Lost a load on I-5 near Portland last Tuesday

I was hauling a 40 ton bridge girder down I-5 south of Portland when a sudden crosswind caught the load just right. The straps started to shift and I had to pull over on a narrow shoulder with traffic screaming past. Managed to re-secure it with extra chains and a buddy's help, but it took 45 minutes and I was sweating the whole time. Anyone else dealt with wind surprises on long hauls?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlesanderson1mo agoTop Commenter

My buddy Mike had a similar scare hauling wind turbine blades through Wyoming last fall - said the crosswinds made the whole rig feel like it was gonna lift off the road. He ended up chaining down so tight it took him an hour to undo everything at the delivery point.

charlesanderson1mo agoTop Commenter

An hour to undo the chains? No way, man. That's insane. I can't even imagine how frustrated he must have been sitting there after a long haul just working on getting those things off. I get nervous if it takes me more than five minutes to unchain a load, but an hour is a whole different level of madness. He must have used every chain and binder he owned and then some. That sounds like a nightmare delivery.