In a catastrophic incident on Sunday, a gas tanker truck accident underneath I-95, a crucial transportation artery connecting major cities in the region, collapsed the northbound lanes. The tanker was carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline bound for delivery at a local Wawa gas station.
Authorities believe the driver lost control of the tanker, which caused an intense fire that weakened the steel beams supporting an overpass of I-95. The catastrophic incident caused the death of 53-year-old truck driver Nathan Moody and caused significant traffic disruptions, delays, and congestion.
Reassessing Safety and Prevention Measures
To ensure these unfortunate accidents do not happen, authorities and transportation departments must thoroughly evaluate what went wrong and reassess safety protocols. Strict guidelines for transporting hazardous materials must be enforced to prevent accidents like these in the future.
Comprehensive training for drivers, rigorous vehicle inspections, interstate authority, and adherence to recommended safety standards are just some of the measures to be reviewed and analyzed in these scenarios.
Taking Measures to Prevent Accidents
Even though there’s always a chance these kinds of accidents can happen, companies within the transportation industry must take all the necessary precautions to reduce those chances. One of the most effective ways to reduce accidents is by hiring a carrier properly suited to transport your different types of freight.
How to do so? Conduct a thorough investigation into the carrier you’d like to work with for each specific type of freight.
By utilizing Carrier Assure, a carrier performance scoring platform, you have access to the insights you need to hire with confidence. Data like authority, performance scoring, suspicious activity alerts, fraud check, reporting, and many other data points are analyzed by Carrier Assure to provide informative guidance on how a carrier will transport your goods so you can select carriers best suited to transport each type of load.
Another vital data point to consider is a carrier’s Interstate Authority, which you will also find in Carrier Assure. When transporting freight throughout different States, the carrier should have interstate authority. If they do not, they shouldn’t be transporting cargo across different States, as they’re not complying with applicable law and regulations and could endanger other vehicles and people.
The collapse of the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 due to a tanker truck fire serves as a stark reminder of the need for strict regulations and vetting processes to ensure these types of accidents don’t repeat themselves. Safety protocols, transportation regulations and requirements must be reviewed, and companies within the industry must have the visibility they need to confidently hire carriers. We must work towards a safer and more resilient supply chain through data visibility to withstand unexpected events and protect the public's well-being.
