Is the tree ok? :shock: :P

 

More importantly, did anyone hear it? :wink:

 

Yeah I heard it when it hit the trailer.

 

Ohh. :shock:

Sorry to hear that Doc.

 

A TREE FALLS IN LUCAMA

Another stormy evening in Eastern North Carolina, the usual fare lightning, thunder, rain and wind.

The operator at Exxon held the loading proceedure up as the storm rumbled its way across the tank farm.

Finally loaded I headed out to I-95 north just in time to encounter the second line of storms. The storm wasn't too spectacular however, as a trained Severe Storm Spotter I still looked for the essential criteria, hail dime size or larger, frequent lightning, flooding where none normally occurs, large diameter tree limbs and/or trees knocked down, etc.

None of the above had occured with the exception of the last. A high blast of wind knocked a medium size tree down across the north bound lanes of 95 I pulled the tanker to the right into the breakdown lane but the tree still hit the trailer. I stopped to inspect the damage.
I did expect to see a huge gash and find gas pouring out of a big gaping hole. No large gash was found however, the huge dents and large scrapes did make for interesting conversation with the night dispatcher and mechanic.

The driver following me came up and said he expected to see a huge mushroom cloud as the tree hit the trailer. I told him I expected to see the same thing as I felt the trailer lean real hard to the right..

The Highway Patrol arrived in due time, the officers took our statements and asked us if we saw a car get buried by the tree. We hadn't seen any car but the other driver and I helped the patrol officers look for another vehicle, none was found.

Amongst all the excitement, I did manage to let the National Weather Service person know that a large DOWNBURST had hit the Lucama area as the storm passed to the east.

I did finish the run, brought the truck back to the yard, left a note for the day driver telling him of the incident. He still can't believe the truck didn't suffer anymore damage than it did. Me too!!!

 

More PRODUCE FUN:

Not too long ago I was heading back to the yard on I 95 after yet another fun day hauling petroleum. Cruising along in the southbound lanes listening to the "OLDIES" radio station I noticed a Dodge Dualie pick up trying to pass me. Notice I did say "trying"

As the pick up struggled to get past me I saw the bed was loaded down with cantaloupes as was the make shift trailer it was pulling. Neither the truck bed or the trailer was tarped.
I backed off the throttle to let the driver get by me as the truck inched its way in front and started to pull back into the right lane we hit a rather rough bridge and not so much to my surprise quite a few of the round melons bounced off the trailer and out of the pick up bed.
What a mess that was created as the melons rolled under my truck.
The driver of the pickup just kept going as if nothing happened.
There was no damage to my truck but I knew a trip to the truck wash was next on the agenda.

As luck would have it, the pickup driver exited off the same exit I was getting off and I followed the person into the truck plaza. I got out of my truck walked up to the driver of the pick up and told her that she had lost some of her melons. She thought I was being crude until she realized I was talking about the produce she was hauling.
She apologized and offered to pay for the truck wash. I just told her not to worry so much about my wagon but she may want to fade into the darkness since there was quite a crowd following us at that section of 95.

 

It amazes me, how people dont even look for stuff like that. It's like they have a short term memory when they drive a pickup, pulling a trailer.
Glad to hear that other than a messy outcome, that no damage was done.
So, did she have nice melons?

 

Glad you asked. I was wondering.

 

Well, I always hate it when I stop to look at the fruit that folks sell from a pickup, and the fruit isnt nice!

:P

 

wow great reading. i can only hpope to enjoy my newfound wrk as much as you have