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Big rig collides with snowplow on I-80 in Wyoming

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Big rig collides with snowplow on I-80 in Wyoming
This damaged 18-wheeler sits along Interstate 80 near Rock Springs Wyo., after colliding with a snowplow on March 7. (Courtesy: WYDOT)

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — An 18-wheeler collided with a Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) snowplow on March 7 along Interstate 80 west of Rock Springs, Wyoming, sending the snowplow driver to the hospital.

The crash happened at around 9:07 a.m. as the snowplow was removing snow from the roadway near milepost 125.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol said in a news release that the truck was trying to pass another car in the left lane when it collided with the back of the snowplow, causing both vehicles to enter the median.

The snowplow driver was transported to Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater County with minor injuries. The truck driver was cited for traveling too fast for the conditions and careless driving.

This is the 22nd WYDOT snowplow that has been hit this winter season. Eighteen snowplows were hit in the winter 2021-22 season, 26 in 2020-21 and 23 in 2019-20.

 

The Trucker News Staff

The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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22 Comments

22 snowplow collision’s this year alone is unacceptable. The loss of your CDL and possibly jail time should be the consequences of hitting a snowplow. Those guys are literally on the front lines of a weather war.
Maybe we need to just stop traffic so the snowplow can do it’s job. Why don’t snowplows get the same caution we give law enforcement and 1st responders?

Idiots,truck drivers should know better. another of semi drivers are from other countries therefore have no sense of our laws ect. respect the snow crews and all emergency vehicles.

that’s what you get for bringing these forenors into this country
that is how thay drive over in there own country,
and come over here and do the same thing,
Drivers in Canada only need 100 hours driving time and 32 hours on the road
to pass there driving test,
and the same company that trained them ,
give them the road test with 98 percent pass,
I drive truck for a living and have for 44 years,
it is getting so bad with Drivers having little to no experience in driving a truck,
be afraid, very afraid

we would not be on the road as truck drivers if it weren’t for the snowplows…..a real idiot trucker …we got to stop being paid by the mile …..do the math 70 hours and a base of $25 per hour and time and half. comes to $2125 gross why pay mileage… sweatshop pay ,,,that why we get these accident

This is FOR ALL TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES IN…U S A..*STOP TO PAY FOR MILES DRIVE.*..PAY BY THE HOUR.. please read and implement the federal and states law…THE MAJORITY OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ON THE FREEWAYS ARE BECAUSE THE PRESSURE ON THE DRIVERS..pay by the miles system…

Just driving against the ELD in bad weather..hitting a snow plow…or any worker along the freeway..is making it where the DOT workers go to a different trade…and now we have an injured worker and a snowplow out of commission..soon there might not be any more to clean or maintain the roads…all because some idiot was in a big rush…Illinois has a solution …hit a worker 10.000 fine…7 years in prison..looks like more states need that law..

what a moron truck driver. instead of being patient like everyone else he risked his safety and everyone around him just to beat the clock a few minutes and now his load and himself will be down for several days. These are the kind of idiots that need to be permanently suspended from driving and there are many of them out there.

Absolutely uncalled for!!! Big trucks need to slow down the pace, and yield to these snow plows!!!
I agree…… I get paid by the hour.. $29.00,
There is no need to rush around like a crazy person to get compensated for work completed!!!! This pay by the load situation, will never slow down drivers which in return, make the highways safer for everyone!

No ones perfect! We all make mistakes! It’s what we learn from them is what matters. The sole called president! Sent a 500,000 dollar missal (five hundred thousand dollar missal) to shoot down a spy camera plane. That had been flying floating what ever along for weeks. As hard as it is to make it as a OTR driver I’m sure he didn’t get up planning on hitting a snow plow. I have run many many times when I should have been parked. If you haven’t you should try it sometime. Snow plows don’t give two shits about us going anywhere truth be told they just make things harder. Mother Nature put it down Mother Nature will take it away. 19 in wv up through Beckly wv they live it been there done that got a T shirt. Lol all of you remember what your saying the next red light you run through and could have gotten stopped. It’s the highway (interstate) you roll the dice every time you get in your man made vehicle! Ride a horse to California from NY let’s see what you say about that experience. Lol Have a great day God speed.

Slopoke

A small percentage of truck drivers cause the majority of the truck accidents. Going too fast for conditions is the most common cause. Running into a snowplow is the truck drivers fault.

what a idiot, slow down for conditions, if you can’t safety drive don’t drive. if a company says you have to go faster change companies. I drove over 2 million safe miles. never was rushed to the point of being unsafe.
snowplows, road workers deserve respect they are doing their job just like truck drivers are.
slow down for conditions people the freight is not worth your life.
If you hit a plow, a highway worker, tow truck operator or first responder you should lose your license and fined. if you cause injury to those workers you should have to pay their medical bills for your stupidity+

My Dad, rest him, was a trucker. I know there are so very many good drivers out there. Unfortunately I’m thinking that these days, the idiot truckers have them outnumbered.
I almost lost my life to one a few months ago on I-90. My son was driving and we came up on two big rigs in the right lane. My son was passing them on the left and I don’t know if the trucker didn’t see us, didn’t look, or literally thought he could bully his way into the passing lane because he had cab safety and roughly 90,000 LBs. behind him in the trailer, but he pulled into the left passing lane right on top of us. All because he didn’t want to break his speed. I’ve driven a big rig–I know how many gears you’ve got. Your inconveniences are not worth my life.
Fortunately there were no abuttments on the left shoulder, so my son was able to move left to avoid the crash. We would have almost surely died, or suffered devastating injury.
Like the man said above, if your company wishes you to cause injury or death to make your pay, find another company, and report the one you’re in. A lot of these drivers think they can do whatever they please on the road, because they’ll probably live through any collision(not always, btw).The rules of the road haven’t changed, YOU have, and you give all the decent, responsible truckers out there a bad name.
Consider the safety of EVERYONE on the road, or GET OFF the road.

Oh and YES..you would not be ON the road without the plows. So you know, a little respect. The snowplows are literally the reason you get from point A to point B. Remember it and regard it.

Get official state police accident report before anyone points a finger. Then call a lawyer. Just turning the key on CDL driver is 18% at fault. Don’t know why anyone would want to be a professional driver in today’s world.

Because of those foreign drivers I am scared to be driving truck anymore. I have been driving for 30 years and it is getting worse. Get rid of the foreign drivers and some of the laws may go away.

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