Hurrying Around Hauling Coils

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...own-I-10-4662317.php?cmpid=hpfc#photo-4908808

All westbound lanes of Interstate 10 at the North Freeway are expected to be closed until Sunday morning as emergency crews repair the highway after an 18-wheeler overturned Friday afternoon.
The truck was hauling a 48,000-pound roll of steel when it flipped over about 2:30 p.m., said officials with the Texas Department of Transportation.
The driver lost his load, sending the truck and giant spool crashing onto the pavement. It caused "significant damage on multiple locations," officials said.
"Under the circumstances, we believe the pavement performed well and one could have expected there to be even greater damage than what we have," department spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis said in an email to the Houston Chronicle.
The driver had a laceration on his arm and was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment.
No other injuries were reported, officials said.
Even as officials assessed the damage, which included broken concrete and a large, gaping hole in the freeway, and made plans for "emergency full-depth repairs," they began the task of moving Friday afternoon commuters away from the scene.
The best bet, officials said, was to avoid the area altogether.
Motorists were advised to loop around the wreck, taking the East Loop to the southbound North Freeway then returning to westbound Interstate 10.
Drivers who didn't take that warning were diverted to the Southwest Freeway.
Officials said it was "possible" the contractor may complete the repairs earlier than the Sunday estimate.
"But, we certainly need to provide time for the prep work, the pavement work, the cure time and inspection,"

 

The Alabama coil certification law was rescinded, because FMCSA securement regulations take precedence over state laws:

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/04/federal_agency_strikes_down_al.html

MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- A federal agency has struck down parts of an Alabama law passed in 2009 to fix the problem of metal coils falling off transfer trucks, resulting in accidents and damaged roadways.
The decision took effect on Thursday.
State Rep. Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood, introduced a resolution in the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday calling on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to review and rescind its ruling that Alabama’s Metal Coil Securement Act places an unfair burden on interstate commerce.
DeMarco said he and Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, are asking Gov. Robert Bentley to appeal the ruling. DeMarco and Waggoner sponsored the legislation four years ago.
When the law passed in 2009, state trucking association officials called it the toughest in the nation.
In a ruling published last month in the Federal Register, the FMCSA found there was “insufficient support for the claimed safety benefits” of the law and that the act “places an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce.”
DeMarco disagreed with the assertion that the law has not been shown to have safety benefits.
“Well, it has. We haven’t had any accidents since then. That’s what’s so disappointing,” DeMarco said.
The law prohibited a truck from transporting metal coil loads that originated or terminated in Alabama unless the driver was certified in load securement techniques.
An article in The Birmingham News in 2009 reported that about 30 coils had fallen from flatbed trucks along Birmingham-area interstates since 1987. Most were at the Interstate 65 interchange with I-20/59. State officials estimated the damage to highways at about $7.5 million.
In its ruling, the FMCSA said it could not be determined that the law had resulted in eliminating accidents because accidents have multiple causes. It noted that the speed limit at the I-65/-I-20/59 interchange, called Malfunction Junction, was reduced to 50 mph in 2007.
DeMarco's resolution says that public safety officials had determined before the 2009 law that part of the problem was a lack of knowledge of securement techniques and in some cases a failure to follow federal securement regulations. He said the law has helped fix that.
“We didn’t have any accidents because people are tying them down correctly,” DeMarco said.
The ruling leaves in place enhanced penalties for truck owners and operators who do not secure metal coils properly and even higher penalties when coils fall from trucks because of improper securement. The enhanced penalties are also part of the 2009 law.

 

I'm all for giving a driver the benefit of a doubt, but flipping a truck over like that is excessive speed, coupled with swerving the vehicle.

As mentioned with previous posters, coils require extra caution and care.