DALLAS MORNING NEWS December 12, 2006
Many Truckers Skirting the Rules
Exclusive: Hazardous cargo banned from I-30 ‘canyon’ but enforcement lax
By STEVE McGONIGLE / The Dallas Morning News
Every day, tractor-trailers hauling gasoline and other hazardous cargo pass through the congested, high-walled “canyon” of Interstate 30 in downtown Dallas .
The narrow, mile-long stretch has been off-limits to hazardous haulers since 1978 because of the difficulty rescuers would have reaching the area. But it is a city ordinance that Dallas police seldom enforce, and truckers know it.
Capt. Ted Padgett, head of the Dallas Fire-Rescue hazardous material response team, said he fears it’s only a matter of time before there is a catastrophic event.
An estimated 132,000 people work downtown, and Capt. Padgett said tall buildings, wind currents and the area’s warmer temperatures make it susceptible to a toxic plume.
“We’ve got ordinances for everything in the world, from height of grass to trash in people’s yards. This is just one of those out of sight, out of mind,” he said. “We don’t worry about it until something big happens, and it’s not enforced.”
One reason for the lack of enforcement is that the Dallas Police Department dedicates only two full-time officers to truck inspections, the legacy of a decision made six years ago to reassign members of the truck-safety unit to other traffic duties.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says manpower limits require that it leave enforcement of truck safety laws in urban areas to local police. And DPS is not empowered to enforce city ordinances that designate routes for hazardous cargo.
Dallas is one of 29 cities and counties around the state that have commercial vehicle units. Others include Dallas and Tarrant counties and the cities of Fort