MEC&F Expert Engineers : THE OVERTURN RISKS OF TRACTOR TRAILERS: TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK SPILLS LUMBER ONTO I-35E NEAR MOCKINGBIRD LANE, IN DALLAS, TEXAS

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

THE OVERTURN RISKS OF TRACTOR TRAILERS: TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK SPILLS LUMBER ONTO I-35E NEAR MOCKINGBIRD LANE, IN DALLAS, TEXAS




TUESDAY, MAR 10, 2015

DALLAS, TEXAS

Crews worked for nearly four hours Tuesday evening to clean up after a tractor trailer overturned and spilled a load of lumber along Interstate 35E in Dallas.

The crash was reported about 6:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes near Mockingbird Lane.

Dozens of flat pieces of wood, possibly plywood, were seen scattered across two northbound lanes behind the truck.

There were no serious injuries reported in the crash, but both directions of I-35E were reduced to one lane at times as police investigated and workers cleaned up the site.

Northbound I-35E fully reopened at about 10 p.m.
Source: www.nbcdfw.com

Lumber tractor trailer trucks are known for their rollover or overturn or flip risks.  The main cause is the unbalanced load on the truck and shifts in the load during transportation.  The load can shift by suddenly applying the brakes or by making sudden turns or evasive maneuvers.  Should these situations occur, then the truck is very easy to flip to its side.

In this situation, it appears that the second trailer flipped to its side.  This happens when the driver takes a turn too fast or he changes lanes too fast.  The second trailer would then flip because it can not withstand the acceleration forces.