Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Jan. 13, 2025:
NY State Thruway cracks down on overheight trucks
The New York State Thruway Authority during the fourth quarter of 2024 conducted a commercial vehicle enforcement campaign along its 570-mile system, designed to cut down on bridge strikes caused by overheight trucks and improve the safety of all vehicles using the Thruway.
In total, during the three-month blitz, enforcement officials issued 7,301 violations, including 31 for overheight vehicles.
“Bridge hits on the Thruway system are a safety issue and can cause considerable damage to our infrastructure, resulting in countless delays for motorists and the diverting of critical resources from highway maintenance and upkeep,” said Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare. “The law requires drivers to know the height of their vehicle to mitigate these avoidable incidents, and with the increasing number of trucks on the roads, it’s incumbent upon drivers to be vigilant to keep traffic moving.”
Since 2020, there have been 231 bridge hits reported on the New York State Thruway’s system, including 56 reported bridge strikes in 2024.
During the last four years, the three bridges on the NYS Thruway that have been hit the most are:
- Middle Black Brook Road at milepost 318.57 over I-90 in Seneca County. It has been hit 31 times -- 16 times since 2023.
- North Grand Island Bridge Northbound on I-190 over the Niagara Scenic Parkway in Niagara County. It has been hit 23 times with eight hits in 2024.
- South Broadway over I-87 at milepost 16.44 in Rockland County. It has been hit 14 times with three hits in 2024.
Bridge strikes are an issue that every state has to deal with, and over the last several years, the Thruway Authority and the State of New York have implemented measures and are using technologies aimed to prevent these incidents.
By leveraging technology, the Thruway Authority recently launched a pilot program to install and implement an overheight vehicle detection system at two locations in Central New York. The systems were installed and activated in December at the Parking/Rest Areas located on I-90 eastbound at milepost 250 between exit 33 (Verona-Rome) and exit 32 (Westmoreland - Rome), and I-90 westbound at milepost 256 between exit 33 (Verona-Rome) and exit 34 (Canastota-Chittenango-Cazenovia-Oneida).
When an overheight vehicle drives past the sensors, it triggers the system and a sign is illuminated warning the driver that their vehicle is overheight.
[Related: Bridge strike leads to shutdown for Canadian fleet]
Truck driver busted with 550 pounds of cocaine in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Public Safety on Monday, Jan. 6, discovered more than 550 pounds of cocaine concealed within a load of produce during a traffic stop.
An AZDPS Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division trooper initiated a traffic stop on the driver of a Volvo tractor-trailer along I-40 Eastbound in Holbrook for traffic violations.
During the stop and the resulting inspection, the trooper observed multiple indicators of criminal activity, AZDPS said in a Facebook post.
A subsequent search of the truck and trailer revealed 553.8 pounds of cocaine concealed within the load of produce. Further investigation revealed the drugs were being smuggled from the cities of Salinas and Los Angeles, California, to Canada.
The driver, 31-year-old Amarjeet Singh Matharu, was arrested and booked into the Navajo County Jail on charges including possession and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale. The Arizona DPS declined to provide any details about the trucking company Matharu was driving for.
The estimated street value of the cocaine seized is between approximately $16.6 million and $22.1 million.
Driver recognized for helping trapped trucker
The Truckload Carriers Association has named Kingsley Ogieva, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a Highway Angel for stopping to help a trucker trapped in his rolled vehicle on the highway. Ogieva drives for XTL Transport out of Airdrie, Alberta, Canada.
Kingsley Ogieva
“When I passed through, I saw that the driver was stuck in his truck and wasn’t able to come out,” Ogieva said. “I went to park safely up ahead, and I went to assist.”
He approached the wreck and caught sight of the driver, trapped in the overturned truck. The driver was kicking at the windshield, unable to free himself from his truck. Ogieva and another bystander climbed onto the truck and began prying the windshield away to free the driver from the vehicle.
“We tried to look for how to break his windshield so he could come out,” Ogieva said. “While we were trying to get the windshield out, from nowhere we heard a big bang.”
Just then, a cattle hauler struck the truck, which trapped Ogieva. His legs were pinned. “I was really in pain; I was screaming,” he said.
While Ogieva was trapped, he saw diesel fuel spilling onto the floor.
“I was screaming, telling everybody they should not smoke or come with anything that could trigger a fire,” he said.
Helpless, Ogieva waited for emergency responders. He was calmed by another trucker praying with him.
Eventually, emergency service personnel arrived on the scene and lifted the truck up so Ogieva could be extracted. Miraculously, he had no broken bones. Reflecting on the event, Ogieva said he would stop if it happened again, but would do some things differently.
“I would stop and use my truck as a shield to make sure that oncoming traffic is aware of the situation in front before going to help,” he said. “That day, I saw another driver in distress, and I knew he needed my help. If we were not there to help him, it could have been worse.”
