MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Truck drivers are voicing their frustrations with the traffic buildups along I-10 near the Virginia Street exit since it’s impacting their safety and their paycheck.
“It’s unsafe, very unsafe,” truck driver Ronald Bell expressed.
Bell also said it’s a frequent issue he faces, and it has caused some accidents.
“It’s like coming off of I-10, and you’re looking in the mirror, and you got 4-wheelers coming behind you, and they want to get off of Virginia Street, so they’ll shoot around you and then see the whole long line, and then they try to get back in,” Bell explained.
Another truck driver Eddie Simmons expressed the same concern. He said people sometimes park on the side of the interstate if people aren’t getting out of the port quickly enough.
“When the port gets back backed up on Interstate-10 eastbound and the westbound lane, I mean it’s a hazard because you got to park on the side of the interstate,” Simmons said. “I mean, they’d be out there for hours at a time.”
Simmons also said if drivers can’t get in and out of the port with their deliveries, then they cannot make their living.
“You know, we don’t deliver the load, we’re not getting paid,” Simmons said. “So it’s not like we’re getting paid by the hour.”
We contacted the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama Port Authority about their concerns.
A spokesperson with the Alabama Department of Transportation explained to WKRG News 5 that they are aware of the issue and have spoken with the Alabama Port Authority about the issue.
A spokesperson with the Alabama Port Authority said the issue of drivers not getting in and out of the container terminal is caused by the terminal operators.
The Alabama Port Authority does not operate the terminal. A company named APM Terminal does.
“So why is it that this port can’t seem to get that little glitch out of getting this jammed out?” Ball questioned. “Getting this backed up, those trucks out here—that’s making 4-wheelers unsafe as well as us unsafe.”
Simmons hopes the issue can go beyond just the port authority to get fixed.
“I think the city needs to get with the port and go back to why the drivers park on the interstate because it’s a hassle,” he said.
We reached out to APM Terminal about the way they operate the terminal, and a spokesperson explained to us that the majority of Tuesday’s traffic build-up and delays in the terminal were caused by Monday’s severe weather.
The spokesperson explained that they had to close the terminal at noon for safety reasons.
He said this is highly unlikely, and traffic pouring onto I-10 shouldn’t happen again in the future.
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