Two days before a major winter storm was set to impact much of Texas, mechanics from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) worked quickly to return two essential tanker trucks to service. The tankers, which are used to spread brine on Interstates 20 and 30, had experienced mechanical problems and needed urgent repairs to ensure roads could be treated ahead of the storm.
Scott Hendrix, Atlanta District Fleet Operations Supervisor for TxDOT, described the urgency: “The two tanker trailers we have are critical for winter weather because roughly half of our sections have interstate that run through them. Without those, we would not be able to pretreat like we need to and to treat during the event. Their large capacity allows crews to cover a lot of miles without having to stop and refill.”
Trouble began when the I-30 tanker’s brakes malfunctioned during brine operations on Thursday morning. A mechanic attempted an on-site repair, but the issue persisted and the vehicle had to be returned to the district shop for further work.
“We don’t normally have seven techs working on one piece of equipment,” Hendrix said.
As repairs continued on the I-30 tanker, a second issue emerged when the I-20 tanker arrived with a venting failure that prevented it from spraying brine. Facing two disabled tankers just as preparations were ramping up added pressure on TxDOT’s team.
“I was a little bit concerned because I knew the district was going to need this — bad. It was all hands on deck to get these things back up and going.”
Technicians collaborated throughout the day, working side by side until repairs were completed at 7 p.m.
“I’d never seen that many people working on a single piece of equipment,” Hendrix noted.
Once both tankers passed their test runs, relief was evident among staff.
“The crew we have in the Atlanta shop is amazing. I can’t say enough good things about this group of mechanics working as a team to solve a serious problem,” Hendrix said. “The guys out here understood the gravity of what was going on and knew that these things needed to go.”
Mechanics play an important role in TxDOT’s winter weather response, maintaining vehicles around the clock so road crews can keep highways clear during severe conditions. These efforts reflect broader initiatives across transportation sectors aimed at increasing safety and reliability under extreme weather conditions. For example, new guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration recently announced $7.3 billion in formula funding intended to help states prepare for extreme events such as wildfires and flooding as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-administration-announces-new-protect-formula-program-73-billion-bipartisan).
Additional information about TxDOT’s response during recent storms is available through their Newsroom story.
