Would toll or HOS waivers help if a fire that killed someone caused the northbound roads to fall and the southbound side to get damaged?
Monday, trucking officials carefully figured out how service would change now that a fire on Sunday shut down 7 miles of a key Northeast road that will be closed for months.
How The Logistics Industry Reacts To The I-95 Collapse In Philadelphia?
In an interview with truck drivers about the closure of I-95 in northeast Philadelphia, which would result in partial service being lost soon. A driver’s remains were found under the bridge where his fuel-carrying truck caught fire, causing significant structural damage to the lanes going north and south.
Governor Josh Shapiro announced that the repairs would take months, prompting Twitter to wonder if Pennsylvania would need as long to fix a similar bridge as Atlanta did in 2017. However, freight companies were exploring alternative routes, such as using the Pennsylvania Turnpike west of the city. Rebecca Oyler, president of the Pennsylvania Motor Trucking Association (PMTA), expressed enthusiasm for this idea, stating that drivers would need to consider the cost and time required to stay close to I-95 instead of using roads like I-81.
PMTA Seeks Toll Exemption For Alternative Route To I-95
The PMTA is awaiting recommendations on a “golden detour” route, and a toll exemption would be helpful. Oyler is investigating the possibility of using the Pennsylvania Turnpike and whether there is legislative authority to waive tolls, but it would require legislative authority and could not be granted solely by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration.
PMTA Considers Hours-Of-Service Waiver And I-95’s Role In Freight Network
Members and officials of the PMTA are now thinking about a possible waiver of the hours-of-service rule. North Dakota’s Governor, Doug Burgum, signed a waiver that lets the state move fertilizers and other agriculture inputs. North Dakota is one of only three states that can do this. Because of the floods in Broward County, fuel waivers for South Dakota and Florida can be found on the FMCSA website. Governors can stop following HOS rules for short periods of time or in certain scenarios. Kristen Scudder, the freight manager for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, doesn’t see I-95 through Philadelphia as a big road for trucks going to and from the Atlantic coast. Instead, she sees it as a key link for Philadelphia businesses to connect to the national freight network. Scudder thinks that between 150,000 and 160,000 vehicles use the limited part of road every day, and that 9% of those vehicles are trucks.
Alternate I-95 Route for Trucks
Map: Josh Roden, FreightWaves
From the south, the state says to take the U.S. Route 1, then I-76, the Schuylkill Expressway, and I-676 to get back on I-95. People who want to go north should take the same roads backwards. Trucks may use the long-standing I-95 route between New Jersey and Pennsylvania to avoid the heavily crowded Center City area. There has been no proof that the cost-saving method works.
People often use the New Jersey Turnpike to finish trips from the north to the south of the state. It’s not clear how much traffic on the confusing 195/295/95 truck lines will be sent to the New Jersey side of the river.
Final Wording
A tanker truck fire in Philadelphia caused part of Interstate 95 to fall. This has a big effect on the shipping and supply businesses. When COVID-19 is over and businesses are having trouble with things like restricted movement, closed ports, and slow customs processes, the 7-mile road restriction could hurt the logistics sector in a big way. Stay tuned with Lading Logistics to get the latest news about what’s going on in the logistics industry.
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