Duty over Dollars

When the call came from the Texas Department of Public Safety, there was never any question whether Ironshark Tow & Transport, based in Palmview, Texas,  would respond.

A 24-foot box truck had overturned on the busy I-69/US 281 corridor in South Texas, spilling thousands of pounds of produce across one of the region's most heavily traveled highways. The driver quickly admitted he had no insurance. His truck had bald tires, was overloaded far beyond its legal capacity, and the cargo was being transported in an unrefrigerated box despite containing perishable food.

"We can't walk away," said company owner Roman Garcia. "When law enforcement calls us, we're going to get the highway open, insurance or no insurance." 

The 2010 Peterbilt 388 equipped with a 50-ton NRC heavy-duty wrecker arrived with a five-person recovery team to find the truck lying on its side, the cargo box torn apart after ripping away from its rivets.

“Tomatoes, onions, mangoes, peppers, eggs, sodas and other produce covered the roadway,” said Garcia.

The accident had also shut down one of South Texas' busiest commercial corridors, creating miles of backed-up traffic while DPS closed additional lanes to provide a safe work zone.

Before any lifting began, Ironshark secured the scene by disconnecting the batteries, assessing hazards and chocking the wheels to prevent unwanted movement on the sloped roadway bordering a drainage reservoir.

The recovery plan centered on performing a controlled rollover using the rear axle as the primary lifting point.

The crew boomed under the rear axle, attached slings beneath the chassis and around the wheels, and utilized a catch line to carefully rotate the damaged truck upright.

"We never let anything shock load," Garcia explained. "Everything has to be controlled from start to finish."

Garcia pointed out that avoiding shock loads is critical during heavy recoveries as a sudden load transfer can snap chains or straps, damage equipment, or puncture fuel tanks, creating an even greater hazard for responders working around diesel fuel and damaged vehicles.

Instead, the truck was slowly rotated back onto its wheels with constant tension maintained throughout the lift. Once upright, the damaged vehicle was re-rigged, the steering secured, and the Peterbilt's underlift transported it safely off the roadway so cleanup operations could begin.

While the rollover itself followed established heavy-duty recovery procedures, the cleanup proved to be the real challenge. Using skid steers, trailers and debris containers, the crew spent more than three hours removing produce scattered across the highway.

Working in temperatures exceeding 105 degrees, with pavement temperatures estimated above 125 degrees, and South Texas humidity, the operators shoveled spoiled produce mixed with dirt, broken glass, fuel and vehicle fluids.

The contaminated food could not be salvaged.

"We weren't going to let anyone take it," Garcia said. "It had been mixed with gasoline, brake fluid and broken glass. It wasn't safe."

After the cleanup, Ironshark hauled the contaminated load to a landfill, paying approximately $2,500 in disposal costs out of its own pocket.

According to the company, operators throughout Texas are increasingly encountering overloaded commercial vehicles operating without proper insurance or regulatory compliance. In many cases, towing companies must absorb significant expenses while fulfilling law enforcement rotation responsibilities.

"Our operators still expect a paycheck," the owner said. "Fuel isn't free. Equipment isn't free. We still have to pay our people whether the customer has insurance or not."

For Ironshark, however, the mission remains unchanged. "When the highway is shut down and people need help," Garcia said, "we're going to get the job done."