Usually, full-size mobile homes are transported by a tractor-trailer sporting an “OVERSIZED LOAD” sign with a chase vehicle in front or behind it. This job requires mapping out a route to avoid low bridges, sharp turns and low hanging power lines, and it’s almost always done during daylight hours. In specific cases, road signs need to be removed to allow wide loads to make turns. None of this was taken into consideration late Saturday night when a Chevrolet Silverado driver decided to tow a 70-foot long mobile home in the middle of the night.
Joplin First News was tipped off about a three-quarter-ton truck towing a single-wide home on a metal frame that was blocking an entire highway and quickly arrived at the scene. According to the live report, the truck left from somewhere in Kansas to reach its final destination in Sarcoxie, Missouri. Trouble started when it tried to make a downhill 90-degree turn onto Highway 86.
The mobile home bottomed out as the truck turned on to the highway, creating an unintentional roadblock. Authorities were notified of the situation after the local fire department came across the snafu while responding to a traffic accident and was forced to take an alternate route.
The Facebook live feed showed Metro Towing, the local fire department and the sheriff’s department surveying the situation to move the building off the highway. Apparently, it shut down the road for three hours starting around midnight.
While these antics are normally pulled by people who “only need to go a few miles,” this guy was driving across state lines. Considering the cost required to hire a moving company, this was probably a cost-saving decision. It’s also safe to assume is the main reason it was being moved at night—to fly under the radar.
Needless to say, the driver of the pickup truck is busted and will likely be subjected to hefty fines. And even though this was a dangerous and ultimately failed attempt to transport a huge load, it could be spun into a positive for Silverado owners who brag to Ford fanboys about their heavy-duty capabilities. Just don’t expect any Ram drivers to be impressed.
Special thanks to Shannon Becker at Joplin News First.
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