A New Wrinkle on the Road Train

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 08/27/2018 at 14:26 • Filed to: None

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For those not in the know, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , often in road trains - two junkers being towed by a third. I see them all the time on my weekly trips between Baton Rouge and Houston. I’m amazed that they can get away with towing like this, but the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

On the last two trips, I’ve seen even more sketchy tows in progress .

Yes, my friends, that is a box truck towing a box truck and both have their back doors propped open to make space for the SUVs loaded in the back.

I wish I had taken a picture of the schoolbus towing a schoolbus towing another schoolbus. These things are traveling about 10 mph slower than the rest of the traffic, creating  rolling traffic jams.

Who knows if they even carry insurance. I hope I never have to find out.

Ash78, voting early and often > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 14:55

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Can confirm, I have seen around Birmingham, as well. The drivers ALWAYS look sketchy and the tow vehicles are never 3500 HD pickups. They’re always something just barely able to tow one thing on a good day.

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 14:56

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Wow!

Ballsy! Stupid, but ballsy.

I suspect the reason police let them roll as-is, is the drivers of these are likely to be empty bags.  Police prefer to ticket tax payers with incomes, so they can collect their fines to fund their enterprise.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 15:04

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I used to see the one car pulling another car (two total) back when I lived in the Midwest. That always seemed sketchy, but this is another level!

ranwhenparked > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 15:09

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The police probably don’t bother them because they’re not speeding, which is the only traffic law most jurisdictions care to enforce. 

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 15:15

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I see that on I-35 all the time. Send 4 guys north in 1 car, bring back 11 cars .

TheRealBicycleBuck > shop-teacher 08/27/2018 at 15:16

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Follow the link to the police officer forum. They let them go because even if they write them a ticket, there’s little chance the fines will be paid. It’s a lost cause - write the ticket, tow the vehicles, let the driver go (class C misdemeanor), then sell the vehicles when the driver doesn’t show for court or to get the cars out of impound. They can’t sell the cars for enough to recoup their costs since the cars were already purchased as wrecked from an auction.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 15:19

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I mean, so what? The cars are leaving the country for good, one cop  commented that they have insurance, I dont see the harm.  

TheRealBicycleBuck > Milky 08/27/2018 at 15:23

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IF they have insurance. The biggest problem I see is the danger they pose to other drivers. My wife nearly rear-ended one which had s topped in the left lane on the far side of an overpass. It was a near-miss.

At the very least, they cause a lot of traffic backup.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 15:33

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As long as they’re doing the minimum speed in the right lane, let em through. You don’ t just pull people over because they might be committing a crime.

Your wife’s story is anecdotal, I’m sure the driver  didn’t want to be stopped in the left lane on the highway.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Milky 08/27/2018 at 15:46

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Police should pull people over for not towing properly or not securing their load properly. Do you really think that SUV is rated to tow 5 ,000+ lbs? If the truckers have to follow the laws, so should these guys. 

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 15:51

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Exactly.  They’re empty bags.

450X_FTW > Milky 08/27/2018 at 15:51

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You don’t just pull people over because they might be committing a crime.

In America yes they do, it’s common. All they have to do is say they saw you’re tire hit the yellow or white line and they now have reason to stop you.

DipodomysDeserti > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 15:52

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I would see towing like that on the I10 in between Phoenix and Tucson all the time (the box truck thing is a first) . They never held up traffic, though. That was reserved for truck drivers deciding to pass going 15 mph below the limit. There is always a shit ton of drugs being trafficked on the I10 corridor. I  figure that’s why highway patrol and border patrol never bother pulling them over.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 16:00

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That Tahoe? Yea I do.

But yes if they’re not towing properly pull them over, of course.

The pics you provided show t hey’re using tow bars/ tow dollies, have lights and even the orange triangle.

Do cops even pull people over for going over their tow ratings?  

Milky > 450X_FTW 08/27/2018 at 16:02

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But you shouldn't tho.  

TheRealBicycleBuck > Milky 08/27/2018 at 16:15

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How about this one?

Or this one?

I’m all for our old cars going to some place where they will be used. I’m not for them clogging up our freeways with sketchy tow setups. 

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 16:28

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Sure, pull them over. A t least to waste their time, to deter them from doing it again.

That mean doesnt mean everyone is guilty.

Also I live in Detroit, so my threshold for shit is really high.

Under_Score > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 17:27

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I see this transport stuff in metro Atlanta, too. How are these cars good for driving on the road in the first place; they’re usually some of the worst shape cars I can ever imagine.

Nom De Plume > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 18:32

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Requisite loose cannon gif.

Mercedes Streeter > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 18:39

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Wow, t hat’s kinda impressive... Dangerous as hell , but kinda impressive.

Still, how do you stop them? Most officers aren’t going to waste their time with what’s maybe a ticket in their jurisdiction (that’ll never be paid) and even an arrest is pointless because they’ll just get popped. It’s like trying to sue  a homeless person

TheRealBicycleBuck > Milky 08/27/2018 at 19:00

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Guilty of what? I’m not accusing them of doing anything other than driving a dangerous heap down the interstate. Of that, they are definitely guilty.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t carry insurance either. 

Tohru > Milky 08/27/2018 at 20:24

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Legally in most states you cannot tow multiple trailers at once without a CDL, if I remember right.

Milky > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/27/2018 at 22:25

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I mean the 2 pics you originally posted look legal ( might be at the max for that Tahoe though).

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Milky > Tohru 08/27/2018 at 22:27

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I’ve def seen this in Michigan, thats all the knowledge I have on the topic.

450X_FTW > Milky 08/28/2018 at 08:06

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Just don’t tell the police that 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/28/2018 at 13:29

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This is a constant sight in Southern NM/Far West Texas,and there is never a shortage of stupid in the towing setups There are things LEOs could stop these guys and hand out stacks tickets for, like lacking CDL’s, almost always lacking insurance, equipment violations, lacking trailer brakes, unsafe loads... they might even be able to tow some of these rigs, but it is an investment without much return. Even towing rigs will result in them eventually being auctioned again to pay towing and storage fees to someone else that is probably going to do the exact same thing. The likelihood of holding transient drivers accountable is pretty low.

Of all the things going on out on the interstates, this is a more minor concern, as these operations usually aren’t mules.

Part of me doesn’t fully understand the economics of these operations. I get why our junk (cars, and consumer goods) flows south where apparently people will pay something for it, consumer expectations are probably lower and labor to fix it is cheap, but I don’t get the economics of sending a bunch of guys to drive stuff back. Used car haulers and tractors are cheap (especially since they can be insured and maintained under Mexican laws and still driven here), and then you only have to send one guy to bring back 7+ cars. The only thing I can square with the way they do it is that there appears to be, for all practical intents and purposes, an unlimited supply of people who will work for almost nothing, making the capital investment in a car hauler and tractor seem unnecessary.

functionoverfashion > TheRealBicycleBuck 09/04/2018 at 10:16

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Today in: Things I’ve Never Seen In New Hampshire

Wow, that is sketchy. But I can see why the cops don’t pull them over. Not worth the time, so long as they aren’t constantly causing accidents.