Incident Overview
A four-engined heavy jet was directed by ground control to taxi to an active runway. The assigned taxi route required crossing an active runway. Ground control instructed the crew not to cross that runway, a command that the aircrew acknowledged. The airplane stopped and held its position on a north-south oriented taxiway that intersected the active runway, facing south.
While the airplane was stopped, a maintenance utility truck operated by another airline came to a stop on the east side of a service road that crossed perpendicular to the taxiway where the airplane was positioned. Ground control then directed the airplane to continue taxiing. As the airplane began to power up, the service truck drove behind it. The truck was struck by the airplane's jetblast and rolled over two or three times.
Subsequent Review
A review of the airport's motor vehicle operating regulations handbook and the airline's driver training program revealed that the dangers of jetblast to motor vehicles were not covered in these materials.