Weather Strands Truck Drivers, Halts Income
In the world of shipping time is money, more importantly miles traveled equals more money. So when Interstate 10 shut down from the Texas line all the way to Arizona early Monday, drivers were left with few options. According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, poor weather conditions and multiple accidents forced them to close the roadway to avoid further issues.
?It?s pretty inconvenient,? said Jerry Olsen an independent truck driver stuck with a deadline. ?They were supposed to be there by now.?
He was hardly alone. Capt. Tim La Bier, with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Motor Transportation Police, says the Anthony Port of Entry sees roughly 100 tractor-trailers pass through every hour. With a closure that lasted roughly 18 hours, the buildup was great when they finally opened I-10.
?The volume of traffic just to get them into our port is just ridiculous,? said La Bier. ?We?re talking about trucks that have been sitting on the Texas side for hours.?
La Bier?s officers reported that the line of traffic stretched more than 5 miles when the interstate finally opened around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Due to the congestion the Port of Entry in Anthony was closed off when the interstate was reopened. Under normal conditions every truck that passes through would be required to stop and show proper identification, and licensing that shows they?re allowed to operate in the state. Instead, the port was closed off for a short time to alleviate traffic conditions until operations could return to normal and the port could begin checking trucks once again.
?In this situation we might miss a few trucks, but for the most part we?re still conducting the truck traffic in a safe matter,? said La Bier.
The speedy process was a welcome sign for drivers who?d been stranded for hours. Many truck drivers say they would usually drive up to 100 miles out of their way to avoid stoppages, but with other routes also closed waiting was the best option.
?You just have to do your job the best that you can, but as safe as you can too,? said Lou Basdos, a truck driver who was stranded en route to Las Vegas.
Based on estimates from the Port of Entry in Anthony, New Mexico that 100 tractor-trailers pass through their entry every hour, up to 2,000 trucks were potentially trapped on either side of the road block. For companies like Mesilla Valley Trucking, which does many same-day deliveries those figures add up.
?You get paid by the mile, and they average 48 miles an hour,? said JoJohn Vega, the Operations Manager at MVT?s El Paso plant. ?If they?re down eight to 12 hours you can do the math, its pretty high.?
It means cargo will be late, and all Vega says the company can do is deal with the stoppages. He says they called customers to let them know the situation, but beyond that little more can be done.
Independent driver Jerry Olsen, who was already late with his delivery, said it?s a tough situation to be in. He wasn?t sure how the late delivery would affect his bottom line, but admits it will likely steal valuable time from his upcoming weekend after it sets his schedule back.
?We?ll get there when we can,? said Olsen.
