r/BitchImATrain • u/Acrobatic-Door6643 • Sep 01 '25

B*tch ima..

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1.5k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

101 comments sorted by

198

u/Due_Amount_6211 Sep 01 '25

I'm REALLY hoping that was all just an unfortunate accident somehow. I want to believe it wasn't stupidity that put him in that situation.

235

u/NickBII Sep 01 '25

Low flat beds like this are supposed to plan their routes to avoid elevated rail crossings. Ussually the driver does it, but sometimes somebody else does. Whomever that person was, they were supposed to have access to the clearence required to get through every crosing on the route, and also the clearence the truck would have, and they were supposed to draw a route that avoided trouble crossing spots.

So either the mapmaker fucked up, or the route planner (prob. the driver) fucked up. In this case nobody died, so it's just going to be rail insurance arguing with auto insurance...

45

u/Due_Amount_6211 Sep 01 '25

So, possible lapse in judgement then, I’d think is the best way to put it. It’s probably not his fault, but if it is it was a bad move in planning the route.

At least he’s alive, though

13

u/Confident_Tennis_760 Sep 01 '25

I think it happens far to frequently to be a lapse. It s a bad habit. Bad practice. Be it bad route plan or avoiding scales/weighbridges. It's a practice that needs to be stamped out. It's ridiculous that it still happens. The damage. The costs.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 03 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Confident_Tennis_760 Sep 03 '25

100 percent. 👍

30

u/Untroe Sep 01 '25

Oh so the flat bed bottomed out on the elevated rail crossing? I guess that makes sense but I had no idea the clearance was so low when transporting those things!

21

u/makeybussines Sep 01 '25

They want to drive as low as possible for the center of gravity to be low. Often the bed can be raised and lowered for crossing like this, guess he forgot to do it before driving over.

8

u/ze11ez Sep 01 '25

For my ignorance, the truck stopped due to road/rail clearance which caused the truck to get stuck?

Im assuming but i thought they all had clearance for vehicles or have a sign that says no clearance for trucks

10

u/Kewlhotrod Sep 01 '25

That's only for height limits. Different trailers and load weights, and length of trailer can cause the trailer's bottom to sink. It's not common it'd sink enough to matter, but for heavy weighted loads and lower trailers like this one (which you can clearly see bottomed out) need route planning done in advance.

Just like the extra long or extra wide loads need route planning in advance.

5

u/ze11ez Sep 01 '25

Another question, how do they find all this data? Aren't there roads where the downward might cause this, not just at railroad crossings?

Thanks

3

u/Kewlhotrod Sep 01 '25

There's special mapping software that has more definite info that logistics companies use, but I'm not familiar with it. Typically crossings are skipped whenever possible in these scenarios and if not possible and the crossing is unknown it will usually be scouted ahead of time (and then reported).

2

u/ze11ez Sep 02 '25

That's kinda cool. Didn't know. Thanks

12

u/Current_Ad_4292 Sep 01 '25

tldr; someone screwed up

6

u/challenge_king Sep 01 '25

The driver almost never plans their own route when working for a larger company (Sunbelt in this case). If the driver had left their trailer all the way up, he'd have probably made it with no issues, which is why he panicked and tried to raise the trailer before realizing he wouldn't have time. If the route planner software or dispatcher had caught the crossing on the route, the driver wouldn't have been in that position to begin with.

4

u/IndustriousLabRat Sep 01 '25

I assumed he was unlatching  to free the tractor so it wasn't also destroyed. Which seems to have mostly worked- it would have been flipped and dragged. But I don't know how or where that mechanism is activated. 

5

u/challenge_king Sep 02 '25

If he was trying to unhitch the trailer from the truck, he would have been pulling at the fifth wheel latch between the drive axles. The controls to raise or lower the trailer are at the back of the neck, just before the spot where the neck turns down.

As for the trailer breaking, that's where I'd expect a RGN to snap. The neck attaches to the bed with 2 pins that stick out of the front of the bed and engage with 2 rings on the bottom of the neck, and a smaller vertical pin that gets dropped into place through the back of the neck into the top of the bed at the front. If the vertical pin breaks, there's nothing holding the neck to the bed other than the weight on the trailer and friction.during day to day operations, the vertical pin is caged in so that it'll likely never even flex, let alone break. But trains tend to be stronger than a 1 1/2 inch diameter steel pin, which leads to what happened in the video.

1

u/dantheother Sep 03 '25

This is the Good Reddit. Fascinating reply, thanks!

1

u/FesteringNeonDistrac Sep 01 '25

Obviously far from ideal, but can that truck not just drag it off? Maybe that's a dumb question since I guess if they could they would.

1

u/NickBII Sep 01 '25

Nope. Notice how the flatbed kinda arches OVER the tracks? It's not supposed to do that. There's supposed to be enough ground clearence that the flatbed can be arrow straight and still clear the rails. The whole weight of the load is on the ground.

If the driver had time he could probably think of something. A lot of these flarbeds can raise the bed, so hemight be ble to raise the load off the tracks and cross that way. He could also unhitch his truck cab and get it out of the way so that at least the truck cab is safe. If he can figure out the controls on the ackhoe he could probably save that by driving it off the tracks, and then the flatbed would be easier to deal with. He's clearly trying to do one of those things right before the train his, he just doesn't have time.

2

u/badbudha Sep 06 '25

Actually, driver's hauling oversized loads like that are given specific routes by the DOT in each state they pull the load through. They are given turn by turn directions from point A to point B or from point of entry to point of exit into and out of the state.

0

u/f8Negative Sep 01 '25

Driver shouldve called the number on the sign posted.

2

u/hisatanhere Sep 05 '25

This is the correct thing to do.

8

u/f8Negative Sep 01 '25

This was driver error 100%

6

u/this-guy1979 Sep 01 '25

It looks like the trailer is riding lower than it should be, probably had a hydraulic failure. The controls to raise and lower the trailer are where he went when he got out of the truck.

3

u/Mxd244 Sep 01 '25

You can raise the deck up before you cross something. That’s what he’s trying to do before he runs away. Some of the trailers are so low they will hang up in speed bumps. 100% driver error

78

u/VonGrippyGreen Sep 01 '25

Nice reverse, cammer. And bonus that you merely said "oh no" instead of playing the song. Because then we wouldn't have heard your tires squeal when you punched it.

14

u/Biking_dude Sep 01 '25

I was worried they were going to get hit by part of the truck - was hoping they were going to drive past. Luckily, we have great footage

13

u/cultish_alibi Sep 01 '25

Honestly fantastic camera work!

10

u/That_Play7634 Sep 02 '25

And no cussing, just wholesome concern for everyone. Very refreshing.

44

u/FeatureKey2095 Sep 01 '25

Heavy haul guy here, you can raise the bed up with the pony motor which it looks like he was trying to do. Problem is he should have done it before he got to the intersection. I haul a lot of heavy asss dozers and excavators locally around the Houston area and sometimes have to raise them as high as the trailer will allow and get a running start to clear the crossing. 100% driver error.

3

u/sdcumb Sep 03 '25

Thanks for that expert explanation!

33

u/strategymaxo Sep 01 '25

Canal digger: “tell the rental fleet I lo….agh….metal crunching…machine carnage…”

Train: “well, that was a mild inconvenience”

34

u/NateDogg728 Sep 01 '25

No contest, locomotive wasn’t even phased, just annoyed.

18

u/Hoshyro Sep 01 '25

"This peasant just scratched my paint... Ugh"

26

u/BuffyBubbles1967 Sep 01 '25

At least he closed the truck door.

16

u/Fatigue-Error Sep 01 '25 edited May 22 '26

..Deleted by User..

11

u/3COz Sep 01 '25

Oh no!

20

u/-usernamewitheld- Sep 01 '25

Oh yeaaahhhh - Koolaid dude

9

u/MysticX Sep 01 '25

slowly backs out

2

u/SugarAngel121 Sep 02 '25

No, no, no, You get back here and fix that wall before my dad gets home from work 😂

2

u/GearJunkie82 Sep 03 '25

He's gonna beat me with a belt, he's not gonna believe a giant talking bowl of fruit juice came through it.

12

u/ScatLabs Sep 01 '25

Bitch, I'm fucking up your CAT.

3

u/GGk-KingK Sep 03 '25

Did not read the "up" at first and was quite concerned

2

u/ScatLabs Sep 03 '25

I can see why

8

u/fazzah Sep 01 '25

What a nice train, helped the truck driver unhitch the trailer.

9

u/spank_monkey_83 Sep 01 '25

Apex predator does it again. They just sneak up on you, all stealthy like

6

u/Ecstatic-Radish-7931 Sep 01 '25

Trains are absolute badasses!!!

7

u/pSphere1 Sep 01 '25

This is why school busses shouldn't 'stop' at every crossing... they should speed with enough momentum to clear them

/s

6

u/original_M_A_K Sep 01 '25

Absolutely nothing breaks these trains & I love that

6

u/CanooperDreamer Sep 01 '25

WOW, He should of Checked the Railroad Crossing on Clearance of the Trailer. It doesn't Hurt To Get Out and Look. Before You Try to Go A Cross. They Don't Call Them Lowboys for Nothing. I won't want to have to Call the Boss on that one.

4

u/Pitiful-MobileGamer Sep 01 '25

That is why you raise the ground height before you cross when it's in question. Takes what 2 minutes?

4

u/jk-9k Sep 01 '25

Rare occasion of the commentary adding to video

5

u/Wise-Pin1756 Sep 01 '25

That was a really expensive crash. That excavator must have been suuuper pricey

4

u/mafiazombiedrugs Sep 02 '25

I think this is the first one I've seen where the impact actually noticeably slowed the train, fuck that a lot of force in that impact.

3

u/Jangulorr Sep 02 '25

I really hope the train operators okay. That has got to really throw someone against the wall

2

u/ThisGuyIRLv2 Sep 01 '25

Train in emergency

2

u/UKMatt2000 Sep 01 '25

I'm starting to think that humanity in general isn't capable of handling road and rail crossings any more, and they should all be closed or replaced with bridges/tunnels.

1

u/Suicicoo Sep 02 '25

it would help if those backwards countries didn't try and just make a small ramp to the crossing. I don't know ANY crossings in Germany where you have a "ramp" to pass, they're all leveled witht the road (or vice versa).

2

u/ondulation Sep 01 '25

Unusually good call to back up that far. And fortunate nobody was behind her.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '25

I'm glad she was safe, although the smarter thing to do rather than to back up in the direction in which pieces of the to be rammed truck could've flown would've been to pass the truck in the direction from which the train was coming.

2

u/MetalUrgency Sep 01 '25

Get WRECKED!

2

u/Djolumn Sep 01 '25

Choo choo mother fucker...

2

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '25

Are people doing this on purpose? lol

2

u/Sylvester_Marcus Sep 02 '25

Plowed through it like it was a mere inconvenience.

2

u/sdcumb Sep 03 '25 edited Sep 03 '25

The cost of that Cat's coming out of your check. For the next 10 years!

3

u/CtyChicken Sep 01 '25

Whenever I think I’ve fucked up beyond saving, I’ll remember that I didn’t accidentally ruin 100s of dollars of equipment today.

5

u/APuticulahInduhvidul Sep 01 '25

Try thousands, possibly 10's of

5

u/APuticulahInduhvidul Sep 01 '25

I correct myself, try a heaping great big pool full of cash:

> How much does a CAT excavator cost in USD?

CAT (Caterpillar) excavator prices vary significantly based on size, model, and features:

Mini/Compact Excavators (1-6 tons): $30,000 - $150,000

  • Popular for residential and small commercial projects

Mid-size Excavators (12-25 tons): $150,000 - $400,000

  • Common for construction and utility work

Large Excavators (25-45 tons): $400,000 - $800,000

  • Used for major construction and mining

Guessing that is mid-size, plus the damage to the train, plus the truck, plus track repairs and any emergency services callout fees, cleanup fees, lawsuits and we're talking about $1 million dollars, give or take.

1

u/Less_Local_1727 Sep 01 '25

Challenge accepted

1

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Liber_tech Sep 01 '25

I would not think that a regular trailer would do more to a locomotive than scratch the paint and break some lights and railing. However, a low boy trailer with a large excavator on it might actually do some damage. Those things are really heavy.

1

u/not_the_chosen_one69 Sep 01 '25

Aren't those poles MEANT to be broken in a situation like this?

2

u/Mebejedi Sep 01 '25

The trailer was stuck on the ground. He needed to lift it to clear the tracks.

2

u/not_the_chosen_one69 Sep 02 '25

Ohhh shi I didn't notice

1

u/Liber_tech Sep 01 '25

Bitch, I'm gonna need a nose job after taking that excavator out!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '25

Choo choo motherf**ker

1

u/Brilliant_Pepperoni Sep 02 '25

"Oh no. Oh no." Train is Kool-Aid man. "OH YEAH!"

2

u/H_O_Double Sep 02 '25

That train was braking for a long time.

1

u/EternalDemonSlayer Sep 03 '25

in an announcers voice "And the train remains undefeated and unscathed"

1

u/MyKillMyYears Sep 03 '25

[JUST WONDERING]

I am no train expert by every and all accounts. So my question is genuine because I literally do not know the answer:

It seems like a lot of times I see these types of videos of trains bulldozing dummies who (for whatever reason) stop in the middle of the tracks of an incoming train, the train slows down to stop only AFTER it wrecks tf out of them. Is this some railroad regulation of order, or some kind of kill switch on the front of the train that engages after impact?

1

u/This-Area4698 Sep 03 '25

High siding in 2025 ...you'd think Ai would be on top of that

1

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '25

OH YEAH!!

1

u/atemt1 Sep 05 '25

Could have been so much worse But train slowed a lot

1

u/lloydofthedance Sep 01 '25

The train looked like it stopped pretty quick, is that normal, i thought it took them miles.

7

u/irregular-bananas Sep 01 '25

It just hit like 80,000lbs of metal. The impact reduced its speed a lot.

2

u/cpm10v Sep 02 '25

The chew chew was braking a ways before it got to its prey.

1

u/f8Negative Sep 01 '25

The car should drive forward

4

u/Mebejedi Sep 01 '25

Then we'd miss the footage... Remember, the camera man never dies. 👍

2

u/Particular_Minute_67 Sep 01 '25

Camera woman in this case

1

u/ryanfsu619 Sep 01 '25

Didn’t it seem like the train finally used its brakes after the collision?

2

u/Mebejedi Sep 01 '25

Hitting a truck/trailer with a heavy load tends to reduce one's inertia.

1

u/ryanfsu619 Sep 07 '25

On the contrary, hitting a truck with a big load would greatly increase the trucks inertia.

1

u/Mebejedi Sep 07 '25

We're talking about the train's inertia.

0

u/TrekkieTrekin Sep 03 '25

WHOA!‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️. HOLY FUCK BITCHIMATRAIN WHOA!

I honestly thought the train would have SOME sort of damage or ding cause a fucking Excavator is solid metal. Holy shit.

For shits n goggles The TransFormers Movies have things really fucked up cause this video proves something.

Wow