The Trucker News Staff

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Three people are dead after a fiery crash early Friday morning, June 17, east of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The preliminary investigation shows that a tractor-trailer was heading east on Interstate 80 around milepost 383 when the driver lost control, causing the rig to roll over and stop in the roadway, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol. A second tractor-trailer, also heading east, collided with the overturned truck, and both vehicles became engulfed in flames. According to reports, three bodies, which have not been identified, were found in the wreckage. The fire was so intense that officials have not yet determined the make and models of the two tractor-trailers. Investigations are ongoing into the parties involved and potential contributing factors. No hazardous materials were involved in the crash, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol. The eastbound lanes of I-80 were closed from milepost 370 to 386 for most of Friday while investigation and cleanup took place. Eastbound traffic was rerouted to I-80 Frontage Road.

UPDATE WSB-TV reports that the tractor-trailer that crashed and caught fire early Monday morning in Atlanta, causing all lanes of Interstate 285 to shut down hit two passenger cars on the side of the interstate. One of the cars reportedly caught on fire. Police reported that the tractor-trailer was carrying vegetables. The driver was not injured, and the two passenger cars it hit were reported to be unoccupied. The second crash, which occurred less than an hour later and did not involve a tractor-trailer, also caused major backups on the southbound side of I-285. DeKalb County police told WSB-TV that a pedestrian was killed and the driver stayed on scene. PREVIOUS STORY ATLANTA — Parts of Interstate 285 in Atlanta were shut down Monday morning due to a pair of incidents, one involving a burning tractor-trailer. WXIA reports that a tractor-trailer on I-285 at Flat Shoals Road was on fire, which caused all eastbound lanes to close. As of the time of reporting, it is unclear as to what caused the fire and what was burning on the truck. RED ALERT #1. ALL lanes still blocked I-285 EB past Flat Shoals Road. Use Moreland Avenue or I-75/85 North through downtown. #11alive pic.twitter.com/Of996Eaynz — TrafficTrackers (@11AliveTraffic) June 20, 2022 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that “huge plumes of white smoke were still billowing from the charred big rig as of 7 a.m.” AJC traffic reporter Mike Shields said he believes an investigation will prolong the closure even after the flames are out. There was also another incident that blocked all the lanes of I-285 southbound at Glenwood Road. Traffic there was being diverted off the interstate, but some lanes were reopened around 7:30 a.m. EST. RED ALERT #2. ALL lanes blocked I-285 SB at Glenwood Road, traffic diverted off the interstate but delays jam back to Memorial Drive. Use I-75/85 South through the city. #11alive pic.twitter.com/BvkpDxOLLd — TrafficTrackers (@11AliveTraffic) June 20, 2022 It was reported that some drivers were turning around exits, even though that is illegal unless directed police. It's quite illegal to turn around on the exit unless directed by police but it's happening I-285 SB with all lanes blocked at Glenwood Road. #11alive pic.twitter.com/ZcrPldFp5C — TrafficTrackers (@11AliveTraffic) June 20, 2022 Traffic was delayed back to Memorial Drive and motorists were urged to use I-75/85 south to go around the incidents. As of 6:30 a.m. EST, some lanes are reported to be reopened. Some good news, the wreck I-285 Sb at Glenwood now has a few right lanes open but delays still nasty back to memorial Drive. #11alive pic.twitter.com/5jD9lfyj98 — TrafficTrackers (@11AliveTraffic) June 20, 2022  

SALEM COUNTY, N.J. — A tractor-trailer driver was killed in a fiery crash early Tuesday morning, June 14, on the New Jersey Turnpike in Salem County, New Jersey. NJ.com reports that Randy Wayne Morgan, 59, of Biscoe, North Carolina, was traveling northbound, approaching the Interchange 1 toll plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike in Carney’s Point Township at about 3:15 a.m. At some point, Morgan hit a concrete divider separating toll lanes. The truck Morgan was driving caught fire and was soon engulfed in flames. Police told NJ.com that Morgan was trapped in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. He was alone in the truck. No other vehicles were involved, and the accident remains under investigation.

MYERSVILLE, Md. — One man is dead after hitting a deer with his vehicle and then being hit himself early Friday morning. WMAR reports that Jordan Scott Maddocks, 33, hit a deer sometime around 3 a.m. Friday morning on the westbound side of Interstate 70, just before the Maryland Route 17-Myersville exit in Frederick County. Maddocks reportedly got out of his vehicle and checked it after hitting the deer and was then struck by a tractor-trailer. “Police say three other people inside the vehicle at the time of the collision were not hurt,” WMAR reports. “The tractor-trailer driver also was not injured.” The crash closed parts of I-70 for several hours.

CASPER, Wyo. — A 5-year-old boy died shortly after a June 9 wreck involving an SUV that traveled in front of the path of an 18-wheeler in Wyoming. Wyoming State Troopers said the wreck happened at milepost 80 on Wyoming Highway 220, west of Casper, at 8:24 p.m. An accident report states that a Kenworth semi-truck driven by Howard Lorenzen, 62, of Lusk Wyoming, was heading east on Wyoming 220. As Lorenzen approached an intersection with Pathfinder Road, a 2008 Honda Pilot driven by Sierra M. White, 23, of Evansville, Wyoming, was stopped at the intersection, facing north. White reportedly accelerated rapidly forward into the lane of Lorenzen’s truck as he was going through the intersection, according to the accident report. The Kenworth collided with the driver’s side of the Honda, causing both vehicles to overturn. A 4 and 5-year-old were secured in the back seat of the Honda in child restraints, and both were transported to Wyoming Medical Center for injuries sustained in the crash. The 5-year-old succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital. Another passenger in the Pilot, 27-year-old Evansville resident Catherine Brummett, along with White, was also taken to the hospital with injuries. Lorenzen was wearing a seatbelt and transported to Wyoming Medical Center for injuries he sustained in the crash. Wyoming State Patrol said that driver inattention and cell phone use on part of white are being investigated as potential contributing factors. This is the 40th fatality on Wyoming’s roadways in 2022 compared to 41 in 2021, 39 in 2020, and 71 in 2019 to date.

BATON ROUGE, La. – A bill that’s currently on the Louisiana governor’s desk will, if signed, designate the 18-mile-long Atchafalaya Basin Bridge a highway safety corridor. This distinction will authorize authorities to double speeding fines along the bridge route, as well as install cameras to enforce speed limits. Speeders will receive two warnings before they are issued $350 citations for a third offense, according to the bill. A fourth or more offense will result in a $1,000 fine. The bridge, which carries Interstate 10 between Lafayette and the state capital, Baton Rouge, opened in 1973. The speed limit is 60 mph for cars and 55 mph for trucks, which are required to stay in the right lanes on the elevated roadway. The bridge will be broken up into segments with the speeds calculated for how long it takes a driver to get through one segment to the next, according to the legislation. At 60 mph, the entire trip should take about 18 minutes. At 65 mph, a driver should be able to cross the bridge in 16 to 17 minutes. If drivers finish in 15 minutes or less, then they were driving too fast and will be ticketed. State Senator Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, said that the new measures are needed due to constant speeding on the bridge. He told his fellow lawmakers recently that there were 269 accidents with 89 injuries and two fatalities along the bridge last year. The Louisiana Department of Transportation (LDOT) will be tasked with installing cameras at both of the bridge’s entrances, the two exits and at the bridge’s end points in each direction. LDOT will also be required to post new signage warning of the new speed limits as well as truck lane restrictions. At least eight sets of speed limit signs will be placed on both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the bridge. There will also be six sets of “trucks right lane only” signs erected eastbound and westbound. One concern voiced about travel along the bridge focused on enforcement of the truck lane rule. Shawn Wilson, director of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, has told Louisiana lawmakers that the issue of truck travel is best addressed by placing signage to alert trucks about the left lane restriction. “I think the best way we can address that … is by law we’re putting six signs up that say trucks are restricted to the right lane, and so I think that will help tremendously,” Wilson has testified. “I think everybody is going to look at this enforcement corridor as one to treat more seriously and drive responsibly, so I think it will address the trucks that are in the left lane.” The governor can sign the bill into law, let it become law without his signature, or he can veto it.

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Georgia Ports Authority moved an all-time high 519,390 twenty-foot equivalent container units in May, breaking the previous record of 504,350 TEUs set in October 2021. GPA’s May volumes grew by 8.5%, or 40,770 TEUs, compared to the same month last year. “Despite global supply chain challenges, the Port of Savannah continues to be an economic driver, providing reliable, world-class service for port customers across our state and nation,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said. “Delivering new opportunity for hardworking Georgians and supporting economic prosperity across the Peach State is central to the mission of our deepwater ports.” GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch noted Garden City Terminal is handling more business during the current influx of trade than during the previous spike, last fall. The additional trade is driven in part by vessels diverting to Savannah from other East and West Coast ports. “Strong consumer demand continues to drive higher volumes at the Port of Savannah,” Lynch said. “The infrastructure improvements and pop-up yards approved by the GPA Board have enabled our operations to maintain the flow of cargo across our terminal, despite unprecedented container volumes passing through the port.” As of April, GPA has added 900,000 TEUs of annual capacity to Garden City Terminal. Another 300,000 are expected to come online in July for a new total of more than 7 million TEUs of container handling space. Additionally, Phase I of the Garden City Terminal West expansion has added a 25-acre container yard adjacent to Ga. Highway 21, a principal truck route approaching the main terminal. Phase II will add up to 1 million TEUs of annual capacity, which will begin coming online in 2023. “By increasing container space at Garden City Terminal, GPA is accommodating the expansion in global commerce that supports job growth in Georgia,” GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten said. “Industries from logistics to auto manufacturing, and agriculture to retail depend on Georgia’s ports for reliable supply chain solutions.” The Port of Savannah completed 327,400 truck gate moves in May, counting loaded import and export containers, as well as the movement of empty chassis. Thanks to the flexibility of motor carriers taking advantage of night gate hours, Garden City Terminal facilitated more than 15,000 truck moves between the hours of 7 and 11 p.m. last month, up from just over 10,000 in April. Another 48,000 containers (approximately 88,000 TEUs) moved by rail in May. In addition to the container trade, GPA achieved a 28% increase in breakbulk cargo for the month. Breakbulk commodities including iron and steel, rubber, and forest products reached 320,722 tons in May, up 70,780 tons.

SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. — A Clinton, North Carolina, truck driver is facing a commercial vehicle DWI charge and serious injuries after police say he wrecked his big rig off an overpass and landed on Interstate 40 Sunday night. According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, James Butler, 33, was heading south on Highway 403 just inside Sampson County when he drove off the right side of the highway, down an embankment and onto the interstate below. The highway was closed for four hours. Butler is in intensive care at a Raleigh hospital. Faison Fire and Rescue says more than 45 firefighters from four departments worked the accident scene Sunday night.

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — The Illinois Tollway has launched around-the-clock Hot Weather Patrols to more quickly locate and assist customers stranded along its roads during the dangerously high temperatures and humidity expected to continue through Thursday. The Illinois Tollway typically operates Hot Weather Patrols whenever temperatures or heat indexes indicate conditions could be hazardous for stranded drivers, according to a news release. The 24-hour patrols search for drivers stranded in disabled vehicles and respond to calls that come in to *999 motorist assistance, Illinois Tollway dispatch or Illinois State Police District 15. “Protecting our customers is our highest priority, so during these dangerously hot conditions we’re adding these extra patrols to ensure we more rapidly find and assist any drivers who are stranded along our roads,” Illinois Tollway Interim Executive Director Lanyea Griffin said. “To provide additional protection to our customers and employees, these patrol vehicles continue to be outfitted with safety partitions and other equipment that is intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.” While the Illinois Tollway’s Highway Emergency Lane Patrol (H.E.L.P.) trucks sponsored by State Farm run from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, a minimum of 12 Hot Weather Patrols are providing additional coverage around the clock into the weekend to augment H.E.L.P. trucks and Illinois State Police patrols. The Hot Weather Patrols consist of crew cab trucks equipped with arrow boards for directing traffic around stranded vehicles and accommodate passengers if motorists need to get out of the heat or be transported to a Tollway maintenance garage or Tollway oasis while service is obtained. Plastic partitions have been installed between the front and rear seats in these trucks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The trucks also are stocked with masks, hand sanitizers and gloves for stranded motorists who choose to wait inside the Tollway vehicles for a tow truck or need to be moved to a safer location. The Hot Weather Patrols typically assist drivers whose cars or trucks have been disabled by empty fuel tanks, flat tires, batteries needing a boost, or overheated radiators. Summer Travel Tips Cell phone users should call *999 motorist assistance for roadway assistance and note the roadway and direction of travel and nearest milepost or crossroad. Stranded motorists should turn on their emergency lights and remain with their vehicles until help arrives. Keep your tires properly inflated. Driving on under-inflated tires can cause tires to overheat and increase the likelihood of a blowout, especially when road temperatures are extremely high. Make sure fluids are at appropriate levels. Most engine fluids lubricate and serve as coolants by helping carry heat away from critical components. Low fluid levels reduce the cooling effect and increase the possibility of overheating. Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle that includes water, non-perishable food items, jumper cables, a flashlight with extra batteries, road flares or an emergency beacon, basic hand tools and a first aid kit. Drop It and Drive. Using a hand-held phone while driving is illegal in Illinois. Give Them Distance. Drivers are required to slow down and move over when approaching any stopped vehicle that has its hazard lights activated. The Illinois Tollway also reminds customers that oases located along the Tollway system provide drivers an opportunity to check their vehicles or simply take a break. The oases provide a variety of food, beverage and retail offerings, as well as 7-Eleven stores and fuel stations. On the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80), there are two oases with over-the-road pavilions at Lake Forest and the Chicago Southland Lincoln in South Holland and 7-Eleven stores and fuel stations at Hinsdale and O’Hare. There are also oases with pavilions on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) in DeKalb and on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in Belvidere.