Dump Trucks

[I8URZ28]

OK my wife is getting on the interstate and she is behind a dump truck trying to merge over when a rock flys off the back and breaks her windshield...this is the second time this has happened to her and I am getting pretty tired of paying for windows...Unfortunately she did not get the drivers tag (typical) what is the law/ rule on this...will I have to pay it if it is less than my deductable or is there a chance an insurance company will cover it ...I have USAA

 

[VirtualSVT]

You can make a claim for your insurance. It might not count againts you as you really can't help it too much. The driver is responsible for his load regardless of what signs he puts on the truck.

I know in FL insurance companies are required to replace windshields for free and with any penalty. Just call your agent and ask.

Unless you have a 500 deductible it maybe cheaper to do it on your own.

 

[I8URZ28]

yea I will call them then...I am tired of replacing the front windshield...its a Honda element so it has alot of front winshield

 

[ElGato]

there was an interesting (heated) discussion on them here:
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267822&highlight=dump+trucks

 

[jshen]

This is not a legal..or proper answer...but anyone who hauls crap...be it rocks, dirt, gravel or worse yet pine trees..whose bark flies everywhere...and it hits a car...should be guilty of a felony!.....or better yet..the victim gets to blast 1 free bullet through the engine of said truck without penalty...

 

[mswaim]

Here if it drops off the truck, the owner of the truck is liable. If a truck kicks up a rock or other debris and it hits you, your out of luck.

 

[Five4Rider]

I know in FL insurance companies are required to replace windshields for free and with any penalty.

+1, I had mine done a few months back because of.....ta da..a damn dump truck. :bash: The free part with no penalty is great!! :banana:

 

[harry gilbert]

One thing - be sure you don't get a Korean or Chinese replacement windshield. I forgot to insist on OEM, and what they put in was full of ripples and distortions.

 

[Lawman85]

If it came from the truck they have to pay for it, if it got kicked up off the ground by the tires.... then your wife is following waaaay too close. Tell her to start righting down tag numbers and company names. Sounds like it will start saving you money.

 

[Uncle Meat]

I know that many of the trucks here in Alabama have a sticker on the back stating that all vehicles should remain at least 200 ft behind the truck and they (truck owner) are not responsible for damage from debris. Whether this stands up in court or not I don't know.

Even if you got the trucks license number wouldn't it still be their word against yours? I mean if it was as easy as reporting the trucks license number why wouldn't everyone whose windshield gets damage or hood gets chipped just find any dump truck and report them as the culprit?

U.M.

 

[Bel-Dooch]

I had something very similar happen to my Audi a few years back. A rock fell off the back of the dump-truck and it bounced up and hit my car right in the center of the hood by the grill. The dent was smaller then a golf ball, but I still wanted it taken care of, it was very noticeable. The car at the time only had like 20k miles and was flawless.

Well I called State Farm and told them about it, they told me to come in and file a claim. Which I did. Well while filing the claim they asked me if the rock fell from the bed of the truck to the hood or if it hit the road first. Being honest I said it hit the road first. (not knowing any difference in my answer would affect the out come of my claim) Well they said that since it hit the road first that they weren't liable, and that the rock should have been avoidable.

I had all the info I thought I would have needed: I had the license plate number, company name and even the mile marker and time of day it occurred.

I had to pay for the hood to be repaired out of my own pocket. Later I found out that I could have taken the Dump-Truck company to small claims court. But my God after you factor in the amount of money I'd be out for taking a day off of work I was still better off paying for it myself.

 

[CleanCobra]

Here if it drops off the truck, the owner of the truck is liable. If a truck kicks up a rock or other debris and it hits you, your out of luck.

What if it's some asshole spinning his tires, spraying your hood with rocks? (Personal experience)

 

[Iman01]

Think it is hard on your windshield? Try following one on a motorcycle. That is something I would like to see trucks getting tickets for, littering, causing a road hazard, there has to be something illegal about this.

I have heard that in Iowa the gravel companies are quick to buy complaintants new windshields as it is illegal for them to drive uncovered. That doesn't do my skin too many favors though.

 

[jshen]

Even if you got the trucks license number wouldn't it still be their word against yours? I mean if it was as easy as reporting the trucks license number why wouldn't everyone whose windshield gets damage or hood gets chipped just find any dump truck and report them as the culprit?

U.M.

UM is right...and just try stopping a gravel truck and telling driver he just broke your windshield....All you can do is get on cell phone, call police and follow truck until stopped....and then it's still your word against theirs...However, if truck shows ANY unbound, loose material..the driver should get a citation...

 

[SSCOBRA03]

This is not a legal..or proper answer...but anyone who hauls crap...be it rocks, dirt, gravel or worse yet pine trees..whose bark flies everywhere...and it hits a car...should be guilty of a felony!.....or better yet..the victim gets to blast 1 free bullet through the engine of said truck without penalty...

+1

On a unrelated note, know anyone that got hit with bark from a pine tree?

 

[jshen]

Yes

+1

On a unrelated note, know anyone that got hit with bark from a pine tree?

Me...Just travel north on I-75 Macon to Atlanta and you too will join the club...Truckers haul pine trees and the bark falls off..Oh..and the truckers will run a good 10 mpg faster than everyone else...so we all get it.

 

[SSCOBRA03]

I have family in northern Louisiana and they have the same problem there. I hate having to follow those truckers on those narrow roads.

 

[thasalvoo]

wow i was driving the other day down a 4 lane highway, there was a dumptruck up ahead and u could see rocks and debris falling off the back. I start looking further ahead and i see something spinning the size of a baseball .... it was going pretty fast. I cut 3 lanes almost sideways to avoid this massive piece of debris. Turns out it follows me and smashes the bottom of my car. Luckily it did not harm anything in the engine bay, but made a huge dent in the bottom of the car.... frickin bastiches
Kind of weird didnt look like anyone else seen it... lol just me. just imagine going about 85mph and seeing this huge object hauling ass probably 80 mph at your car. scary

 

['04BlkBolt]

Last year i was driving my (white) corvette with a group headed up to Lake Tahoe. As we were traveling I-80 up through Sacto.. there were truckers hauling overloaded and uncoverd trailers full of tomatoes.... they were falling off and splatting cars all over the d*mn place :fm: I guess the covered cargo laws doesn't include biodegradable produce? When we stopped at a crispy creme in sacto, the front of my car looked like it was covered in katsup On the same trip there was another truck that was towing double bottom dumps and one of the trailer's bottom wasnt closed all the way, (a rock or something keeping it from closing all the way) and it was sand blasting every car on the freeway. It seems like the interstate freeways are the worst place to drive for *road hazards* :shrug:

 

[FordSVTFan]

You think that is bad, I just got my 05 F150 and was driving three cars behind a tanker with tar sealant (the hot stuff) and it was smoking out the top. I didnt realize until I was into my left turn that he was leaving a trail of hot tar 8 inches wide and at least an inch deep in my path, since he cut across both lanes.

I sped by him thinking I didnt want any tar coming out of the top opening and onto my truck. I got home and went out the next morning to find the tar all over the wheels, tires, wheel wells and rocker panels plus my chrome nerf bars. And it was at least a 1/4 inch thick. It took five hours with bug and tar remover to get 90% of it off. There is still some in the wheel wells.