Forklift Fatality

[varmint]

The discussion about driver's licenses makes me think about a German friends observations as we were driving about... how Americans are lousy, dangerous drivers. At least here in the crowded East coast area, there are too many drivers, all in a hurry to get somewhere, and roads that are no longer perfect. When I started driving, you could get a ticket for passing on the right- now, that seems to be SOP. Passing on the right, that is. Don't know what the answer is, but seems to me that in another 10 years the roads will be like a Mad Max situation.

 

[4shorts]

When I operated heavy equipment for a living the first thing we were told was to never jump from a tipping machine. There was one time that rule saved my life.

As for fork lifts. Up here in Canada it is said that the leading cause of new young worker deaths on the job are caused by them operating fork lifts and not being properly trained to do so. Sad. Very sad.

 

[LBrown59]

I drove a Hyster out of an open box car door. Take it from me - once they get one wheel in the air they are very tippy.

A few years back a guy my brother worked with was unloading a semi that was backed up to a loading dock at the plant where he worked.
While the fork lift driver was gone to unload the fork lift the truck driver had pulled the truck out from the dock and was gone.
On returning for the next load The fork lift went right out the door and landed on the parking lot on all 4s.
Needless to say the driver was more than shook up .

 

[LBrown59]

One guy I worked with had his foot run over by a forklift. He lost the foot, squished flatter than a pancake.

My brother got hit knocked down and drug by his foot for several feet by a fork lift .
He got a broken hip and had several health issues from it ever sence.

 

[Sasquatch4100]

I work for a lift company and am part of the safety committee as well. Guess what'll be brought up during this months meeting?

 

[Whatswrong]

Very sad story,I have a tough time visualizing how to tip a forklift if the fork is down when carrying a load .The yard at work is gravel and even when it is well floated the parts will bouce off the pallet or tines as soon as you speed up a little.On the note of seatbelts I am not an obsessive safety nut but I allmost always use the seatbelt on those small 4-6ooo lb.lift trucks I feel insucure sitting like a bump on a log on them,but never in the telehandler and big units with cabs.My workmate went to unload a frieght truck and in his haste the driver didn,t set the air brake, when she drove in the truck rolled forward and her forklift didn,t land on all 4 bent the axle on it scared her silly,then there were a bunch of wheel chaulks purchased for all docks.
I have had the wheels off the cement on the JD payloader pulling a 20,000 lb. skid in a turn BUT I will say that payloaders are designed to lift and carry NOT pull.

 

[WM75Guy]

My wife & I each renewed our drivers licenses online the last time. I think in Texas you can do that once, then next time you have to go in person to read the eye chart. So you can do it online every other renewal.

Bird,

Don't mean to hijack the thread but I was able to get the vision restriction removed after my cataract surgery. How did your surgery go?

 

[jonyyuma]

Yep, I'll agree with you that refresher courses and re-testing would do a great deal to improve driver competence and traffic safety. The biggest problem I see is the huge number of licensed drivers would mean a very expensive program to hire enough testers.

From what I've seen in the news, Texas DPS offices are already swamped with drivers license applicants and renewal applicants; long lines, long waits, etc.

Tennessee Driving stations has a long line from opening till closing. A lot of Spanish decent persons are always in line. I think they should learn English to know what the signs say...Now we can re-new or Dl and CCL by mail once...Finally.

 

[JDgreen227]

Tennessee Driving stations has a long line from opening till closing. A lot of Spanish decent persons are always in line. I think they should learn English to know what the signs say...Now we can re-new or Dl and CCL by mail once...Finally.

Talked to my wife, she has a regular operators license and here in Michigan, if you have no citations or at-fault accidents in the 4 year period between your last license and your renewal, you can do that by mail. Last time I went in I changed from a CDL to an operators license and they told me I STILL had to come in four years later even if my record was spotless...but after four more years with a spotless record on an operators license I could renew by mail....because I changed the type of license three years ago it wasn't valid for renewal by mail. Seems stupid to me.

 

[jonyyuma]

Talked to my wife, she has a regular operators license and here in Michigan, if you have no citations or at-fault accidents in the 4 year period between your last license and your renewal, you can do that by mail. Last time I went in I changed from a CDL to an operators license and they told me I STILL had to come in four years later even if my record was spotless...but after four more years with a spotless record on an operators license I could renew by mail....because I changed the type of license three years ago it wasn't valid for renewal by mail. Seems stupid to me.

Yes, it is a Pain and then they still want to use the old photo? personally I Love mailing mine in..

 

[Bird]

Talked to my wife, she has a regular operators license and here in Michigan, if you have no citations or at-fault accidents in the 4 year period between your last license and your renewal, you can do that by mail. Last time I went in I changed from a CDL to an operators license and they told me I STILL had to come in four years later even if my record was spotless...but after four more years with a spotless record on an operators license I could renew by mail....because I changed the type of license three years ago it wasn't valid for renewal by mail. Seems stupid to me.

A regular operator's license is now 6 years instea of 4 in Texas.

 

[JDgreen227]

A regular operator's license is now 6 years instea of 4 in Texas.

Let me guess....did they increase the price of the originally 4 year license by half, or double it?

My guess says double.

 

[Bird]

Let me guess....did they increase the price of the originally 4 year license by half, or double it?

My guess says double.

You can see all the different fees for different ones here.

 

[YesDeere]

It can happen quick and not just tipping. I lost a cousin about ten years ago to a forklift accident. He was loading trash into a dumpster that he had brought there with his fork. While he was facing the dumpster the brake let loose and pinned him. No one found him until it was too late. Suffocated. Bad way to go.

 

[JDgreen227]

You can see all the different fees for different ones here.

Thanks...and I can just see the line of 85 year old guys waiting to get a CDL at the discounted rate...:laughing: :laughing:

IMO states should require ALL drivers to pass the CDL examination and any other tests, it would serve THREE purposes:

States would collect much more in license fees

Such testing would weed out the bad drivers right off

Last, but not least, perhaps many drivers would be more careful of they had to worry about losing their CDL. I can tell you that I, as well as many other drivers I knew that had a CDL, were MUCH more careful drivers, because losing a CDL could have meant losing your job. AND, CDL holders where I worked were subject to random drug testing.

 

[jonyyuma]

Whats wierd about the drivers station??, They could check to see if you have Insurance,before you have your photo made... but no a cop has to find out after the Wreck??A lot of retiree's here are now get photos put on Voting cards as they don't have Licenses or gov. photo id's. Them dead people just keep on Voting????Nation-wide???

 

[Bird]

Thanks...and I can just see the line of 85 year old guys waiting to get a CDL at the discounted rate...:laughing: :laughing:

IMO states should require ALL drivers to pass the CDL examination and any other tests, it would serve THREE purposes:

States would collect much more in license fees

Such testing would weed out the bad drivers right off

Last, but not least, perhaps many drivers would be more careful of they had to worry about losing their CDL. I can tell you that I, as well as many other drivers I knew that had a CDL, were MUCH more careful drivers, because losing a CDL could have meant losing your job. AND, CDL holders where I worked were subject to random drug testing.

Before the days of the CDL in every state, Texas had an Operator's License, a Commercial Operator's License, and a Chauffeur's License. Only the Operator's License required a driving test and that license was also good for motorcycles. I first got a driver's license in Oklahoma when I was 16. We moved to Texas before I was 17 and I got a Texas Operator's License. But then we had a customer with tractor trailer grain haulers, so I went back when i was 17, took the other written test, and got the Commercial License so I could drive trucks. When I was 19, I went back and took the written test for the Chauffeur's License so I could drive a schoolbus and taxi cab. In 1969, Texas came up with the idea of a separate motorcycle endorsement for another $5 on each renewal, and I did have a motorcycle at the time, so I went and took both written and driving test for the motorcycle endorsement. So I was licensed to drive anything you could legally put on the road. Operator's Lcenses had be renewed every 4 years; Chauffeur's License every 2 years and cost twice as much, so that made it actually cost 4 times as much.

But when they started the CDL and sent me a letter that I'd have to come in and take the test for a CDL or drop back to an Operator's License . . . well, I'd have no objection to taking the test, but since I had no need for a CDL, I saw no reason to pay what it costs.:laughing: And I eventually even dropped the motorcycle endocrsement since I don't a bike anymore.

 

[JDgreen227]

When I was working, my employer always reimbursed me the cost of my required CDL, which was usually about $55 every 4 years.

 

[Duffster]

Licenses are good for 8 years here.

Unless you have a Hazmat. Then it's 4.

 

[timswi]

It's 4 years in PA for a regular license...Just shuffle over to the state police run license center (after mailing in the fee and receiving the form back) get your picture taken and sign the paper and done...For PA, pretty painless.