A Colorado trucking school is trying to train drivers to handle the unique challenges of mountain driving
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, each hour I-70 is closed results in an estimated economic loss of more than $1 million and those impacts can extend 100 miles or more
Chelsea Self/Post Independent
A multivehicle wreck last month involving two tractor trailers descending westbound from Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnel injured five people 鈥� one critically 鈥� and closed Interstate 70 for more than eight hours.聽
The driver of one truck, who was later cited for reckless driving, reportedly lost his brakes and hit another truck, causing both to swerve across three lanes, .
While the magnitude of this collision was unusual, the loss of brakes among commercial vehicles in the mountains is not. The crash illustrates the high stakes for truckers and nearby vehicles when things go wrong on the I-70 mountain corridor.
Scott Maurer and Joe Trussell are working to prevent wrecks like these. The two run CDL 303, the only commercial driver’s license school in the U.S. that offers a comprehensive mountain training program to ensure truckers have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to navigate Colorado’s mountain roads safely.
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