Tanker truck crash on US 290

When a tanker truck collided with a pickup, the semi-truck carrying hazardous material rolled over and spilled hazardous chemicals on the highway.

This is another of a series of ongoing tanker truck accidents in Houston where the hazardous materials crews had to spend precious time and resources cleaning up the mess. An estimate of thousands of gallons of chemicals spilled on the freeway seems reasonable.

While the truck accident happened about 9:30 PM, the cleanup efforts close the freeway and shut down traffic along 290 northbound. Traffic was directed to the feeder roads but still substantially delayed anyone using a portion of the freeway.

Hazardous materials can vary; cleanup efforts can take hours and even days. Crews are very conscious of what chemical spills can do to unsuspecting motorists who encounter them. What we see frequently spilled on the highway and what is contained often in tanker trucks is gasoline or diesel fuel.

While there is no indication of what the specific chemical or hazardous material that was spilled in this truck accident, many spills such as diesel fuel can leave the highway as slick as ice and lead to subsequent accidents when other motorists encountered the condition unless it is adequately cleaned up.

We have not seen studies that show the cost of cleanup for the greater Houston area for chemical spills from tanker truck accidents. However, in monitoring the situation we note that at least one big rig if not several crashes in the Houston area where cleanup is required each month. Often, truck wrecks will happen within days of each other.

While the cleanup costs are generally recouped from the motor carrier after such an accident, the incidental expenses, such as commuter delay and inconvenience, never get recovered.

Additionally, many car accidents occur because the highway is shut down due to a tanker truck accident. Traffic can literally be stacked up for miles.

Semi-trucks carrying hazardous materials must exercise extra caution when caring for their cargo and operating on our highways. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations contain special rules for hazardous material cargo.

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