Yet another grade crossing accident with truck on a railroad crossing. In this case both of the head end crew are dead, the train derailed and I believe destroyed the Chamber of Commerce building. In the videos I have seen this was a wide load that got stuck on the tracks. How does this keep happening everywhere? Should there be a Federal permit process?
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In addition to being an oversized load - there was a Pilot truck that is shown in at least one of the videos - which make it even worse as at least TWO individuals had the opportunity to notify the railroad of what was taking place DESPITE them being on a route that would not clear the load.
The job of the Pilot Truck is not just to drive ahead of the oversized load to to LEAD the load on a cleared route.
From what I gather the load was hung up over the main for 40 minutes or more! Seemingly plenty of time to notify those in the operating department (blue response sign posted at the crossing).
Ed
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I called a few friends I have in the oversize hauling side of my area of expertise. Hereās 3 big nightmare issues with this accident that the carrier had zero control over. 1st the route for this load was provided to them by the Texas Department of Transportation following their entire stupid rules of routinely sending oversize loads down roads that should never see anything bigger than a straight truck. 2nd this crossing had been redone with steeper approach and departure angles and nobody had notified anybody about the change in angles. Last one and if itās true Union Pacific itself is going to be screaming in court. The escort company trucking complete and Texas highway patrol escorts had all called the emergency phone number listed and given the crossing number listed as blocked for a minimum 30 minutes prior to the accident occurring.
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I spent several years in the dimensional shipment industry. I would recommend that the Escort business be somehow more āprofessionalizedā. There are Very low requirements for entry.
If UP was called - those calls will exist on UP recordings.
My comment would be, why doesnāt TxDOT monitor the results of these permits more closely via supervision and self correction. If this was done via TxDOT properly. Just inexcusable this keeps happening over and over again.
Oversize and overweight permits are issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. According to its website, it was created in 2009 by the Texas Legislature to enhance customer service, consumer protection, and the success of motor vehicle-related industries. It appears to be separate from TXDOT.
As is the case with many if not most Texas government agencies, TxDMV probably does not have the personnel to effectively police and enforce its regulations.
TxDMV might issue the permits but TxDOT is in charge of the regulations are they not? I also thought DPS was in charge of Enforcement in the State of Texas. TxDMV was established purely for customer service from my understanding.
A year or so ago I raised a question with TxDMV regarding the permits. I was told the state legislature sets the criteria for them; TxDMV administers the program. In addition to size and weights, the regulations govern when the oversize loads can operate. For example, they are not supposed to go through heavily traffic areas during rush hours.
DPS is responsible for enforcing the permits and regulations governing them where it has jurisdiction. County sheriffs also play a role; I have seen them pull over oversize loads to weigh them. I am not sure what role, if any, city police play.
As I understand it, TXDOT is responsible for building and maintaining the Interstate Highways in Texas, as well as the federal highways, Texasā state roadways, and Farm to Market Roads. Counties are responsible for building and maintaining the county roads. And the cities are responsible for city streets. However, in many places, the authorities overlap, i.e., a state roadway runs through a city. Preston Road is State Road 289; I believe the city and state share the cost of maintaining it.
According to 9 News, the crash occurred at U.S. 285 and Cedar Street in Pecos. Presumably TXDOT is accountable for U.S. 285 and Pecos for Cedar Street. I located U.S. 285 on Google Maps, but I could not find Cedar Street.
There are several YouTube videos that deal with the accident; I found them by Googling Union Pacific train crash in Pecos, TX.
Union Pacific in the past has been sanctioned for hiding evidence of well Iām going to call it what it is their own screw ups in fatal accidents. So given their history and my sources are all saying that multiple people called this into the UP emergency number listed this might get messy for the upper management at UP in a hurry.
One of my sources is saying one of the escorts records all their calls to CYA themselves since they were listed as a scapegoat years ago in a bad movement of a superload. This person that was the leading escort supposedly has their entire interaction with the UP on tape. If so lord help them.
@haroldbenton by the time you posted this the NTSB had already announced that the truck had been stuck in the crossing for less than a minute when the train arrived. Not much to cover up there, really.
Dan
US 285 through Pecos is Cedar Street. The cross street where the crash occurred is Dot Stafford, aka First St. The Chamber of Commerce is located in the former train depot, which is why it is so close to the tracks.
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That was a long load to take across a railroad crossing without any kind of pre-clearence setup. Look at the aerial pictures of the steel structure of whatever it was the truck was carrying. Very long load it looks like.
A long like this worth more than the CEO makes in a year itās transit schedule isnāt just get on the road and pray. If theyāre crossing anything like a railroad crossing that railroad was informed by email phone calls and thereās going to be a papertrail just in case something went wrong. UP would have been informed that this thing was in the area and an agreement in place to hold the traffic until it cleared. Someone wasnāt told the schedule. My town gets superloads through it as we have the only bridges that can hold the weight. Iāve seen 2 trains held waiting for one of these loads to clear the main st crossing.
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Sounds like some heads will roll at UP. Guess no one bothered to let dispatch know!
So which is it? Just saw a post that up had been notified 30 minutes before that it was stuck.
So, I wonder why no one at the escort company, or DPS bothered to look at the crossing when they got there and stopped the truck from going over? Someone wasnāt paying attention.
Thereās a simple solution to this: states will not issue a permit until after the transporter and the railroad have communicated, and can provide proof of that communication, along with a state-approved plan.
The plan will include the presence of a rules-qualified, radio- and flagging-equipped railroad employee at the crossing who is in cellphone and radio contact with the dispatcher. Form B restrictions will be in effect 10 minutes before transport movement over the crossing commences so that train crews must request permission to enter the Form B limits. The Form B will be voided after the transport movement is concluded and the right of way clear. On main lines with PTC, a virtual Form B restriction can be implemented to stop any train attempting to pass the virtual red boards.
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āJust saw a post that UP had been notified 30 minutes beforeā¦ā
Sounds unlikely, doesnāt it?
When someone says the obstacle was on the track for 30+ minutes, that
gives us fans a chance to feel superior. āThose blockheads! If I had been there, everything would have been fine.ā But it seems it didnāt happen that way.
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