A statewide travel ban goes into effect at 9 p.m. on Monday and the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut said it has advised the 800 trucking companies it works with to bring their vehicles home and anticipate parking them through Tuesday.
“We strongly urge all of our members to spread the word to others that this is a hard ban designed to permit the state to deal with what may be a 4 inch per hour snow fall. This is a serious storm and it should be handled as such,” Mike Riley, president of the statewide trade association of the trucking industry, said in a statement.
Riley said the advanced notice on the travel ban gave drivers enough time to make Monday’s deliveries and cope with the logistical problems.
The organization has also advised members to fuel up and park their vehicles until the ban is lifted.
Areas have been arranged for drivers to park, according to the trucking association. In the past, truckers from outside the state had a difficult time finding safe places to shelter during inclement weather in Connecticut, Riley said.
“We are very pleased that the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection have arranged to open the parking areas in both Hammonasset State Park in Madison and Sherwood Island State Park in Westport as Truck Refuge Areas, to allow out of state truckers to wait out the storm,” Riley said.
