The Texas Department of Public Transportation and Texas law enforcement agencies are always focusing on specific driving issues and this needs to be one of them.

TXDoT and the Texas DPS, along with EPPD and the EPSO are always forming special taskforces.

During these, they will focus on specific, driving related laws or issues. For example, The TXDoT signs along the freeway usually theme their messages around drinking and driving or texting and driving.

The NHTSA , thankfully, sponsors Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month every May.

Local and state law enforcement agencies often put extra officers out on the streets during crackdowns on various issues like DWI's, safety belt usage or texting/talking while driving.

One of them needs to put one together on gravel trucks, dump trucks, pickups and trailers ... any vehicle hauling any type of gravel, sand, rock or whatever.

These vehicles drive around with every type of projectile on board and they constantly drop them, cracking windshields, denting/scratching paint and, for bikers, smacking people in the head.

In Texas, all loads of "loose material" must be covered and there are penalties for things that fall off. They're not all that harsh though:

  • not less than $25 or more than $200 for a first conviction; and
  • not less than $200 or more than $500 for a second or subsequent conviction.

I would LOVE to see the the cops crackdown on these vehicles. I see them everyday, dropping rocks and pebbles and things up and down the freeway. You can try and stay back but that doesn't help things.

Once an object hits the freeway at 60mph, you have no idea where the rebound will take it.

Let's have the law occasionally send out their task force to follow these trucks and cite them for every little thing that falls off. Or, maybe, these "haulers" should be denied  freeway access completely.

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If I sound a little angry, that's because I've had my windshield repaired a dozen times and each time the company whose truck was at fault sidestepped it saying I had no proof it was their truck.

One denied having a truck with the numbers/markings I gave them. I may not have a dozen engineering degrees to my claim but, c'mon ...  I can read.

Dash cam or eye witness testimony should be enough to force the driver/company to have to pay for all damages along with an extra penalty for every instance after the first one

After 2 chips were repaired and made invisible, I picked up 2 new cracks, one of which was already repaired once..

Many company trucks have warnings written on them cautioning you to stay back a certain amount of distance. Again, the rebound of the object could go anywhere and if you're driving towards it at 60mph or more, any amount of distance will close quickly.

Those warnings also don't necessarily get them off the hook so, if it happens you should totally call and threaten legal action if they don't fix your damage. Also, be sure and get any identifying info from the vehicle and/or video that you can.

For more info, click here and/or you can click here.

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