52 ft tractor trailer in our cul-de-sac

[784caroline]

This has happpened before but i wonder if it has happened to anyone else. We live in an established neighborhood on a cul-de-sac and a neighbor was having some furniture delivered ..but they came with a 52 foot tractor trailer (It was BIG) and a sleeper cab. Well after delivery they tried to make it around our cul-de-sac and I saw what was happening and just went outside to observe. The driver realized he was in trouble and asked for my help and i tried to keep him off the sprinkler heads and any grassy areas..AND the plants in the round-about area.

As time progressed (more than an hour now) other neighbors came out and I said I was going to call village watch because I was certain damage was going to be done. They came out promptly and it was just getting worse.... Village watch called his supervisor....he came and after a while he called the District maintenace Supervisor (responsibile for the curbing and plants in the round-about). The driver by now was in a position where he could not back up or move forward without some damage to be done.

Finally he moved forward and went over the round-about curbing and sprinkler heads and plants....Village watch has his insurance information, and the District supervisor had the maintenace guys ( I mean 5 of them) come out on the spot to asses the damage and told me what was to be done.

I asked the VCCD guy why they dont stop these large moving trucks at the gate and he point blank said they have NO Authority to do so...these are public roads. They advise them of the restricted access in and out but its the drivers call. All VCCD can do is keep them off private and VCCD property.

LESSON LEARNED : if you are getting a furniture delivery advise the company of restricted access if you live on a dead end road. Also call Village watch early if you see a truck like this in your area...they will monior it and hopely have someone there to repair your damage if damage occurs.

All told this took close to 2 -- 2 1/2 our of my sunny afternoon...but I met alot of neighbors and VCCD people I should know anyway!!

[skyguy79]

LESSON LEARNED : if you are getting a furniture delivery advise the company of restricted access if you live on a dead end road. Also call Village watch early if you see a truck like this in your area...they will monior it and hopely have someone there to repair your damage if damage occurs.Thanks for this posting. :thumbup: We're buying a home in a few weeks that is on a cul-de-sac road, we may well have a situation where we should forwarn any deliveries we may need to setup.

[BlueHeronFan]

Wish I had thought of doing what you did. Instead, those on corner lots just get the lawn ruined and have to endure the fix. Had no idea that their insurance should cover damage like this.

On another note. I have noticed that a lot of these delivery trucks seem to leak a large amount of oil onto the road while they are parked. Some of the spots can be 3ft in width. Wonder what the damage to the asphalt road is after this. I know it sure looks bad.

[Xavier]

This has happpened before but i wonder if it has happened to anyone else. We live in an established neighborhood on a cul-de-sac and a neighbor was having some furniture delivered ..but they came with a 52 foot tractor trailer (It was BIG) and a sleeper cab. Well after delivery they tried to make it around our cul-de-sac and I saw what was happening and just went outside to observe. The driver realized he was in trouble and asked for my help and i tried to keep him off the sprinkler heads and any grassy areas..AND the plants in the round-about area.

As time progressed (more than an hour now) other neighbors came out and I said I was going to call village watch because I was certain damage was going to be done. They came out promptly and it was just getting worse.... Village watch called his supervisor....he came and after a while he called the District maintenace Supervisor (responsibile for the curbing and plants in the round-about). The driver by now was in a position where he could not back up or move forward without some damage to be done.

Finally he moved forward and went over the round-about curbing and sprinkler heads and plants....Village watch has his insurance information, and the District supervisor had the maintenace guys ( I mean 5 of them) come out on the spot to asses the damage and told me what was to be done.

I asked the VCCD guy why they dont stop these large moving trucks at the gate and he point blank said they have NO Authority to do so...these are public roads. They advise them of the restricted access in and out but its the drivers call. All VCCD can do is keep them off private and VCCD property.

LESSON LEARNED : if you are getting a furniture delivery advise the company of restricted access if you live on a dead end road. Also call Village watch early if you see a truck like this in your area...they will monior it and hopely have someone there to repair your damage if damage occurs.

All told this took close to 2 -- 2 1/2 our of my sunny afternoon...but I met alot of neighbors and VCCD people I should know anyway!!

Thanks for posting the heads up for big trucks. This brings up another similar problem and that is parking in the street at the turn-around end of a cal-de-sac. When a neighbor packs or unpacks their RV, getting around the cal-de-sac can be an adventure when vehicles are parked there. I wonder is their any rule about parking in a cal-de-sac?

Xavier

[RichieLion]

Is there a "Dead End" sign at the entrance to your street?

If there's not, the driver might have no idea he should not venture down your street and should not be held totally responsible except that he should have known his truck well enough to know he couldn't negotiate the circle. At that point he should have backed his truck out with the help of Community Watch, preferably.

If there is a "Dead End" sign, then it was the truck drivers fault pure and simple for not assessing the situation properly.

I was a tractor-trailer driver for a common carrier for 40+ years and have made innumerable residential deliveries.

On a delivery like yours I would have stopped (if there was a dead end sign) and walked down the street to access the situation or backed down the street. If the situation revealed that I couldn't access your home safely I would have informed you that I was leaving and other delivery arrangements would have to be made.

[swrinfla]

Ages and ages ago (almost six years, now!) when I moved here, my moving van very obviously couldn't make it around the cul-de-sac. So, he had to back down the street.

I told him that when he got to the end of the street he wanted to be positioned so that he could turn left.

Well, of course, he either confused which direction or couldn't manuever his vehicle correctly. He ended up having to make a right turn.

Happily, there was an exit for him going that way, but another block or so along, and he'd have been in the same problem as 784's guy.

It constantly amazes me how guys can make those vehicles do things a layman couldn't even imagine!

I suspect 784's guy didn't really appreciate the extra attention, but that's what happens! :cus:

SWR
:beer3:

[skyguy79]

Is there a "Dead End" sign at the entrance to your street?

If there's not, the driver might have no idea he should not venture down your street and should not be held totally responsible except that he should have known his truck well enough to know he couldn't negotiate the circle. At that point he should have backed his truck out with the help of Community Watch, preferably.

If there is a "Dead End" sign, then it was the truck drivers fault pure and simple for not assessing the situation properly. I'm afraid that I will have to respectfully disagree that the driver should not be held totally responsible. There may be extenuating circumstance that could be considered by a Judge should he be issued a traffic ticket, but when he (or any of us for that matter) gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, he is totally responsible for any movement of that vehicle that is within his control or should be within his control. A presence or lack thereof of a sign at the beginning of the street in question has no relevence! I believe you will find that the courts would most likely agree with or uphold what I've stated!

[jblum8156]

The movers are supposed to check with the home owner. Mine did, and said if they couldn't get the big van in safely they would have to shuttle my stuff in a smaller truck and I would have to pay extra. I'm not on a cul de sac, so they were OK

[thistrucksforyou]

Wish I had thought of doing what you did. Instead, those on corner lots just get the lawn ruined and have to endure the fix. Had no idea that their insurance should cover damage like this.

On another note. I have noticed that a lot of these delivery trucks seem to leak a large amount of oil onto the road while they are parked. Some of the spots can be 3ft in width. Wonder what the damage to the asphalt road is after this. I know it sure looks bad.

you need to call your local DOT over commercial vehicles,,,that is considered a hazmat leak if it is in considerable quantity.....

[thistrucksforyou]

:coolsmiley:Is there a "Dead End" sign at the entrance to your street?

If there's not, the driver might have no idea he should not venture down your street and should not be held totally responsible except that he should have known his truck well enough to know he couldn't negotiate the circle. At that point he should have backed his truck out with the help of Community Watch, preferably.

If there is a "Dead End" sign, then it was the truck drivers fault pure and simple for not assessing the situation properly.

I was a tractor-trailer driver for a common carrier for 40+ years and have made innumerable residential deliveries.

On a delivery like yours I would have stopped (if there was a dead end sign) and walked down the street to access the situation or backed down the street. If the situation revealed that I couldn't access your home safely I would have informed you that I was leaving and other delivery arrangements would have to be made.

[Larryandlinda]

I'm afraid that I will have to respectfully disagree that the driver should not be held totally responsible. There may be extenuating circumstance that could be considered by a Judge should he be issued a traffic ticket, but when he (or any of us for that matter) gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, he is totally responsible for any movement of that vehicle that is within his control or should be within his control. A presence or lack thereof of a sign at the beginning of the street in question has no relevence! I believe you will find that the courts would most likely agree with or uphold what I've stated!

We've found ourselves in some predicaments with our 35' coach or van-and-trailer and have had to get out, walk around, help each other....
sometimes outside help ("monback/monback") might be needed as we are not professionals.
experts have told us that any vehicle that gets to a certain point should be able to get out in reverse.
This might mean getting out backwards, or putting a pro behind the wheel, but with expertise and patience, what goes in is supposed to go out.

L and L

[skyguy79]

experts have told us that any vehicle that gets to a certain point should be able to get out in reverse.
This might mean getting out backwards, or putting a pro behind the wheel, but with expertise and patience, what goes in is supposed to go out.

L and LI know from personal experience that this is not true.

Several years ago I was hauling a 31' camping trailer and took it down a short steep hill into a resort on Kayuka Lake in the Finger Lake Region of NY. I could not back it up because the hill was too steep for me to get enough power to back it up the hill, could not pull forward and through to exit a second option because the turn was too sharp and could not back up to a third option without dragging the bottom rear and damaging the road. There were no more options. Unfortunately, I had only one option possible where I could get out... and it was the third one.

Perhaps what goes up must come down, but what goes in can't necessarily go back or out!

[Pturner]

I didn't think a cul de sac was the same thing as a dead end. I thought a cul de sac is a non-through street that ends with a turn around, while a dead end street just ends, without a turn around. Therefore, a cul de sac street would not have a dead end sign. I could be wrong.

[skyguy79]

I didn't think a cul de sac was the same thing as a dead end. I thought a cul de sac is a non-through street that ends with a turn around, while a dead end street just ends, without a turn around. Therefore, a cul de sac street would not have a dead end sign. I could be wrong.Me thinkith your correct! I believe the sign for a cul de sac should state "No Thru Traffic."

[EdV]

There are no “Dead End” signs in TV. As legend has it, Harold Schwartz, Gary Morse’s father and founder of TV disliked the image that such a sign would convey so he ordered that these signs should instead say “No Outlet” and declared that there will be no dead end streets in TV.

[skyguy79]

“No Outlet” .I thought in TV that "No Outlet" was a warning to electric golf cart users to make sure your batteries are sufficiently charged before entering the street!:throwtomatoes:

[Pturner]

I thought in TV that "No Outlet" was a warning to electric golf cart users to make sure your batteries are sufficiently charged before entering the street!:throwtomatoes:

I thought it would mean "breakfast not served".

No wait. That would be "No Omlet".

[mtdjed]

Your point regarding signage is good. In fact I had requested that a sign be placed on the entrance to our neighborhood (the same as this issue addresses)through The Villages recommendation system. They got back to me with a comment saying that the roads now belong to the county and that they had passed the message to Sumter county. That was six months ago with no action to date.

[emconover]

A "dead end" sign is used when a street ends in a dead end or cul-de-sac.

A "no outlet" sign is used when a road is the only outlet for a group or network of roads.

[EdV]

A "dead end" sign is used when a street ends in a dead end or cul-de-sac.

A "no outlet" sign is used when a road is the only outlet for a group or network of roads.

But not in TV.

[kb8tpw]

You know I have been following this thread for a while and it just came to me (I'm sometimes slow) that this may be a design problem. One would think that the villages design folks which are known for their greatness would have been able to properly design a cul de sac that would accomodate such a vehicle - especially in a community with a high propensity for moving vans to frequent. May have taken a few more feet of real estate based on the degree, etc of the turn radius required, but I'm simple minded enough to think it possible. I'm sure there are some engineering folks among us that will shoot my theory down, but just a fresh thought for a new year. Reminds me of an ole Lester Flatt bluegrass song, "Backin All The Way to Birmingham" about an 18 wheeler operator who got in a truck for the first time and couldn't figure out how to get it out of reverse ---- you get the rest of the story.

[784caroline]

I suspect the streets and cul-de-sacs in TV are designed to handle the largest of emergency vehicles...that being fire trucks... but not necessarily tractor trailers or especially 52 ft moving vans trailers with sleeper cabs.

However, I think a "good driver" can manuver a 40 ft trailer with a standard cab around a cul-de-sac...and I said a good driver!

[RichieLion]

Me thinkith your correct! I believe the sign for a cul de sac should state "No Thru Traffic."

The only problem with that, is that the message is not clear as to why there's no "thru traffic". If an inappropriate vehicle is routed to go down that street, it would be advantageous to everyone that the message is clear.

[RichieLion]

I'm afraid that I will have to respectfully disagree that the driver should not be held totally responsible. There may be extenuating circumstance that could be considered by a Judge should he be issued a traffic ticket, but when he (or any of us for that matter) gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, he is totally responsible for any movement of that vehicle that is within his control or should be within his control. A presence or lack thereof of a sign at the beginning of the street in question has no relevence! I believe you will find that the courts would most likely agree with or uphold what I've stated!

Do you want to have a truck come down and leave your street safely, causing no damage, or do want to be technically correct?

I agree that the professional driver is liable for damage caused by his operation of his vehicle, but it's in everyone's interest that he has the pertinent information to assess.

Driver's are not usually given more that the address for their delivery, and sometimes a "time window" for delivery. If the consignee of the goods does not take the initiative to inform the carrier of obstacles to delivery, and subsequently the carrier does not relay the information to the driver, problems could arise.

I made a delivery into a neighborhood once that had no outlet out of the neighborhood other than the way I came in. After traveling a few blocks and maneuvering around parked vehicles and negotiating a couple of tight turns, I came to the delivery street and found I could not make the tight turn into it. With help from the consignee I walked the freight down the street to his residence (an arduous chore) and completed my assignment.

That's when I found out there was no other way out of the neighborhood; no way to turn around and that I would have to back the entire way out. It took almost an hour to retrace my route in reverse; backing around corners, around parked vehicles, getting blocked by incoming traffic that had no idea what I was trying to do. I was constantly stopping, climbing down from the cab, walking 50+ feet back to get people (usually annoyed with me) to give me room to continue my backwards odyssey.

How much better for me, the residents of the neighborhood and for general peace if I was never sent on such a delivery with such an inappropriate vehicle for the task.

If there was a "No Outlet" sign instead of a "No Through Traffic" sign, which can sometimes be posted just to keep commuters from using a residential neighborhood as a shortcut, I would have stopped, even if creating a temporary obstacle on the side of the road, and made inquiries.

I might have discovered that this delivery would need a small truck to do the job, and then I would have to argue my point with my dispatcher who only wants the job done and not have it return to the terminal.

It's in everyone's interest for neighborhoods and streets to provide as much information as possible for the commercial vehicles which will undoubtably be negotiating the roads in their neighborhood.

[skyguy79]

The only problem with that, is that the message is not clear as to why there's no "thru traffic". If an inappropriate vehicle is routed to go down that street, it would be advantageous to everyone that the message is clear.Ok then, let try this verbage on a sign... "The street you are about to enter is designed for average residential traffic and may not be accomodating to vehicles that are designed for commercial usage. If you are using a larger vehicle, especially a vehicle in tandom like a tractor trailer and/or have been newley licensed with a CDL, you should consider bringing in a more experienced driver to asses the viability of making any deliveries to your given destination since there is no no thru exit that you can access without making an extremely small radius turn or without backing up your vehicle. If you have any doubts about this matter, please check with your fleet manager."

Disclaimer: This response is strictly made for humor and is in no way intended to rebute, judge or criticize the poster being responded to and it is my hope that no one takes it that way!

[RichieLion]

Ok then, let try this verbage on a sign... "The street you are about to enter is designed for average residential traffic and may not be accomodating to vehicles that are designed for commercial usage. If you are using a larger vehicle, especially a vehicle in tandom like a tractor trailer and/or have been newley licensed with a CDL, you should consider bringing in a more experienced driver to asses the viability of making any deliveries to your given destination since there is no no thru exit that you can access without making an extremely small radius turn or without backing up your vehicle. If you have any doubts about this matter, please check with your fleet manager."

Disclaimer: This response is strictly made for humor and is in no way intended to rebute, judge or criticize the poster being responded to and it is my hope that no one takes it that way!

:1rotfl:LOL; and I'm glad you see my point even as you take it to ludicrous lengths.
No matter what is thought about any of this, trucks WILL BE coming down your street. Isn't in your interest to make it easy for the delivery driver?

[skyguy79]

Isn't in your interest to make it easy for the delivery driver?ABSOLUTELY! :thumbup: