Semi Truck Towing Company Completes Tractor Trailer Tow Job in Clearfield, PA
When a tractor with double trailers rolls over, “quick semi truck towing near me” is one of the first searches a driver will make. Even still, finding a qualified semi towing company with the ability to handle hazmat situations can be difficult. Luckily, for these accidents, Bigler Boyz is always ready to respond. We recently provided expert semi truck towing services and hazardous material cleanup in Clearfield, PA.
Bigler Boyz Towing & Recovery was dispatched to Interstate 80 at mile marker 121 eastbound for a tractor with a set of double trailers rolled over. Because the heavy duty vehicle was hauling hazardous materials, extensive damage to the cargo caused fluids to start leaking onto the roadway. Our semi truck towing team knew we had to act fast to prevent a bad situation from becoming much worse.
Upon arrival at the scene, the semi towing crew observed that the tractor and lead trailer were completely destroyed in the accident. The force of impact caused the cargo in the lead trailer to puncture the walls of the trailer, rip off the fifth wheel plate, and decimate the trailer into multiple pieces.
While an incident of this severity is always cause for concern, the corrosive nature of the load required extra caution. The lead trailer had been transporting mixed freight including approximately 28 drums of corrosives, UN2735. All the drums were damaged in the accident and many were leaking the highly corrosive liquids. The rear trailer was still intact and laying on the driver’s side.
Site conditions were extremely foggy approaching the accident scene from the bridge at mile marker 120. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation set-up a lane closure once the fog had cleared to provide a safe work zone for the semi truck towing company. At this point, our team got to work.
First, a tow hook was installed in the front of the tractor. The rotator moved into position to winch the tractor back onto the roadway. This allowed for the tractor to be pulled back onto the roadway, while the semi truck towing personnel assisted with steering.
As the drums of corrosives from the lead trailer were ejected from the transport racking through the side walls of the trailer, counting and collection proved necessary. Some of the drums were completely out of the trailer, while others sat tangled in the trailer remains. The leaking drums had begun producing vapor clouds from the corrosive material.
To combat this hazmat situation, the areas covered in the corrosive material were neutralized with 5-gallon buckets of acid neutralizer. A tracked skid loader with forks removed the remaining parts of the trailer from around the drums to attend to the leaks.
A support truck brought overpack drums to the accident scene to contain the leaking drums. Carefully, the semi truck towing crew placed the compromised drums in the overpack drums to prevent further spillage during transport. All the remaining drums were moved from the wreckage and placed onto the roadway for loading. These were placed into overpacks once back at our facility to get the interstate reopened as quickly as possible.
Remaining trailer parts and pieces from the lead trailer were stacked off to the side, to be handled once all the cargo was addressed. The tracked skid loader with long forks moved the larger trailer pieces and the cargo into the back of the roll-off truck for transport to our facility. Once all the cargo was removed, the roll-off truck was then loaded with the trailer parts and debris.
Rigging was set-up and the rear trailer and dolly were up-righted back onto their wheels with assistance from the tracked skid loader with forks. Rigging was then attached to the dolly and the tracked skid loader for pulling the units back onto the roadway. The service truck provided an air supply to the dolly and trailer to release the brakes on the units. Once the rear trailer and dolly were back onto the road, the brakes were reset. The dolly was disconnected from the rear trailer and secured for transport. The repower tractor was hooked up to the rear trailer for towing from the accident scene.
A tracked skid loader with a bucket cleaned up the contaminated soils which were stockpiled on-site while awaiting another roll-off container. Personnel lined the roll-off container with 6 millimeter liner plastic to prevent leaking and further contamination before finally loading the stockpile into the roll-off container. Once all the contaminated soil was removed, the area was graded with the tracked skid loader and grass seed applied to the area.
In the meantime, the semi truck towing team hauled the rear trailer, front trailer parts, and tractor to a terminal for handling. Thanks to the quick thinking of the driver in securing semi truck towing services, this project was completed efficiently and safely. Well done, team!
Details of Semi Truck Towing Company Completing Tractor Trailer Tow Job in Clearfield, PA
The Bigler Boyz semi truck towing team recently responded along Interstate 80 at mile marker 121 east in Clearfield, PA. When the semi towing crew arrived at the scene, they found a double trailer rollover, in addition to a hazmat emergency.
First, the semi truck towing company assessed the damages. They found the tractor and lead trailer completely destroyed, the fifth wheel plate ripped off, the rear trailer laying on the driver’s side, and 28 damaged drums of corrosive liquids flung about the accident scene and roadway. It became immediately evident that along with semi truck towing services, hazardous material cleanup would be of the utmost importance.
To compound the difficulty of the semi truck towing job, weather conditions were foggy. Thankfully, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation set-up a lane closure to provide a safe work zone for the semi truck towing company. With the proper safety measures in place, the semi truck towing team set out to work.
A tow hook was attached to the front of the tractor. With the help of the rotator, the tractor was winched back onto the roadway while a semi truck towing technician handled steering. To handle the leaking, corrosive-filled drums, the semi truck towing team collected these along the roadway for mitigation and transport.
Overpack drums were used to contain the leaking drums. The semi truck towing team then placed these onto a support truck. For hazmat cleanup, the affected areas were neutralized with an acid neutralizer.
A tracked skid loader with long forks carefully handled the remaining trailer parts, pieces, and debris which were placed on a roll-off truck. Rigging helped upright the rear trailer before semi truck towing services away from the scene.
Surrounding contaminated soil was stockpiled and removed. The areas from which this was taken were graded and had grass seed reapplied.
The semi truck towing company hauled the rear trailer, front trailer parts, and tractor to a terminal for further inspection and processing. This semi towing project proved to be a successful one.
