Bush Road Driving

[Bill Johnson]

Here's a little tale about the risks of driving on bush roads during the log haul.
It was probably in the late 70's, I think it was December, I had the forester's brand new Chevy pickup 3/4 ton. I was going into what is known as a clonal seedling seed orchard to burn some slash piles we had bulldozed up during site preparation.
In those days we didn't have two way radios or CB's or cell/sat phones in our trucks like we do now. I knew the haul was on, and had already met one or two loaded logging trucks heading out to the highway.
I was about 1/2 way through an "S" bend when around the corner came a loaded truck. There wasn't even time to think, I hit the front bumper on the log trucks driver side, slid along his fuel tank, bounced off his duals on the back of the tractor and just missed the front stack pocket on the log trailer. He cranked his wheels to left and went off the road but didn't roll, I went to the left and buried the truck in the snow back up to the doors.
The impact smashed the front right fender on my truck, cleaned off my mirror and door handle and creased the whole side of the box.
Luckily neither one of us was injured. Right after the accident happened before we even had time to put our flares or flags two more empty trucks came around the corner the opening between my truck and the log truck was so narrow that they bumped my pickup a little further into the snowbank going by.
I still don't know if this could have been prevented, I do know that even to this day when I'm in the bush I hug the shoulder as tight as I can, and now that I have a two way radio, and a CB I make sure that I call the mileage markers whenever I go down a road where they may be hauling.

There is no place I have to be that means I can't take my time and get there in one piece.
Bill
  8)

[Ron Scott]

I had a similar incident but with three snowmobilers coming around a 90 degree turn on a haul road. Haul road was posted with "Caution, Logging Ahead" signs. We didn't expect snowmobilers on the road, but they had gotten on the haul road after the first snows to just explore.

The first two drivers baled off their machines and the first snowmobile hit the right front tire of my Toyota as it rolled over. No one injured, some snowmobile damage and three very scared snowmobilers.

I gave them a good talking to and needless to say, we never saw them on the haul road again. This made us more cognizant of snowmobilers entering a sale area unknown however.