Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020:
A new NYPD task force will step up enforcement of truck weight restrictions on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.NYC steps up enforcement of overweight trucks on Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
On the heels New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal measure that would increase fines for overweight and overheight trucks on New York parkways, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio created a special police unit to crack down on overweight trucks on the aged Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), part of I-278.
de Blasio signed an executive order on Jan. 31 creating the BQE Truck Enforcement Task Force within the city’s police department. Task force members began increasing enforcement Feb. 3 against overweight trucks the mayor says are speeding up the deterioration of the BQE.
Originally built in the 1940s to handle 47,000 vehicles a day, the BQE now is an essential daily route for more than 153,000 vehicles, including some 15,000 trucks. In his executive order, de Blasio said “outside consultants hired by the New York City Department of Transportation concluded in 2016 that if the (BQE) is not reconstructed by 2026, weight restrictions may need to be added to the structure, including diverting all truck traffic to local roads.” –David Hollis, Truckers News
U.S. 95 SB closure tonight near I-15 interchange in Las Vegas
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will close U.S. Highway 95 southbound at Martin Luther King Boulevard again tonight from 10 p.m., February 11, until 5 a.m., February 12, in downtown Las Vegas. The temporary closure is needed to adjust the overhead digital messaging sign to align with new freeway lane striping as part of NDOT’s Project NEON – a nearly $1 billion 4-mile-long Interstate 15 upgrade from the U.S. 95 interchange to Sahara Avenue that finished last summer. Detours will be posted For the latest state highway conditions, visit nvroads.com or call 511.
Charles JasewiczTrucker recognized for helping ejected motorist
A truck driver for H.O. Wolding has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for helping a motorist who was ejected during a rollover crash.
Charles Jasewicz was driving through New Mexico in November with a load bound for Lebanon, Tennessee, when he saw what looked to be an abandoned vehicle ahead in the distance – a common occurrence on his route through the desert, he says.
He says he was going to pass by it, but when he looked again, he saw legs moving from underneath the four-door sedan. Jasewicz figures the car must have crossed the median, rolled, ejected the driver then landed on him with its wheels on the ground. Jasewicz pulled over and ran to the vehicle.
“The driver was kicking his legs and yelling for help,” Jasewicz says. “He was dead center under the car. The engine was still running, and the exhaust pipe was resting on his neck, burning him. He was screaming that he couldn’t breathe.”
Jasewicz turned the engine off and looked for a jack but couldn’t find one. A team of Old Dominion Freight Line drivers had also pulled over at this point, and they worked with Jasewicz to lift the car enough to wedge the spare tire under the bumper to lift the exhaust pipe off the man.
It took 30 minutes for emergency responders to arrive, and they deployed air bags so they could pull the driver out.
For his willingness to help, TCA presented Jasewicz with a certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decals. H.O. Wolding also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel. EpicVue sponsors TCA’s Highway Angel program.
