Four people died when Andreas Klassen fell asleep at the wheel
A lorry driver has been jailed for killing four people in a motorway crash after he fell asleep at the wheel.
German Andreas Klassen, 51, crashed into a queue of slow-moving traffic while travelling at 54mph near junction 11a on the M6 in Staffordshire.
The father of three had contravened EU regulations on hauliers’ working hours, Stafford Crown Court was told.
Klassen, who pleaded guilty to four charges of causing death by dangerous driving, was jailed for five years.
Two men from Birmingham and a couple from Stoke-on-Trent died in the pile-up on 10 September last year.
Judge Mark Eades also banned Russian-born Klassen from the roads for five years after stating that the only explanation for the crash was that he had fallen asleep.
Makes me wonder if the cruise was switched on to crash at full pelt.
Is your foot more inclined to come off or at least ease off should you fall asleep at the wheel I dunno but it’s one of the modern ‘luxuries’ I loathe with a passion. The positioning of the cruise controls on some trucks are just plain stupid.
Saxon786:
Is your foot more inclined to come off or at least ease off should you fall asleep at the wheel
I would say it is more inclined to ease off, although I guess the design of the pedal may make a difference. I think, if we are honest, we have all found ourself slowing down involuntary when our concentration isn’t quite what it should be and I think falling asleep would be pretty much the same effect.
I do hope that the goverment or perhaps
VOSA; will send a copy of the news paper
over to the EUROPEAN trucker magazines,
as only then when the DRIVERS see
that breaking the rules is not excepted,
Unfortunatly MANY of the NON-BRITISH
transport firms still belive that we are
in the 1970,s ,I have meet a few drivers
in Ostende BY the old Sally ferrys who
had come non–stop from Austria, or
Italy,and whilst eating their meal have
fallen asleep at the table, yes some
of us have also carried out some tasks
and have broken the rules but not
daily and day in and day out,
LESS HASTE MEANS MORE SPEED!!!
WHY BECAUSE THE DRIVEING IS
THEN UNDER LESS STRESS!!!
Brit Pete, ref those guys in Oostende… At least they stopped there.I was forced onto the hard shoulder of the 25 not too long back whilst being overtaken by a german truck, he was all over the place and had to slow right down to let him pass as I thought he was going to drift into the side of my trailer.As he drew level I looked over to see him looking to his right and down, with a large slice of bread in one hand and the butter and a knife in the other.He was steering with one elbow.I decided to give him a short blast on the horn as he had no idea what was around him, only to find his English was up to scratch as he told me to [zb] off[
[/quote]
As you are saying about lack of sleep and foriegn drivers in the last couple of of weeks i have met 3 british drivers with the same total disrespect to the driving hours that the foriegn trucks have, these drivers have ran from the north of scotland to the channel ports with very little time off it is 15 hours driving time maybe the yellow number plates give them right to do this
But the thing that pishes me off is now a large number of firms are now doing these runs by the book and it costs money to do it right and it seems now that we are going back to the Stuart Taylor and Ralph Davies days when the companys i worked with could not compete with their rates and delivery time to south Europe so we lost the work. I have been on fridges to every destination you can drive to and i have also done the mission impossibles i now work with a group of hauliers who do the job by the book but will this again be put at risk by the few rogue hauliers who are left flouting the driving rules,and it is good to work with the type of firm that does the job legal.
MY MOTTO IS SAFETY FIRST LIFE IS PRECIOUS
It’s not just flaunting the hours that does it. I only teamed (is that double manning) once on a trip to California and back. Half way through my 3rd driving shift I had to park the truck and go to sleep. I never got the hang of sleeping while the other driver took his turn at the wheel. Laying in the bunk with the curtains drawn I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that we were going to crash everytime he touched the brakes,or the truck lurched a little bit. Took all my rest periods as required but was still too nacked to drive a full shift. Have never teamed since. Just shows you don’t have to be breaking the law to set yourself up for disaster.
I agree longwayround last year just before xmas we did a so called flyer from dundee to Stockholm for TNTwith bird flu vacine with two drivers the uk bit was sound to Newcastle ship to Ijmuiden then 19hours to Stockholm 9 off there then back via Hannover for reload park at Venlo then next hit home via the shuttle all legal but absolutly knackered
SCA started an express service to Europe with Mercedes vans.They advertised ,London to Swiss in 24 hrs or your money back.( Not much motorway in those days ) They would put two drivers on it & go non-stop altho they didn’t have sleepers. They packed it in when two lads ran out of luck near Luneville & ended up on slabs in the local townhall. I used to pass thru that village regular & always got that cold chill run thru me. I have had the most urgent loads . Sometimes I was fit & could bend it ,other times I would feel the need for sleep & wouldn’t fight it. Everything was solved by words the next day ,just like the mechanics & bosses do it.
PS .I hold the record of being the slowest driver ever on SCA. Pick up a loaded truck in London ,one drop Turin—reload Milan( One pick-up ) No waiting & no probs with the Doganna ;Three weeks…!!!
( If I say Maggie ,all the old hands will know & wonder how I did it so quick )
From April, shippers and consigners are liable to prosecution if the people hauling their goods are not running by the numbers. So when the customer gives your work to someone else who can do it quicker/cheaper, you can remind them of this and it might make them think twice.
> Silver_Surfer: > From April, shippers and consigners are liable to prosecution if the people hauling their goods are not running by the numbers.[/b] So when the customer gives your work to someone else who can do it quicker/cheaper, you can remind them of this and it might make them think twice. LONG OVERDUE! no one says a Co cant make money , but if the keep cutting the rates , they are going to get a cut rate service!
From April, shippers and consigners are liable to prosecution if the people hauling their goods are not running by the numbers. So when the customer gives your work to someone else who can do it quicker/cheaper, you can remind them of this and it might make them think twice.
Has anyone any links to the above qoute i have searched and found nothing on this after a haulier pal of mine had heard this and i said i would have a look on the net for any info,
klunk
I dunno but it’s one of the modern ‘luxuries’ I loathe with a passion. The positioning of the cruise controls on some trucks are just plain stupid.
