving a car and driving an 18 wheeler, not only in skill level but in the laws and regulations and comprehension of same.
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