Trucking expert weighs in on East Ridge chemical spill

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Last night a chemical fire shut down the interstate and caused an evacuation.

Rick Boatwright, operations chief of Chattanooga fire department, said “where they found a tractor trailer that was on fire at the time.”

This is the seconded chemical spill, from the same chemical, in less than 48 hours.

“They’re really just accidents from everything we can tell,” said Chief Boatwright.

Trucking Expert Thomas Wasson has his thoughts as to how this can happen.

He said “you can do your job correctly but all it takes is a mechanical failure, a hard braking event, or maybe a shipper loaded it wrong and you didn’t know about it, to where your trip has gone from a very standard come pick up and drop it off. Now you’re having a situation where we are shutting down the interstate.”

It is not uncommon for drivers to haul these chemicals.

“Sodium Hydroxide or commonly known as lye or like a caustic soda, is used in industrial applications. Soaps, detergents, even sometimes making certain plastics as well. Then the organic peroxide, some of your hydrogen peroxides, are also used in industrial applications. And so these things are not uncommon to see on the roadway,” said Wasson.

With the continued road construction this could occur more frequently.

Wasson said, “it would not be surprising because anytime you add road construction and disruptions to an existing traffic pattern, it will lead to friction. We are seeing friction. Based on the current situation and of the driver, it does look to me like this was an instance of either a mechanical or load related issue.”

Wasson recommends drivers keep an eye out for truckers.

He said, “it’s really hard to tell when you’re driving if there is a leak unless it’s just spewing out. So, you know if you see something like that don’t hesitate to call it in, because sometimes the drivers can’t see it.”

The current cause of today’s chemical spill is unknown.