A fiery tank truck crash and rollover north of Dallas TX on I-35E claimed the life of the driver and left a passenger severely burned. The driver reportedly was still undergoing training and lost control of the tank truck containing 4,500 gallons of diesel.
The accident happened November 15, just a day after the first of three Rollover Prevention Summit meetings co-sponsored by the Department of Transportation (DOT), National Tank Truck Carriers Inc, and Bulk Transporter.
Gary Putman, Putman and Associates, pointed out during the first Rollover Prevention Summit in St Louis MO that tank trucks account for 20 percent of the tanker rollovers in the United States. Statistics gathered by the DOT suggest that there are six to seven tanker rollovers each day. These rollovers account for 75 percent of all product spills and 25 percent of hazardous materials accidents. As many as one out of four truck driver fatalities occur in accidents that include a rollover.
These are sobering statistics, and they are a big part of the reason that the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator has taken a personal interest in the issue, according to Joseph DeLorenzo, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hazardous materials specialist. He cautioned that FMCSA wants to work with the tank truck industry to develop a strategy to successfully address tanker rollovers, but the federal government will take action on its own if necessary.
The two remaining Rollover Prevention Summits are November 28 in Baltimore MD and December 4 in Oakland CA. Registration details are available online at the NTTC web site (tanktruck.org). All three Rollover Prevention Summit meetings will be covered in detail in Bulk Transporter magazine.