The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles recently announced there will be no oversize loads allowed to travel from midnight Sunday to midnight on Monday, the day of the solar eclipse.
About 1 million people from out of state are expected to travel to Texas to see the eclipse on Monday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
All four of the Lone Star State’s largest cities — Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth — are along the eclipse’s path of totality, where the moon’s shadow completely blocks out the light of the Sun.
“It’s difficult to predict the exact levels of congestion, but some areas could see four times the normal rush hour levels of traffic,” a TxDOT spokesman said in an email to FreightWaves.
“That means heavy travel delays throughout the state, and it’s important for drivers to plan for that. TxDOT has been able to prepare well in advance for this event in coordination with multiple state agencies, and we will have 24/7 emergency operations available.”
From Texas to Maine, almost 4 million people are expected to travel in order to view the total eclipse, according to transportation officials. Overall, more than 34 million people in the U.S. are expected to view the spectacle.
Some trucking companies are anticipating disruptions because of the increased number of vehicles on roadways from the event.
“Since a total solar eclipse doesn’t happen very often, we anticipate a high level of traffic and potential road closures to secondary roads due to the increase of tourism within the line of totality,” Amos Rogan, Averitt Express’ less-than-truckload operations leader, told FreightWaves. “With that, we will caution our drivers to maintain a high level of safety and vigilance to ensure that they do not get caught in a situation where we are compromising our equipment nor putting the general public in harm’s way.”
Averitt Express is a Cookeville, Tennessee-based less-than-truckload carrier with more than 5,700 tractors and 13,000 trailers and 85 locations across the country. Averitt’s team consists of more than 8,000 associates, according to its website.
The Texas Trucking Association (TXTA) said it expects increased traffic on Monday but is not anticipating any major impact on freight movements.
“TXTA does not expect any major changes in the trucking industry due to the eclipse. As of now, it’s being treated like any other short-lived ‘weather’ event,” John Esparza, TXTA president and CEO, told FreightWaves. “We do expect an increase in traffic in the areas where the eclipse can be seen due to an increase in visitors. Therefore, the state is addressing this alongside the communities being impacted. TXTA does not have any knowledge of trucking operations being impacted though.”
TxDOT officials predict traffic flows will be the heaviest on Monday afternoon and evening, after the solar eclipse event ends.
“We do expect the most traffic impacts to be in the hours right after the eclipse, and that could continue into the evening,” TxDOT said. “However, as many people travel to see the eclipse, there could be heavy traffic impacts before, during and after the eclipse which could continue into Tuesday.”
The Texas ban on oversize loads on Monday includes more than 80 counties, about a 480-mile stretch through the state. Some vehicles potentially affected by this ban include truck-tractor combinations and vehicles hauling wide loads in excess of 8-feet 6-inches.
The ban on oversize loads is one of the latest measures local and state governments are taking to deal with a massive influx of traffic expected for the celestial event.
Ahead of the solar eclipse, some state transportation departments and trucking associations have advised truckers to stay off the roads on Monday.
In February, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) released its 2024 Solar Eclipse Traffic Management Plan, asking carriers to take a voluntary “truck holiday” and park their vehicles for the day.
“Severe congestion is expected on the entire Arkansas State Highway System during the
eclipse, to such an extent that the day may be mostly unproductive for freight vehicles.
ARDOT will engage the Arkansas Trucking Association in an effort to encourage truckers
to adjust their travel schedule so they are not trapped on the roadways with eclipse-related traffic,” ARDOT said in a statement.
About 1.5 million people are expected to travel from Arkansas from outside the state to view the eclipse, according to ARDOT. The department also expects about 500,000 in-state residents to travel from their homes to the path of totality.
“Any way you cut it, it’s going to be crowded that day,” ARDOT Spokesperson Dave Parker told THV11. “Our roads are going to be tested.”
Eclipse’s impact on freight volumes remains unclear
It’s unclear whether trucking freight will be slower on Monday.
North America’s last total solar eclipse was in August 2017, when the shadow of the moon tracked a path across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina.
It’s estimated the 2017 Eclipse cost U.S. employers almost $700 million in lost productivity, with some areas experiencing as much as $200 million in losses due to absenteeism, according to a blog post Challenger Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based executive outplacement firm.
“American employers will see at least $694 million in missing output for the roughly 20 minutes workers will take out of their workday on Monday to stretch their legs, head outside the office and gaze at the nearly two-and-a-half minute eclipse,” Challenger, Gray & Christmas said.
Some carriers, like Averitt, will be letting their employees take some time to watch the eclipse event.
“We know this is a unique event, and we understand that people will want to watch this amazing phenomenon unfold — the next one not occurring again in the continental 48 states until 2045,” Rogan said. “We’ve even provided glasses to our own associates to safely view the eclipse when it happens. However, our commitment to maintaining a high level of service, quality, and safety remains of utmost importance. We will continue to work with our customers, associates, and local authorities to navigate through this event properly.”