Every day, people across America drive on the highway alongside thousands of trucks carrying enormous cargo tanks filled with flammable liquid. Many of them are unaware of the hidden dangers lurking beneath the surface—the danger of cargo tank rollovers.
Cargo tank rollovers may seem like a rare phenomenon, but they occur more often than many realize. In fact, from 1995 to 2016, more than 4,200 cargo tank rollover incidents were reported in the United States alone. These accidents can have disastrous consequences—including fatalities and serious injuries—which is why it’s so important to understand what causes them and how to prevent them.
Here we reveal the FMCSA’s “myths and truths” surrounding cargo tank rollover accidents in order to help educate truckers and other drivers on safe practices while sharing roads with these dangerous loads.
“Owners, managers, and others in the industry play a big part in helping drivers Keep the Load on the Road.”
This is from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Referenced is a fact sheet that shares some of the myths and truths about cargo tank rollovers.
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hazardous-materials/cargo-tank-rollovers-keep-load-road
We have two takeaways from this article:
The first is that most rollover accidents do not happen in extreme circumstances or through extreme negligence … most happen during everyday driving situations.
“Drivers might think most cargo tank rollovers happen at night, in the rain, and/or on a curvy road or on entrance and exit ramps. The truth is, less than 4% of single vehicle rollovers are caused by roadway and environment-related reasons.”
And we know that all it takes is one bad slosh for energy buildup to overcome the tanker and cause you to tip. That’s Liquid Surge, and why Surge Busters are an invaluable resource, as they protect you from the inevitably unavoidable nature of surge energy.
The second takeaway is that the only answer for most companies is more training for their drivers.
In that fact sheet, you’ll see the FMCSA suggests “providing drivers with training tools,” “sharing the FMCSA cargo tank truck rollover prevention video with drivers,” and “maintaining a heightened awareness of rollover causes.”
It’s accepted that drivers are the keystone for safety when it comes to rollover accidents. And for most businesses, this is correct! Most trucking companies don’t have adequate surge protection in place to remove the surge energy from the equation.
Little is done to remove the greatest added risk factor for tanker drivers. The Liquid Surge.
This isn’t to say we don’t advocate for great driver training. We absolutely support YOUR support of drivers and make sure everyone behind the wheel of a tanker truck is well-trained to handle whatever conditions and situations they will be in.
HOWEVER. How different would those accident statistics be if those tankers had something which mitigated the surge energy by 96%?
If you’re going to spend so much time and money on driver training, why not spend a FRACTION of that on a device which eliminates the biggest threat to trucks which causes rollover accidents?
This is what Surge Busters is all about.