Truck movement snarled by icy roads - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Truck movement snarled by icy roads

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By Cade Fowler - bio | email

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By Cade Fowler - bio | email

ALBANY, GA (WALB) –  More than 48 hours snow started falling in much of Georgia, the remnants of the storm are still affecting travel. That's hurting some businesses in south Georgia. Operations at area trucking companies slowed down tremendously because many drivers simply can't get where they need to go.

Con-Way Freight is gearing up for a very busy next couple of days...The interstates in Atlanta have re-opened. That's good news, but they'll soon be slammed with several truck loads of inventory which for the past couple days has sat idle.

If what you need is in a tractor trailer, you're pretty much out of luck right now. Thick ice on Interstate 285 and other Atlanta area interstates brought hundreds of rigs to a stand still. And that's pretty much the way things are at trucking companies in Albany. 54:15

"we run to Atlanta every night and back in the morning to pick up our in bound freight and take out our out bound freight," said Tracy Taunton of Con-Way Freight.

But for two days those runs have been impossible. At Con-Way Freight the loading dock sits mostly empty. "We've gotta big back up at our Atlanta and Birmingham facilities. Fortunately, Birmingham is going to be open to tonight so we'll be receiving freight and shipping freight to Birmingham.

 Atlanta is still backed up. And that means anything from tires to clothes to chemicals aren't getting to their suppliers. One stranded trucker on 285 was hauling cattle. "I was in Minnesota last week. It was worse than this and I went in and came out." He's concerned if he's stranded any longer, his load might not survive. "They'll die if they don't get moving here."

While it may not be a matter of life or death, the backlog can certainly be problematic "For our customers it is. They were expecting their freight two to three days ago. So probably tomorrow and the next day, it's going to be pretty hectic around here."

The interstates in Atlanta did open up late Tuesday, but DOT warns they're still slick. Compared to the alternative, a slow race to the finish line is much better than being stuck on the road. GDOT hired contractors to use heavy duty equipment to break up the one inch thick sheets of ice. Rising temperatures also helped the recovery effort.

 

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