No doubt the truck driver is in deep yogurt.

It is a tough life for sure. The laws don't make it any easier but for the right company you can make a decent honest living. This driver will wish he died as well when they get done with him. That is a tough one to wake up to everyday. Six deaths on your hands.

Part of the reason I gave up driving was just wondering when some dumb azz would do something stupid and be a permanent fixture on the front of my Peterbilt and when Johnny Law started digging in the paperwork to find some false entry and throw me in jail and throw away the key. It is no joke. a quarter hour off on your logbook can cost you your livelihood if something goes wrong even if the incident really isn't your fault or was unavoidable.

T Y S ;; their just doing their job...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_wLVCLPx0M

thats why most of us long time old school drivers have handed it off to the new breed kid..too many b/s rules

I am a driver , you are a dumb ass.

@j.bales

It is very obvious that you have no idea how strict the regulations are when it comes to CDL drivers. Drivers are only allowed to drive a certain amount of hours. Failure to obey the law results in fines that can be devastating to small businesses. For more information please see:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos-proposed/hos-proposed.aspx

This accident is horrible. Nobody ever wants to see something like this. If the driver was on drugs or fudged his log book he will be in deep @!$%#.

some people know every thing, lol @ bales....

Grandnapper, you don't need to use vulgar language.

My husband is a CDL driver - and a long-haul one instead of a "local" one. The local drivers are probably not the best - since the companies that only send out local ones tend to want to make them do stuff to cut corners (like driving overweight, into states where they don't have a permit etc). My husband BRIEFLY left the company he is with after we had our son in an effort to be home more often than only at the week ends, but the local company literally wanted him to drive SIGNIFICANTLY overweight, into a different state that the company didn't have a permit for etc. so I know from experience. I agreed with my husband that *I* would rather not see him during the week if it meant that he wasn't being asked to drive "dirty".

I agree with Give It a Rest ... the long-haul drivers have a TON more regulations these days limiting how many hours they can be on the road on any day, and many trucking companies are switching over to electronic logs that are tied to the truck's computer system so that drivers CAN'T fudge their logs. They're also equipping them with GPS so that the company knows exactly where the driver is. As for the "old school" drivers who are quitting because of "too many regulations" ... they are the reason why I was working REACT safety stops with my parents on every holiday weekend in the mid to late 70's. Back then it was actually expected that the drivers would falsify their log books in order to get freight where the company needed it to go. Drivers would keep two sets of books ... one "legal" for the police and the other the REAL log for the company so they could get paid. My FIL used to drive quite a distance over what he was supposed to so he could come home, sleep for a few hours next to his wife and then hit the road again. They even built a turn-around in their driveway for his tractor with or without the trailer.

@ Cat-1200657... You are better off with no logbook at all rather than getting caught with two logbooks. They really frown on that second logbook. An hours of service violation is dim in comparison to a false logbook entry violation. Each one will get you shut down for ten hours and a fine but the latter is a much heavier fine and a really bad hit on your license. I used loose leaf logs for the better part of my last ten years of driving and you can work wonders with them however there is absolutely no substitute for a good nights sleep. Rules are meant to be bent a little in the interest of revenue but not to a point of putting others or yourself in harms way. That being said we are all guilty of it to a point but there is a fine line between a few dollars or a tragedy.

ThankYou ... I know that. But back in the "good old days" before the DOT regulations started to get REALLY tight, it was known that drivers routinely kept two logs. One for the cops and the REAL log.

My husband has driven both solo and in a team. His father and uncle drove back in the 70's and 80's (my hubby was born in 1974 and I am a few years older than he is) and I used to work REACT safety stops all the time when I was growing up. I tell him every week to drive SAFELY because I'd rather he makes it home a day later than be caught over hours or even worse, get into an accident because he was trying to get home. Shoot ... if he has to re-set his hours on the road THAT is preferable to him driving when he's out of hours for the day or week. I'll take not seeing him for a weekend over fines, accidents or injury ANY day! He has well over a million miles with his current employer and all of those are solo miles. He is also now helping to refine the training methods his employer uses and will be one of the trainers for new drivers. I understand that if you run out of hours before you can find a place to park for the night, you need to keep on driving until you CAN find someplace else for the night ... sometimes full truck stops really can bite you. But many of today's drivers really are dealing with electronic logs instead of paper ones.

And I thought Yogurt was supposed to be Good for you,,,,,,

Can somebody help me out here? What did the load of yogurt have to do with the crash? Would NBCSnooze have put it as part of the headlines if the driver was hauling a load of steer manure?

Truckload of Bull$h!t causes chain-reaction crash, killing six in upstate New York

Cat - I'm confused. You condemn the "local" companies for condoning their driver for driving overweight and you glorify the OTR companies for knowingly paying drivers for falsified logs. Why do you think the companies are now using electronic logs? Could it be that they (besides the drivers) are subjected to fines for falsified records - after all those logs are only federal documents.

@ Cat-1200657... It sounds like your husband is a pro and has a good outfit to work for. A million miles with the same company solo is impressive. Tell him keep it in between the lines and have a good summer=)

Texting?

This is why you don't @!$%#ing tail-gate, there is a reason there are laws against it I only wish cops would enforce it. The problem is, the last time I was tail-gated it was a michigan state trooper. A dip@!$%# in a truck should especially know better, it takes them longer to stop. His only logical excuse would be mechanical failure or a medical emergency.

thethinker ... The days of drivers keeping two log books that I was referring to were IN THE PAST. DOT has cracked down on the practice and it leads to VERY heavy fines and consequences for the driver and the company. These days, the vast majority of companies will flat out FIRE a driver who is caught trying to keep two log books. There is a lot of good that has come from the increased DOT regulations since the purpose is to protect the driver from being FORCED to run with two log books - tired, potentially using illicit drugs to stay awake etc. and for the general public since drivers are forced to take 10 hours DOWN-time for every 14 hours of driving and when they run out of hours for the week they MUST be off for at least 32 hours. The local company I was referring to INSISTED my husband try to drive an overweight truck (so as to cut down on number of trucks needed would be my assumption) and he quit because he refused to run "dirty" like that.

TYS - Thanks. :-) He knows to keep the shiny side up. I think all my hours working REACT safety stops in the 70's allowed me to know that OTR drivers are just people. Some are bad apples, but the vast majority are good people and actively look out for the 4-wheelers out there. I also think growing up in the military prepared me for this life where I don't see my husband all week long for 49 weeks out of the year. The company he works for is overall a good company (though there are a few people in it that I don't like ... but that's average for ANY company). I have met his dispatcher, his bosses, a good number of the other drivers and their spouses. When our child was still an infant he participated in a rodeo, which was very interesting.

I'm sorry you had to see something like that. I'm also from Upstate NYS and this is just terrible...

NBCNEWS wont let me post the link but the pressrepulican . com has a more detailed article

Dout that. Use of a hand held for a CDL Driver is 2,700 dollars. not many willing to risk that fine. Not me anyway..

.....how can they see you, doing it? The drivers' area is sooooo high up! The thing they need to see is the DashCam video

not many willing to risk that fine.

Where do you live? I want to move there. Just the other day I was riding with a friend and we noticed a "triple" weaving down the freeway. I bet my friend lunch that the driver was using a cell phone. Sure enough - lunch was on him. That is just one example. It happens all the time. Speeding is also illegal but many drivers (including car drivers do it). Just because there are fines associated with it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Very sad,sorry to hear about this. I am from Watertown about 30 mins from Antwerp.

54Buick - You call people sicko's for joking (which yes they are sick) but you instantly start passing judgement and say "Betcha anything he was texting or dialing a cell phone." That's sick too.

To the families of those who have perished, I am very sorry for your loss... :(

Personally, I have trouble handling sad things without joking. I might not joke to the deceased's family (depending) but it's a good way to cut the weeping. Did you know these people, Buick? Or are you "sad" for them momentarily because it seems like you should be? Everyone can imagine what it's like to lose people, and most of us have. Humor is not a problem. If you are laughing AT someone, then no. If you are making light of a grim situation you have nothing personal in, who cares?

Don't tell me nobody makes fun of your portholes and straight 8?? Fluid-drive, nailhead, dynaflow pusher?

You must have been a real hoot on 9/11. Surprised nobody has slapped you silly yet. Or have they?

Don't judge people for their honest reaction to the story.

First, many people respond such things in different ways... humor is just one of many.

Second, Mymom, I was cracking small jokes with my friends on 9/11 to ease the tension and bring a little levity to the room. Many later told me how much they appreciated it.

Actually, Mymomdidnotraiseafool (he magically appeared): I was pissed off on 9/11, and I'm still pissed off at that. Hope your mom didn't raise any Muslims.

You are correct to assume that at various times people have taken offense at my joking, and a few have tried taking a poke at me. The sad thing about taking a poke at someone, is that they can then defend themselves at your expense. I can break up a 10 dog fight with my boot, you trying to "slap" me wouldn't represent much of a challenge. My advice: Come up behind me, most do. Good luck. A lot of joking (ask a professional comedian) comes from anger. Want to give me a chance to vent?

I had someone ask my why I always had the car lift on the back of my truck - a C70 ramp truck with super strong 4 wheel disk brakes

I pointed out that since people like to get up close and tail gate, IF I have to stop, they will at least slow down while the lift trashes the front of their car BEFORE they slam into the steel I beam that is back of the bed of the truck. If that were not there - it woud be like running into a steel wall

You're right. It's unbelievable that the police let this go on.

It will take a few more horrific accidents like this before anything is done about this.

Excessive speeding and aggressive driving kills more people than drunken driving - but some people think the rules don't apply to them.

I am scared to death of the Garden State Parkway! Have you driven on that death trap more than once? I-87 from NYC to Canada is a treat. 65 MPH is a joke. The posted speed limit should be at least 75 MPH. I do agree that "tailgaters" need to be ticketed and smacked in the head. And if you want to vacation in the mountains try the Adirondacks. The Catskills are just hills.

It used to be that drivers stayed in the right lane except to pass. To often now there are people in the middle and left lanes who are going slower than the flow of traffic. This is dangerous as other drivers have to go into other lanes to get. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen drivers come off an entrance ramp and before they achieve the speed of the rest of the traffic, merge into the middle lane. Mikeyknows- why do you drive in the middle lane if you aren't passing anyone? There aren't that many entrance ramps on the Thruway. Or, alternately, you could drive the speed of the majority of traffic and not create a dangerous condition. BTW- I rarely drive over 65 mph and so remain for the most part in the right lane.

First, I would like to share my condolences with the families who lost their loved ones!!!

Second I would like to express that you dont know s%$t Mikey!!! The left lane is for "Passing"!!! A number of states have laws stating that if you are not passing you are NOT to be driving in the left lane - Are they making themselves clear???!!! All too often people enter the highway and want to migrate to the left lane(they must find some kind of comfort there), then, it seems, they want to set their cruise control to the exact same speed as the cars to their right!!!! If there is a line behind these kind of people, then every driver in that line(minus the leader) is as close to a saint as they come! More than likely what you end up with is people having to pass on the right, often bobbing and weaving through multiple lanes of traffic! This has a greater potential of causing a serious accident than the senario of following a cars length at 65mph(crawling speed)!!! I could go on and on about this, but the irony of it is that you are probably one of those ignorant drivers(in which case simply can not be reached by reason) who does exactly this!

The reason you see all the 1-car length tailgaiters on the NYS Thruway is because NO ONE will move over out of the passing (yes LEFT) lane. What happens is people get so frustrated because they are not being allowed to PASS - that driver's just stay there like it's their right. So you end up with this long string of cars all going 65 because they just won't move over. I'm a former New Yorker and drove the NYS Thruway daily for years. It is a nightmare. When you finally do get past someone (passing them in the right lane mostly) they look at you like F.U. instead of being an adult. What I don't understand is why they are not ticketed for hanging out in the left passing lane. BTW they do the same dang thing in Dallas. ACTUALLY...THE RIGHT LANE HAS NOW BECOME THE PASSING LANE HERE...SO SAD...

Chris, Virginia (among other states) has a law "slow (or LOCAL) traffic KEEP RIGHT". We also have a law restricting ANY Commercial truck from using the left lane on most of I-95. So before you accuse someone of not knowing what the heck they are talking about ... think about the FACT that not every state is a "keep right except to pass" state. NJ happens to be one of them (I lived there for 18 months in my late 20's) but that does NOT mean that ALL states are "keep right except to pass". So , to paraphrase YOUR statement ... you don't necessarily know squat, either.

Now, as someone who DOES tend to travel in the left lane on the Interstates in the Commonwealth of VA, I DO move right if someone else is travelling at a higher rate of speed than I am, as soon as it is safe to do so. I also tend to go with the rate of travel of the vehicles in front of me keeping a safe distance (1 car length is NOT a safe following distance at 65 mph - you DO NOT have time to react if the vehicle in front of you has to stop suddenly). If I am travelling more locally in terms of distance, I generally follow THE LAW and keep right (or in the middle lane if there are more than 2, which allows for merging traffic on Interstates).

You should see how the morons drive around chicago land one car length is a mile compaired to how these people drive and there always 20mph over or more I can't stand driving in illinois anymore

Cat and Lisa- Most states have a "slow traffic keep right" law. Minnesota (at the direction of a former head of the Highway Patrol) took all the signs down a few years ago, and it took years in court to get them back. But...it is still a law. Every heard of "failure to yield right of way"? Think that only applies to intersections? Staying in the left lane when someone wants by is failure to yield right of way. If you are in the left lane going 80 (in a 75) and somebody going 100 wants by, move over. "I'm already speeding"? Okay, then you are a fellow criminal. Move over. If the Highway Patrol has an issue with 100 mph, they will let you know personally. People with little or no power or control in their life like that left lane, and they get a chubby when there are 20 cars stacked up behind them.

Steve, I DO yield the right of way when someone is speeding faster than I am. There is also a law in EVERY state that if you are IMPEDING traffic you can be pulled over - so that means if everyone is doing at least 75 in a 65 and YOU choose to only go 65 YOU can actually be the one ticketed. In addition, I do understand WHY Chris wrote what he/she did. In NJ it is against the law to be IN the left lane unless you are actually actively passing someone. As soon as you have passed them you are mandated to move right. However, if I am in the RIGHT lane and some jackwipe comes tearing up behind me and can't be bothered to switch over to the left lane ... well, let's just say that ALL "state" and local cops around here GIVE you the first 5 - 10 MPH over the speed limit because they can't ticket EVERYONE and I'm no exception to routinely travelling 5 - 10 MPH over the posted speed limit (at highway speeds ... in 25 mph zones I tend to stay closer to the speed limit) so I usually am already doing 5 MPH over in the RIGHT lane ... and I REFUSE to pull over onto the SHOULDER because some jerk decides they want to try to speed past the people in the LEFT lane.

I also pull over if there is a rescue vehicle or cop coming either in the direction I am travelling or coming the opposite direction on an undivided road - or pull forward and THEN over after honking at a stoplight.

Lmao! Never saw the word "bully" used so many times in one post (8)...

Thanks, Cat. I agree. Frustrating that the cops concentrate on speeding (only #6 in the list of accident causes) and almost never ticket for distracted driving (#1), following too closely (#2), failure to yield right of way (#3), Illegal or inadequate vehicle equipment (tires, brakes, glass, dragging debris etc.)(#4), or poorly designed roadways or signage (I know, the cops can't fix this one) #5.

Was this semi driver distracted? Statistically, that is probably the case. If the police would concentrate on distracted driving for ONE month, it might make a real difference. As it is you almost have to have an accident before you get a ticket for it.

And it does not help that cars are being made even smaller, out of plastic, and with no consideration for anything major

A Smart Car vs a Pick up is an ugly sight (never mind the 18 wheeler)

The RAV4 had no chance from the footage I've seen here - It's all over the news. I live about 2 hrs. away, but travel that road often to visit my best friend in Canton, NY. The DOT truck was one mess too. I just can't imagine what would have distracted this driver starting from a mile out. And how does a person live with this on their mind, even if not at fault?

Small cars frighten me. Miraculously, somehow I survived a head on collision in a Lincoln Town Car with a county snowplow. Lost my leg, but no one would have ever thought there was a survivor if they saw my car. Doing fine many years later, very active. But I always drive solid, larger vehicles.

Sure ... this will keep those pesky 4-wheelers who have NO respect for the stopping distance required of a big rig out of the way so that they don't cut them off in traffic. A good percentage of accidents that happen between big rigs and "4-wheelers" happen to be the fault of the NON-PROFESSIONAL driver not being aware of the sheer weight of a big rig. I have PERSONALLY seen too many small cars cut off big rigs on the Interstates because the PROFESSIONAL driver is keeping the CORRECT distance behind the car in front of him and the IDIOT zips in to that "inviting space".

You ARE aware that the Interstates in this country were built for MILITARY and INTERSTATE COMMERCE and NOT for passenger vehicles, right? So the military and BIG RIGS allow YOU to use THEIR roads for YOUR convenience. You are always welcome to use back roads in your travels and let those of us who understand the Interstate system and it's purpose and respect the big rigs use the GIFT they have given us wisely.

Since I ran out of time ... the Interstates are paid for primarily by TRUCKING COMPANIES and O/O's who pay a TAX above and beyond the state/federal tax for the upkeep of those roads. We non-professional drivers DO NOT.

Oh that reminds me I have to pay my huv tax next month 550.00 not to mention 2800.00 for licence plates and dont for get the fuel tax

The tolls that class 8 vehicles pay border on ridiculous as it is. I couldn't imagine what they would be if they constructed truck only lanes. Then you have to love the truck only tolls like on the New York Throughway. Talk about a sham. Passenger vehicles buzz right on by while commercial vehicles have to stop and pay the piper. And that great state will not allow you to idle your truck in service plazas, rest areas and even truck stops for heat in the winters or air conditioning in the summers. I sure don't miss that horse....!

TYS, I frankly have my own opinions about NY/NJ but I'll keep them to myself except to say that I am very happy I only spent 18 months living in NJ.

If I had a dollar for every time I have

been passed by someone racing to get in front,

just to have them swoop into my lane and cut me off as they slam on the brakes

I'd buy all of you a beer

If you ever see a rig straddle lanes as they are rolling up to construction - that's why

People often do not think when they are driving, and they just react - "me first and to heck with you" mentality on the road will run into Darwin's theory

Harry, if the American people could just master the zipper-merge ALL of our lives would be easier. That and the fact that no matter how many taxes you pay as a non-professional driver, those roads were NOT built for passenger vehicles. They were built for the military and the big rigs to move troops and goods. We are ALLOWED to use them as a convenience, but if we ever get involved in a World War again you can BET those Interstates WILL revert back to their intended purpose and everyone else will have to motor along the back roads again.

Big Red - I used to drive a lot for my business. Fortunately I didn't have to scale my RV/office. I used to do the same thing as what you are describing (blocking) because traffic actually went faster. Because of the size of my "baby rig" (54') I used to work with the big rigs by pulling up alongside and establish my position in the lane that was ending. Once they realized that I was not trying to race past and cut everyone off they would leave an opening for me to merge into. After all of the other vehicles were out of the closing lane traffic flow would speed up - no speeding up and slowing down.

What kind of culture? ramming into the back of innocent people with big rigs. I'm glad you have summed up an entire region of the northeast as a culture like that

Jstclair08, BigBaldGuy thought he was being cute and funny with another yogurt joke...culture..yogart.... I got it, but don't find it funny in the least.

I don't know about that, Freedom. There's a reason why Virginia and other states don't have that law. One of them is simply congestion. If I-95/395 and the beltway in VA, MD and DC were pass only in the left lane it would take even longer to get stuff done in the DC Metro area. We already now have 24/7 traffic updates on the local radio stations because of the congestion, and that's WITH the HOV-3 lanes. And they can't build more lanes of traffic because of the need to keep all the housing and shopping that currently exists in the area. Each state or commonwealth has to look at the needs of their residents and make the best decision they can. OR ... we COULD leave the Interstates open for the military and trucks and tell everyone that they have to use secondary roads like they did BEFORE the Interstates were built for troop and goods movement after WWII. See, we unfortunately do NOT live in a "one size fits all" world.

Yep. In some states there are laws. Cruise control is a major culprit when it comes to left lane creepers. People love the cruise control for the fuel mileage but don't use their heads when it comes to passing cars. It is just common courtesy to accelerate when passing slower traffic. To go a mile an hour faster than a line of cars and take a few miles to get past them is just rude and at times dangerous. Safer to pedal a little faster and get by the right lane traffic and get back over than to sit in the left lane creeping ever so slowly to save a few pennies in fuel consumption. I am not saying do 90 to get by the slower traffic but have some smarts and get by the traffic and get back over and resume your comfortable speed.

Read the article again, it said they were on a TWO-LANE ROAD, and were entering a construction zone that the cars had slowed down for but apparently the truck-driver wasn't paying attention or he would have started slowing down sooner.

@ Ed Orr... I don't think anyone questions the part about it being a two lane road with construction signs for the fatal accident. A few of us are just off topic posting about bad driving habits in general like tailgating and left lane travel.

oh yah, thats the reason why? I think that you probably just wanted to have a little more of a social life. I know I ran the states for the last 10 years. I had a blast while I was out there, but I have even more fun now that I can be home everyday.

Unfortunately, many people don't take into consideration that they are operating a potentially deadly weapon. I myself am having a difficult time understanding how the driver somehow didn't realize what was going on from starting a mile out. I've driven this stretch of road dozens of times - it's fairly straight, pretty open, 55 mph most of the time and boring. I drive all over the place and know that areas that don't require you to be more alert due to frequent starts and stops tend to have a tranquilizing effect. Happened to me in Alaska to the point I had to pull over and nap. His injuries are not life threatening and I heard he won't likely be hospitalized long. He's got the longest road he'll ever travel before him now...

I agree that first they took blood for tox/alcohol and now they can go over his truck with a fine toothed comb. If his truck had no mechanical issues that he couldn't have caught before he started driving, then he's on the hook. Pure and simple. Something to keep in mind (for those who don't know this like we "road widows" do) is that he is supposed to make an inspection every time he starts a drive. It doesn't matter that he's local ... he still has to make the safety inspection. So if there was a malfunction that he SHOULD have been able to catch before he started his drive then he's STILL on the hook for not performing a proper safety inspection.

Freddy,

It is because there is no news unless you want to refute [air tran*] and government officials. There weren't any Muslims on the plane and the non-compliant passengers were Spanish and didn't understand English.

Petruna was making the whole thing up; he wasn't even on the flight. Check the manifest.

However, I am aware that facts mean nothing to some and I'm sure I will get bombarded with hate. I, for one, as an American, choose to believe the word of the civilian who was sitting behind this Spanish gentleman and [air tran*]. until proven otherwise, instead of concoct stories and look for a conspiracy.

*Unable to determine if user meant "air transportation" or the company AirTran Airways.

Apologies.