Written by the Pro-Enviro Team
Serving Auburn, Maple Valley, Spokane and all of Washington State
A semi-truck and trailer slid into the ditch off Highway 18 on Tiger Mountain between the Raging River Bridge and Tiger Mountain Summit. The fuel tank struck the asphalt hard, causing significant damage and a diesel spill. The semi-truck was stuck in the mud, and diesel was flooding the ditch, needing immediate cleanup and recovery.
Pro-Enviro by FleetEasy has nearly a decade of experience performing spill response and vehicle spill cleanup in Washington State. Working with the Department of Ecology (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOT) and another towing company, we understand the need for a collaborative approach to recovering fleet trucks in this situation. Here’s how we got the job done.
All Hands on Deck
With a major spill like this one, several parties are involved. The owner and operator of the truck in the accident, the DOE overseeing the cleanup, DOT was dealing with traffic, Pro-Enviro’s spill response team, and the third-party heavy-duty towing company clearing the wrecked semi-truck.
We worked quickly with these teams to create a diesel spill cleanup plan and to get it authorized by the DOE. There was heavy traffic on Highway 18, so we had to work quickly. With our team on site and our dispatch and office crew coordinating all the moving parts, we were well on our way.
Vacuum Trucks Get to Work
There was a lot of diesel in that ditch, and once the semi-truck was out of there, our vacuum trailer got to work sucking it up. We had to remove the diesel, contaminated water and mud from the area. It wasn’t long before that was full, and we needed to get another truck in to get the rest. That was soon filled, and we needed a second vac truck!
The DOT wanted to reopen the roadway to traffic, so once most of the diesel had been evacuated from the site, we set up containment booms in the ditch to prevent any lingering from spreading. We would finish the job the next day.
Inspection, Gravel Fill and Road Sweep
The rock fill was ordered the day before, and we scheduled delivery the following morning. Before the rock could be dumped, we needed to clean up some edges and pack down certain areas of the incident site. Once we prepared the site, the rock was dumped and spread.
The DOT supervisor inspected the work. He said, “I’ve been doing this for 44 years, and you’ve done a good job.”
Once our diesel spill recovery area was signed off, we made a few finishing touches to ensure the site was completely restored. That included doing a thorough road sweep around the site with our Bobcat. Once that was done, we loaded up our equipment and returned to the FleetEasy yard.
Rely on Pro-Enviro for Professional Spill Response
Partner with Pro-Enviro by FleetEasy, and we’ll be there for your fleet when you need us. We offer compliant diesel spill cleanup and vehicle spill response in Auburn, Maple Valley and Spokane, with a service area covering the Pacific Northwest.
We have years of experience, understand spill response regulations, and often work with agencies such as the DOE and the DOT. We also know that spill response can be expensive, so we do our best to find the most affordable and safest solution for our clients.
