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[hbelkins]

http://11foot8.com/

[AZDude]

Wow! 

[cjk374]

If you scroll down, there is a section for historic pictures of other truck/bridge mishaps.  The 1st pic has US 15 BUS/US 501 BUS signs from 1966.  Check out the font used to make 501 fit in a 2dius.   

[texaskdog]

Well I just watched Ice Road Truckers where they should have been 6 inches too high and went right under, and not very slowly either. 

[1995hoo]

I've seen a lot of trucks crashed into this one in Charlottesville over the years. 10-foot clearance, and they even having a warning bell (note the horn-type speaker to the right) and a flashing light, both of which are activated by the approach of tall vehicles, yet truck drivers run into it anyway.

http://maps.google.com/?ll=38.034234,-78.500007&spn=0.006448,0.016512&z=17&layer=c&cbll=38.034119,-78.4998&panoid=pn7PAcj_TZf3gh-nzhbwVw&cbp=12,109.79,,0,-7.72


I should be able to picture that bridge in Durham from my three years living there, but I guess it never made much of an impression on me. It's right around the corner from several pubs we frequented.

[Duke87]

Two men in a truck come up on a sign that says LOW CLEARANCE - NO VEHICLES OVER 10' 6". They stop, get out, and measure the height of their truck. After careful study, they determine that it's 11 feet tall. They glance at the truck, then at each other. Then one then says to the other, "well.... I don't see any cops around. Let's go for it."

[xcellntbuy]

Incredible.  What would happen to these people who rent the box trucks?

[SidS1045]

The 9'-6" clearance for the Massachusetts Avenue underpass on Memorial Drive in Cambridge MA is always good for at least two or three rental trucks getting stuck and damaged every September, when kids go off to college.  Some of the local radio stations take bets on when the first one will be, and there's always a winner.  The underpass is guarded by multiple flashing lights and signs and low-hanging chains to warn drivers, but every year one or more morons ignore all the warnings.

[burgess87]

Or, the Texas version (in what looks to be orange Clearview, no less):

[Kacie Jane]

Just watched what I guess is the main video off that 11'8" site, and what baffles is me is the trucks that have apparently seen the flashing lights and have slowed to like 5 MPH, but still proceed through (literally through) the bridge at low speed. Just wanted to see what would happen I guess?

[NE2]

It's the relativistic effect. Things expand when they go faster.

[deathtopumpkins]

The 9'-6" clearance for the Massachusetts Avenue underpass on Memorial Drive in Cambridge MA is always good for at least two or three rental trucks getting stuck and damaged every September, when kids go off to college.  Some of the local radio stations take bets on when the first one will be, and there's always a winner.  The underpass is guarded by multiple flashing lights and signs and low-hanging chains to warn drivers, but every year one or more morons ignore all the warnings.

I had forgotten about all those. Several underpasses on both Memorial Drive and Storrow Drive have very low clearances.

Here's an example of the warning signage:

(from flickr)

I presume the hanging CARS ONLY signs act as telltales to represent the actual clearance.

[agentsteel53]

I presume the hanging CARS ONLY signs act as telltales to represent the actual clearance.

you are correct.  they are at 9' 6".  their mounting on chains gives them the ability to give your overheight vehicle an impressive WHOMP! and then return to duty seconds later, not significantly damaged, in case you've got two maroons coming in close proximity.

[US71]

Incredible.  What would happen to these people who rent the box trucks?

Hopefully, they have insurance.

I'm wondering how long it took the RV driver to find his accident (can you call ignorance an "accident" or merely "stupidity")

[Sykotyk]

They can be cited for failure to obey a traffic control device, wreckless driving, etc. The problem is non-commercial drivers are oblivious that their vehicles could possibly hit anything, so when they get in one of those big-box rental trucks, they don't even consider clearance signs. It's just not something you would notice. Until the top of the truck gets ripped open like a sardine can.

[vdeane]

wreckless driving

I know we have some stupid laws, but I'm pretty sure that making it mandatory for people to total their cars is not one of them.

[mtantillo]

I've seen a lot of trucks crashed into this one in Charlottesville over the years. 10-foot clearance, and they even having a warning bell (note the horn-type speaker to the right) and a flashing light, both of which are activated by the approach of tall vehicles, yet truck drivers run into it anyway.

http://maps.google.com/?ll=38.034234,-78.500007&spn=0.006448,0.016512&z=17&layer=c&cbll=38.034119,-78.4998&panoid=pn7PAcj_TZf3gh-nzhbwVw&cbp=12,109.79,,0,-7.72


I should be able to picture that bridge in Durham from my three years living there, but I guess it never made much of an impression on me. It's right around the corner from several pubs we frequented.

I've seen a few hits at the McCormack Road/Emmet Street bridge in Charlottesville as well. 

[1995hoo]

I've seen a few hits at the McCormack Road/Emmet Street bridge in Charlottesville as well. 

Yes, indeed. I remember the time we ran a photo of such a truck on the front page of the Cavalier Daily because the top of the truck had been torn off by the bridge.

Whenever I've rented a Penske truck for moving, the height of the truck in both feet and metres is marked on the side of the truck so that you see it every time you check your mirrors. Is this not standard on tractor-trailers? It seems like a simple precaution!

[roadfro]

^ It may not be a standard marking on tractor trailers, but I'm fairly certain tractor trailers are a standard height that most regular truckers should know...

[The Premier]

BTW, what is the average height of a semi truck with a tractor trailer?

[allniter89]

BTW, what is the average height of a semi truck with a tractor trailer?

!3' 6" height, 53' length, 102" width for a standard dry van (like WalMart trucks)

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Meanwhile over here in Ohio...
http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/jul/12/6/girls-gone-wild-tour-bus-damaged-can-opener-ar-605863/
P.S. I don't recall anyone calling this bridge the "can opener" prior to this year.

[Sykotyk]

wreckless driving

I know we have some stupid laws, but I'm pretty sure that making it mandatory for people to total their cars is not one of them.

I have to ask exactly where you got the implication that wreckless driving would be for avoiding hitting the bridge. It'd be the safe, smart thing to do to avoid hitting the obstruction. It would be wreckless driving because they obviously ignored any and all warning signs about the impending trouble. In addition, they were driving a vehicle, then, that they did not know the dimensions, limitation, or constraints it imposed. Being that they were just driving along like they did in the 5' tall sedan.

As for average height of truck, that'd be hard to say. Anything over 26,000 pounds qualifies to the government as a 'truck'. As for tractor-trailers, the national maximum before needing a permit for a single trailer is 13'6 tall, 102" wide, 73' long combined. That's on STAA routes (mainly non-exempt interstates, and any approved road in any state). Each state, then, has their own limits and exceptions. Some allow long doubles, some allow triples. Some allow longer trailers. Some allow higher weights. Some allow taller trailers (Kansas is 14' before you need a permit, for instance). Most western states have a 48' trailer limit except on STAA routes (and normal access to/from). Some states have limits on kingpin to rear axle distance. California being the stickler with any trailer longer than 48' requiring a 40' kingpin to rear-axle setting on ANY road in the state.

Michigan allows the 'Michigan sleds' with 160,000 lb limits on what seems like an eight axle trailer. Washington and Oregon (I believe) allow 57' trailers with 3 or 4 axles. Most mountain states out west allow "Rocky Mountain Doubles", that being a moderate length trailer (approx 30' or so) followed by a long dolly and a short pup trailer (26' or less) to handle tighter mountain roads where a 40'+ trailer just can't maneuver.

As for height, there really isn't a standard height in the country. The interstates were built to generally handle 13'6 (except the tunnels on the east coast, namely New York and Norfolk), otherwise 13'6 fits everywhere. And that's what the manufacturers have decided as the defacto standard limit. But each state can set their own standard higher before requiring a special permit.

[agentsteel53]

wreckless driving

I know we have some stupid laws, but I'm pretty sure that making it mandatory for people to total their cars is not one of them.

tl;dr

you made a typo! 

[apeman33]

wreckless driving

I know we have some stupid laws, but I'm pretty sure that making it mandatory for people to total their cars is not one of them.

I have to ask exactly where you got the implication that wreckless driving would be for avoiding hitting the bridge.  <SNIP>

It's "reckless". "Wreckless" would actually be the opposite of "wrecked."