A.M. Executive Briefing - Aug. 13

Clearing the Road: Trucks Spill, Communities Bill

Analysts for the government and in the private sector estimate annual costs of $143 million for cleanup of truck spills. The accidents often involve crews to clear the roads, as well as police and fire departments and environmental experts. Motorists are stuck, and they often

omplain to the local government. p>Now, local and state governments are starting to

quipment and food for the workers.p>"The issue is that the overturned truck

isrupted traffic, and there are police costs and emergency costs and a

esponsible party," says the New Jersey Transportation Department's John

ourgarian.p>His state is one of a few that have laws about

illing for highway cleanups.p>Trucking companies can end up in court or before

he attorney general if they do not pay for cleanup in New Jersey, Pennsylvania,

nd Texas. Recently, Colorado adopted a law forcing the Department of Public

afety to determine those responsible for cleanup costs, while Florida sends out

quot;wolf pack" police patrols that ticket drivers of badly loaded trucks.p>Cincinnati and Ohio sent Paul Marcotte Farms a

287,400 bill for a 23-ton animal fat spill that closed ramps at the junction of

nterstates 73 and 74 for more than three days last year. Montgomery Tank Lines

s being billed for $38,600 by Columbus and Saluda, N.C., for a chemical spill

hat started a forest fire and closed part of I-26 for three days in December.

ort Worth Cattle Express is being billed $10,000 by Fort Worth and Texas after

truck with a load of 138 cattle overturned on a ramp in June, stopping traffic

or more than seven hours.p>A big problem leading to such accidents are load

hifts, which occur when the load moves to one side of the truck and makes it

eavier on that side. Even a 15-degree tip can cause a truck to roll over.

rivers have to learn how to keep load shifts from happening, and experienced

ruckers can intuit when they might occur. But the trend toward billing for

leanup is forcing governments to decide how to determine the cost and how to

harge it fairly.p>"[W]hen they take our money and our

quipment, it's like stealing from us to pay for someone who doesn't live

ere," says Saluda, N.C., fire chief Jerry Pace.p>But Truckload Carriers Association President Lana

atts says sometimes carriers are charged too much and bills contain

quot;creative accounting."p>"The costs depend on the nature of the

leanup," she said. "We just want a detailed account."p>An estimate in excess of $125,000, including

ersonnel from many local and state agencies and companies, has been pinned on

he cleanup of a June turnover of a truck carrying explosives on I-95 in

pringfield, Va.p>Jim Wingfield of Tri-State Motor Transport says

is company has not gotten all of the bills for the $108,000 it is being charged

or that cleanup.p>No one has ever tried to bill for the

mpossible-to-determine costs for all the motorists held up after a spill. No

awsuit has ever been filed by such a motorist, as far as anyone knows.p>But the Texas Transportation Institute put the

ost at about $12 an hour for fuel and missed work.p>The June spill in Springfield, Va., held up