• 28
  • October
    2011

Earlier this week an 18-wheeler caused a ten car pileup on northbound I-35 in Waco. The Texas truck accident  occurred when the driver pulling an oversized load realized he could not clear an overpass.

The truck driver then stopped on the interstate and attempted to back up. The 18-wheeler then caused a chain reaction of crashes among the vehicles behind it. This resulted in two people suffering injuries and being taken to an area hospital.

The 18-wheeler should never have been on that part of the interstate. Instead, the driver should have been following a route around Loop 340. It is possible the wrong information was entered by the trucking company into TxDOT's automated routing system called TxPROS. The system calculates truck turn-by-turn truck routes based on load weight, size and height.

Previously, TxDOT employees entered information on trucking companies' behalf, but within the past few months companies have begun entering the information themselves. Although designed to be more efficient, the system is not error-proof.

A TxDOT spokesperson explained the potential problem, "[E]ither that information goes in correctly and comes back and allows for a safe and efficient trip from point A to point B, or you have incorrect information and you have an operator error and the driver takes a wrong turn or something." Truck companies need to make sure those entering the information are properly trained, and drivers understand which routes to take.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is currently investigating the truck driver for multiple vehicle and traffic violations.

Source: ABC News Channel 25, 10-car pileup on I-35 could have been avoided, Brandon Hartman and Amanda Gomez, 25 October 2011