Friday, Red Phone answered a question from a caller about what was in a container being hauled by an extremely large truck police were escorting through town. Morgan Hill police said they did not escort the vehicle through Morgan Hill and the California Highway Patrol said their Monterey division was not responsible and was waiting to hear from their Golden Gate communications center. Alas, Friday, David Gittleson, an associate engineer with the city emailed the permit to Red Phone.
The American Heavy Moving & Rigging truck, out of Chino, was transporting a transformer for PG&E from Fresno to San Mateo and had to be routed through the city because there are low over crossings at Church and Tennant avenues that they can’t detour via off/on ramps. The trailer was about 1,000 feet long and, the caller was correct, a large tow truck was towing it and two large trucks were pushing the vehicle. It has 11 axles, 74 tires and weighed 617,440 pounds, 444,620 of that were the payload, or the transformer.
“Apparently it’s the largest vehicle to pass through the city to date” Gittleson said. “It is impressive.”
Good caller, mystery solved.
How to correctly fly Old Glory
“Hey Red Phone, Memorial Day is here and the Fourth of July is approaching and I want to make sure I’m hanging Old Glory the correct way at our house?”
Red Phone: Dear Patriot, Great question – we want to make sure every American understands how to display the flag with dignity – which is to say, not on your stars-and-stripes bikini.
The U.S. Flag Code gives guidelines for properly displaying the American flag. There’s no penalty for violating them, just so you know. Here’s a few:
– Whether hanging horizontally or vertically, the union should be uppermost and to the observer’s left (in a window, the observer is the person in the street).
– The flag should be displayed outside from sunrise to sunset only.
– On a car, the flag staff should be fixed to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.
Here are some no-nos:
– Don’t display the flag during inclement weather (unless it’s an all-weather flag).
– Never let the flag touch anything beneath it, including the ground, water or merchandise.
– Don’t drape the flag over vehicles, wear it as apparel or use it as bedding or drapery.
Hope that helps, good caller, and a great big thank you to all soldiers.
