Major train crash in Los Angeles, 25 dead
Another story from last week: on Friday, September 12 in Chatsworth, CA, just west of Los Angeles, a commuter train ran head-on into a freight train. At least 25 were killed.
What does this tragedy have to do with trucking? The evidence is pointing towards an error by the engineer of the commuter train. It appears that he missed a red signal, which told him to stop short, and wait for the freight train to take a siding, and then pass it. It also shows that he was sending and receiving text messages on his cellphone while driving the train, around the time of the accident. The evidence hasn’t proven that the text messages were what made him miss the red signal, but right now, that seems like the most likely explanation.
Let me tell you where this could be going. If it’s shown that the cellphone probably caused this accident, the DOT might just ban cellphones from use while driving CMVs, as well as trains. It has happened before, where a train crash caused major new regulations across all modes of transportation. 21 years ago, a set of Conrail engines ran onto the mainline north of Baltimore, where they were hit by an Amtrak train going 130 mph. The two idiots in the Conrail train were smoking weed at the time. This accident was the impetus behind DOT drug and alcohol testing regulations.
At any rate, this sort of thing could certainly happen at any time in a truck. Those cellphones, while sometimes necessary, are also a big distraction. Do your best not to use them while driving, and if you must, a hands-free device should be used.
Tolls Defeated on I-80 in PA
This is somewhat old news, but I’ve been buried in work, and haven’t had time to update the website in a few weeks. Anyway, Fast Eddie Rendell has been trying to soak the taxpayers here in PA every way he can think of. One of his best ideas is to make I-80, a major east-west interstate, a toll road.
Too bad for him, he needs Federal approval, since the road was built primarily with Federal money. And the Feds said, “NO!” Thank God. Another tax averted. Of course, another one of his bright ideas for getting more of my money is leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a Spanish company. But the mean old Republicans in the legislature won’t sign off on that either.
I’m not against paying my fair share for road maintenance and improvements. After all, that’s one of the few services the government provides that I actually use. However, I feel I’m already paying more than my fair share. And, I know that if Fast Eddie got his toll road, or lease plan, the roads would see little if any of that money. Those bucks would be going to the poor downtrodden folks of Philly and Pittsburgh….. after all they need it more than me.
2008 NFL Predictions
It’s here, it’s finally here! When I was a child, I looked forward to Christmas. Now I look forward to the start of football season. No more Little League World Series games, no more women’s basketball, no more golf tournaments sponsored by car-washes, it’s FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!
And what fun would football season be without predictions? For the record, my pre-season NFL pick in 2007, was Seattle over New England in the Super Bowl. So that wasn’t too awful… granted Seattle was a stretch (at least they made the Conference Semi-Finals!), but it’s more fun to try for the unexpected, than pick the chalk every time. Besides, I was right that some NFC team would win the Big Game. It just happened to be the Giants. And let’s not forget 2006, where I correctly predicted before the season that Payton Manning and the Colts would get their ring, which they did. So pay attention!
NFC East Dallas
NFC North Green Bay
NFC South Tampa Bay
NFC West Seattle
Wildcards: Philadelphia, New York
Conference Winner: Dallas
AFC East New England
AFC North Pittsburgh
AFC South Indianapolis
AFC West San Diego
Wildcards: Jacksonville, Houston
Conference Winner: Indianapolis
It kills me to put the Cowboys in the Super Bowl, just kills me. But I don’t know what else to do. They should have been there last year, but choked it away against the Giants…. a game they should have won. (The Cowboys would have easily beaten the Packers in Dallas for the NFC crown) I think the Eagles will challenge the ‘Boys, but in the end, Andy Reid will find a way to lose, probably involving either a blizzard of ineffective short passes, or a McNabb injury.
On the other side, I think you can pencil New England in as having home field advantage, as they play in an awful division. Indy, on the other hand, has 3 tough division opponents. Still, I think Indy will prevail this year, as age, and the inability to cheat will foil the Patriots.
So in the Big Game will have Dallas vs. Indianapolis, and winner will be DALLAS.
What a nightmare. Oh, well, at least it won’t be New England.
Bonus Prediction: your 2008 NCAA Champion will be…… the Florida Gators
