Worst Trucker(s) in the World: No more headaches?

April 29, 2016
Say it ain’t so! The North Carolina DOT thinks they’ve come with up with a solution to that low-clearance bridge in Durham, the “can opener” of viral video fame.

Say it ain’t so! The North Carolina DOT thinks they’ve come with up with a solution to that low-clearance bridge in Durham, the “can opener” of Internet fame.

Perhaps you'll recall our initial coverage of the 11’-8” underpass from back in January, prompted by a story in The Wall Street Journal that featured a website devoted to videos of trucks and RVs whose drivers didn’t seem to realize their vehicles wouldn’t fit.

As website creator Jürgen Henn tells WRAL.com in an update this week, “It has a reputation for enforcing the laws of physics mercilessly.”

So NCDOT is adding a laser-detection system, tied to traffic lights at the approach, designed to alert and stop vehicles that are too tall to make it under the railroad bridge. A DOT official says the agency is “pretty confident” the $130,000 laser treatment will put an end to the stuck trucks—and to viral videos.

“Maybe not all of them, but most of them should be eliminated with this,” he tells WRAL.

Maybe, maybe not. Transitions are often difficult. Here's the latest clip, from April 29. Some questions just have no answers.

So, for those who might have missed our report the first time, we have some highlights above—along with, yes, the recent additions to the collection of incidents featuring drivers who just don’t seem to understand “physics.”

Got a mainstream media report of a trucker behaving badly that the rest of us could learn a little something from? Feel free to nominate a Worst Trucker in the World. But please address all complaints to Keith Olbermann.

About the Author

Kevin Jones | Editor

Kevin has served as editor-in-chief of Trailer/Body Builders magazine since 2017—just the third editor in the magazine’s 60 years. He is also editorial director for Endeavor Business Media’s Commercial Vehicle group, which includes FleetOwner, Bulk Transporter, Refrigerated Transporter, American Trucker, and Fleet Maintenance magazines and websites.

Working from Beaufort, S.C., Kevin has covered trucking and manufacturing for nearly 20 years. His writing and commentary about the trucking industry and, previously, business and government, has been recognized with numerous state, regional, and national journalism awards.

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