At first glance, we seriously assumed that we had mentioned this exact same story before. Turns out, one particular Maxi Haulage driver doesn't tune into Engadget, as he pulled the
exact same trick in (almost) the same circumstances. Reportedly, this timber haul was cut short as the driver followed his personal GPS system down a "farm lane" suitable only for (presumably small) tractors, and needless to say, the 45-foot vehicle has been wedged ever since. Additionally, the owner of the property is quite irate, as the mishap is forcing her to drive an extra two miles until rescue arrives. Still, the motorist did cruise right by a sign noting that the upcoming road was unfit for heavy goods vehicles, so at least the sat nav can't take
all of the
blame this
go 'round.
[Thanks, Carl H.]
posted Feb 22nd 2008 9:36AM
Are we really supposed to believe that this farm lane actually showed up on any GPS map or is the driver using it as an excuse for trying to find his own shortcut..
> Are we really supposed to believe that this farm lane actually
> showed up on any GPS map
The fact that it has the bilingual sign tells me that it's a public road - albeit a public road that only leads to a farm or two. So yes, it would certainly be included on a GPS map.
This is an ongoing issue with GPS and Truckers...
how many of these "dumbass driver blindly follows GPS into a ditch" posts do we need? it's getting old.
So are useless comments like yours.
Don't like the topic, don't post. Simple enough for even you to understand.
Perhaps you're just bitter because you too have been misguided by your GPS and it makes you want to die a little inside whenever you see someone else suffer the same fate.
Yeah really - if your time is so valuable that you can't appreciate the occasional humorous article - get off the internet.
The driver needs to be given a wooden spoon and a corked fork to prevent him from further injuring himself due to his/her own stupidity!
It unfortunate that people that blindly follow their gps's often don't become Darwin Award Candidates. These people should encounter dire consequences more often than not when following their gps like this
anyone notice how these things always seem to happen in the uk? not suggesting anything, i'm just wondering if maybe their maps aren't as robust as the ones in the us
We just happen to have been around longer than America and so have more small roads and country lanes.
^ Wouldn't that allow you more time to pave/map said roads???
FAIL.
1 - Why would you pave a country road that is used by about 5 cars a day if that?
2 - It obviously is mapped if it showed up on a GPS.
So what does that make your post? Oh yes it makes it a 'FAIL' except that's the sort of thing only idiots say.
> Wouldn't that allow you more time to pave/map said roads???
It is paved, and it is mapped.
@spam_from_engadget - Looking at the above photos I'd have to disagree and say it doesn't look paved.
It's probably a grade 2 listed path protected by the National Trust or English Heritage (even though that sign looks like it's in Welsh) because Dick Turpin once farted there in 1720.
lol; The Office, season 4, episode 2.
In other news...
a woman is suing Starbucks for giving her a hot latte which she spilled on herself.
Once again another uniformed opinion. You just assume that the person is wrong and doesn't have a case. How about you find out facts about the case first.
There is a limit on how hot a store can make beverages. Should a person be burned just because they had an accident? The beverage shouldn't be that hot anyway. The reason they make drinks that really hot is because it save the company money. The hotter the water the less coffee beans they need to use.
I find it funny that its a "Maxi" truck that uh, got stuck in between two walls... :X
I keep reading these stories and I still find it so unbelievable that people would throw away all judgement and absolutley insist on following what their GPS says.
For god sakes, even if you were following along with a GPS surely you must glance at the road once in a while!!! If a 2 year old can figure out you can't fit a square peg in a round hole why can't these "grown adults" come to the realization that you can't drive a damn semi down some farmers mud road.
I'll say it again, common sense needs to be a bit more common.
Matt
Common sense is no longer common and that is the "route" of this trucker's problem!
(couldn't resist a bad pun)
Perhaps there was no place for him to turn around after the sign
Rumor has it newer trucks have a reverse feature.
Ever tried to reverse an articulated lorry?
@Carbonize
Ever tried to dislodge an articulated lorry from a narrow country lane? I'll try reverse, thanks.
I mean he couldn't of reversed it all the way out on his own. Yes you could reverse it enough to dislodge it but without someone to guide him he wouldn't have a hope in hell of reversing all the way back up the lane.
Probably on his way to pick up a shipment of tasty Potato Wedges... oh the ironing..
Perhaps these people should invest in one of those "secret" Navitron Autodrive systems that Red Barclay(RIP) used...
"You know, this [Navitron Autodrive]...With this baby driving your truck for you, all you gotta do is sit back and feel your ass grow."
Yes, oh the ironing! I must ensure that my pants are properly creased!!!
I hope that ironing is a horrible typo and that you know that correct word is *irony*
@DSeaver
Clearly you have never seen The Simpsons.
GPS is not a replacement for common sence!
Unfortunately GPS navigation is more common than common sense and easier to come by.
I told you technology sucked!
-- Ted Kaczynski
Hey I got it!!!...that truck contained a secret shipment of CloudBooks.....which would explain why there are none available...wonder exactly which gps hardware/software he was using...the little bird on the treadmill must have been tired when he made that turn (think Flintsones)
The sooner the local councils map their own roads, put up legally binding weight RESTRICTIONS (except for local access) and give the data to the sat nav companies, the sooner this problem will end. Often these warning signs appear much too late, where there is nowhere to turn around. Having just spent four weeks driving around rural Britain (not much of that left in the south unfortunately!) I have seen dozens of these signs, and usually, it would be impossible to turn an articulated lorry around by the time they appear.
A proper commercial goods vehicle satnav system should take weight & size restrictions into account (again, depends upon the information that TeleAtlas and the like get; but mostly it's good and up to date).
However, the article states that this was the drivers *personal* satnav. I certainly haven't seen any of the 100 quid TomToms etc. come with the size/weight restrictions features...
Anybody notice the warning sign is in English and Welsh? What if the driver couldn't read either?
If they couldn't read either then it's a wonder that they made it as far as South Wales in the first place. Just as well they managed to interpret one of those handy "Drive on the Left" multi-lingual signs.
They should use ndrive (a portuguese gps with real photos not maps).
Or they could use what we who were born this side of the 90's like to refer to as a map. It's a thing that usually comes printed on paper and you use it to find places and plan journeys.
Somehow I hear Michael Scott's voice: "The Machine knows!"
actually the maps in the UK are pretty good, (MUCH better than anything I have ever found in the US!) the problem is that nobody bothers looking at them once they start using sat nav. (I don't even KNOW where my map is now) French Michelin maps are even better, take a look at www.viamichelin.com and plan a route across france. The detail is fantastic. As mentioned before, the satnavs cannot distinguish between navigable and non-navigable roads (for very large vehicles.) This can only be tackled by notified weight and size/height restrictions which in turn go to satnav map providers. The software will then get upgraded as the maps are upgraded. Really it is the fault of behind the times councils who can't be bothered to properly catalogue their own road systems!
Well, at least google fixed their driving directions from Boston to London, so hopefully no one will be drowning attempting to swim to England from the US.
Apparently if someone found a way to hack into the data that all these GPS receivers draw from they could direct everyone to drive into the Grand Canyon or something.
People complain that they dislike the prospect of computer-controlled cars that drive themselves, but obviously computer-assisted human drivers aren't exactly Mensa material either.
MENSA Member - Person who thinks they are intelligent but is gullible enough to pay an annual fee just so they can say they are a member of MENSA.
The GPS has absolutely NO blame for this, the guy is just a dumbass. It is only to point you in the right direction, not be your driver. I do think that GPS' should have a way to specify the type of vehicle, but still, if you can't read a sign it's YOUR fault for being a dumbass. In fact, if he couldn't read that sign, what's to say that he reads other ones? "18-Wheeler plows through Toyota Yaris, entire family killed". People like this shouldn't be allowed to have licenses until they prove themselves to have enough brain cells to drive.
The GPS has absolutely NO blame for this, the guy is just a dumbass. It is only to point you in the right direction, not be your driver. I do think that GPS' should have a way to specify the type of vehicle, but still, if you can't read a sign it's YOUR fault for being a dumbass. In fact, if he couldn't read that sign, what's to say that he reads other ones? "18-Wheeler plows through Toyota Yaris, entire family killed". People like this shouldn't be allowed to have licenses until they prove themselves to have enough brain cells to drive. Hell, I'm 15 and it's sad that I drive better than most people around me.
Having lived by GPS for several years now, I can say from first hand experience they are only for median sized family sedans and you should update you maps every year.
I wouldn't blame the truckers, I wouldn't put all the blame on the GPS manufacturers either. I think the biggest issue is that the GPS devices don't have an option to choose: number of axles, gross weight, etc.
These one time configurations will help a lot. Of it might also require TelAtlas or Navteq to start tagging roads with weight class settings, but shouldn't they have done that in the first place?
I hear this "Americans are stupid" jibe from Europeans all the time.
But, it seems, we are not as prone to follow our robotic masters as often, are we?
Maybe not but when you do you certainly make more of a mess than we do - http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/04/man-follows-gps-directions-onto-train-tracks-into-dummy-hall-of/