Truckers prepare for treacherous roads as blizzard conditions threaten central Iowa
By Pepper Purpura
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PRAIRIE CITY, Iowa (KCCI) — High winds and plunging temperatures forecast across central Iowa are raising concerns for the drivers who spend more time on the highways than anyone else: truckers.
FC Trucking owner Cassie Cannon says the incoming weather—blowing snow, bitter cold, and dangerous gusts—has her on alert.
“My first thought is always the safety of my drivers,” she said. “My last thing I want as a truck owner is to have drivers that are stuck on the side of the road, in a cold truck that’s not running.”
Across Iowa, many trucking companies are making similar calls. Iowa Motor Truck Association President Brenda Neville said firms aren’t taking chances when conditions deteriorate.
“If there’s a blizzard coming across I-80, a lot of trucking companies in Iowa, they’re parking those trucks,” she said.
Iowa’s major corridors make that decision even more urgent because the mid-week storm is likely to coincide with peak truck traffic.
“I-80 and I-35, essentially, are the crossroads of America,” Neville said. “Especially in the middle of the week, you’re even going to have heavier truck traffic,” she said.
Cannon says this storm may be compounded by unusual timing. A late-running construction season and early winter weather mean dump trucks and salt haulers are sharing the road at the same time.
“Both of those come together along with all of the other transportation that would normally happen. There are still more trucks on the road than I have seen in the last few years,” she said.
With ground-blizzard conditions possible and portions of I-35 and I-80 at risk of closure, trucking leaders say safety will take priority—whether that means slowing down, shutting down, or finding a safe place to wait out the storm.
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