More than 2 feet of snow fell along the East Coast and middle Atlantic regions over the weekend, leading transportation agencies to work around the clock to clear snow and ice, while closing highways and streets in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia.
by Staff
January 25, 2016
Photo courtesy of District of Columbia.
2 min to read
Photo courtesy of District of Columbia.
More than 2 feet of snow fell along the East Coast and middle Atlantic regions over the weekend, leading transportation agencies to work around the clock to clear snow and ice, while closing highways and streets in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia.
During the historic snow storm, hundreds of commercial drivers were stranded in their trucks, a Kentucky transportation worker died when his plow truck slid off the road, and a District of Columbia worker abandoned his stuck plow on a residential street.
Ad Loading...
As many as 200 tractor-trailers were stranded Friday overnight on Interstate 77 north of Charleston in West Virginia. Hundreds of vehicles, including commercial drivers, were stranded on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Pittsburgh. In Maryland, the I-270 and I-70 from I-81 in Washington County to the Baltimore Beltway had reopened as of 7 a.m. Sunday, reports the Boston Globe.
The City of Philadelphia lifted its snow emergency at 10 p.m. Sunday, allowing vehicle parking along snow emergency routes. The city canceled trash collection Monday after using the sanitation trucks to clear streets. The city deployed 600 street and fleet employees and 400 plow drivers, reports the Inquirer.
A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet worker was found dead in his snow plow truck just before 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, reports WDRB. Christopher Adams, 44, had been plowing roads when he ran off the side of Highway 115, reports WKU Public Radio.
A D.C. worker abandoned his snow plow after it became stuck in a residential neighborhood on 33rd Street NW around 6 p.m. Saturday. Residents decorated the truck with holiday lights, reports the Washington Post.
Distracted driving remains one of the most persistent risks in fleet operations. New approaches focus on removing mobile device use entirely while adding real-time safety support.
As distraction risks evolve, fleets are turning to smarter, more connected technologies to better understand what’s happening behind the wheel. Part 2 explores how these tools are helping identify risky behaviors and improve visibility across operations.
Distracted driving is often measured by what we can see—phones in hand, eyes off the road. But what about the distractions we can’t? A recent incident raises a bigger question about awareness, attention, and why subtle risks so often go unnoticed.
Fleets have more driver data than ever, so why isn't behavior changing? Training requires more than reports and coaching — it requires real-world practice.
A two-part conversation with Stefan Heck on how AI is transforming the fight against distracted driving. As fleets adopt smarter tools, the focus shifts from reacting to preventing risk. In Part 1, we look at where AI is making an impact for fleets today.
An 11% drop in pedestrian fatalities in early 2025 signals progress in U.S. road safety, but elevated death rates and ongoing risks underscore the need for continued action from fleets and policymakers.
