How horrible, I hope it was fast. Those cement trucks are notorious for taking up half of the opposite lane around corners - as if they are in a race. You don't dare try to assert your lane position and urge them over, or they may flip over onto you.
Seems every other one doesn't have visible tag numbers, either.

Posted by The Night Mare on June 4, 2014 20:13

The problem with concrete trucks is that they have an offset centre of gravity when the mixing barrel is turning resulting in different levels of stability between turning left and right. Rotation causes the slurry to ride up the barrel surface, increasing the centre of gravity height and any turn in the direction away from this side, offsets the slurry even further. Unlike most vehicles, there will be little warning to the driver of the impending overturn. The rotational speed of the barrel also effects stability and if the batching plant is close, you will often see a higher rotation to ensure mixing is complete prior to arriving at the site.

Posted by Manowar on June 4, 2014 20:50

Saw this tonight on way home from work, truly horrific.

These cement trucks tare around the island at horrendous speeds, every time I see them in my rear view mirror I get out the way as quickly as possible because they are not stopping for anyone or anything.

Posted by Roger Gibson on June 4, 2014 21:06

- Manowar

Excellent info.

I wonder if any of that is being explained to the drivers. I do consider them the most dangerous vehicles on the road due to their weight and the fact that the drivers have "I'm the biggest, get out of my way" attitude.

Posted by ThaiMike on June 4, 2014 21:17

Road safety issues in Phuket must be addressed and improved. Heavy fines and strict punishment must be imposed on drivers exceeding speed limit, not only cement trucks but almost every lorries and tour buses drivers drive like crazy on thepkrasattri road every day. A faulty brake or tire bursts will throw these off balance and crash into others like a bowling ball.

Posted by thai in phuket on June 5, 2014 07:51

I wonder if the driver has a driving license for such kind of vehicle ? Because of the danger these vehicles can be on the road, special driving training is necessary. They shouldn't be allowed on Phuket's hills with the drum running - mixing the concrete at construction site is also possible . . .

Posted by Resident on June 5, 2014 08:45

Resident, on site batching plants are generally used where the construction is so large, that local batching cannot supply the quantities on time or where the site is in an isolated area where the distance is too great and any minor delay will cause curing while still in the truck.
Site batching also requires a very high level of quality control to ensure the correct mixture to achieve the required strength.
It's a simple process if managed correctly but an error such as adding an extra 10 litres of water to a cubic meter can result in up to 15% loss of compressive strength after 28 days.
Each batch also has to be slump tested and generally core sample are taken, after curing these should be tested under compression until failure. If they don't archive the design strength, you can wait a further period and conduct another test and if this also fails, the work should be rejected.
I just can't see this happening.

Posted by Manowar on June 5, 2014 11:23