Nebraska
Truckers prepare for high winds as storms take aim at Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Despite a warm and sunny weekend, Old Man Winter hasn’t quite released his grip on Nebraska yet.
High winds and blizzard conditions are in the forecast this week.
Oof. This is going to be a LOT. T-storms early, then snow in the afternoon and evening. A whole lot of wind tossed in starting in western Nebraska AM Tuesday, moving into eastern Nebraska Tuesday afternoon. This one packs a punch! pic.twitter.com/WNd51Fpl0T
— Rusty Dawkins KLKN (@rustywx) March 3, 2025
But high winds and top-heavy vehicles like semis can be a recipe for disaster.
A crosswind of just 40 mph can be dangerous to semitrailers out on Nebraska’s open roads.
According to 2021 data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than half a million crashes involving large trucks occurred across the United States.
That year, about 54% of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred in rural areas and 26% on interstates.
And related data from the Federal Highway Administration shows on average, around 21% of all crashes in the U.S. are weather-related.
Micah Vodolazskyy, dispatcher and general manager at Lincoln-based Ava Carriers, said it doesn’t take much wind to make driving dangerous.
“Empty trailers (are) way easier to flip over than loaded trailers,” he said. “So, if a guy gets unloaded, and he has to drive somewhere with an empty trailer, if it’s 60, 50 mph winds, he has to take it slow.”
SEE ALSO: Timber! Lincoln’s aging trees at risk with high winds in the forecast
Snow is one of the hardest conditions truckers drive in, he said, citing the poor visibility — not something you want in a rig hauling anywhere from 30,000 to 80,000 pounds.
It’s important to remember these trucks need significantly more distance to stop than a regular passenger car, Vodolazskyy added, making stoplights and intersections a place for all drivers to be particularly cautious.
Vodolazskyy said he works closely with Ava’s drivers nationwide, sometimes having to pull them off the road if conditions get too severe.
“Safety is number one for us,” he said. “We’d rather have a safe driver than an on-time delivery.”
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