Truck

Howard County police closed the southbound lane of Snowden River Parkway for almost six hours yesterday after a tanker truck overturned, spilling about 7,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen. The truck was carrying the refrigeration liquid when it overturned about 9 a.m. near Route 175, rupturing the tank, said Howard County fire department spokesman William Mould. Mould said the driver might have turned too quickly and caused his load to shift. The driver, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries.

A 19-year-old Silver Spring man was killed Monday when he leaned out of a truck traveling on a Davidsonville road to motion to friends walking in an adjacent field and the vehicle sideswiped a telephone pole, according to Anne Arundel County police. Officers were called about 5:40 p.m. Monday to Governor Bridge Road near Patuxent River Road and found David Shigeru Yamamoto Hepner of the 900 block of Devere Drive suffering from life-threatening injuries. Investigators said Hepner was the right rear passenger in a 2004 Chevy truck traveling east on Governor Bridge Road and driven by Zachary Taylor Bennett, 18, of the 3900 block of Bayside Drive in Edgewater.

An overturned propane truck stopped traffic to and from Gibson Island for three hours Tuesday afternoon as firefighters emptied the tank of the flammable gas.The driver of the truck, Glenn Edward Gabryszeski, 31, of the 100 block of Water Fountain Way in Glen Burnie, was taken to North Arundel Hospital for treatment of an injury to his left shoulder. No one else was injured.Mr. Gabryszeski was driving the United Propane tanker east on Mountain Road about 3:45 p.m. As he rounded the curve at Pinehurst Road, the vehicle drifted onto the right shoulder for about 100 feet, police said.

ANNAPOLIS (AP) -- The Senate enacted a measure yesterday allowing longer trailer trucks on Maryland's highways, ending a four-year battle between the trucking industry and safety groups.The bill, approved 35-11, now goes to Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who is expected to sign it.Maryland is one of just four states that restrict trailer lengths to 48 feet. The bill passed yesterday would allow truck trailers to span 53 feet.The measure was touted as an economic development tool, but opponents insisted longer trailers pose a safety hazard.

An 11-year-old boy was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after he was struck by a small commercial truck Thursday morning in Windsor Mill, according to Baltimore County police. The collision, involving a 2004 Isuzu, was reported at 7:33 a.m. at the intersection of Lord Baltimore Drive and Bexhill Road, just north of Windsor Mill Road, said county police spokeswoman Louise Rogers-Feher. The boy, James Jones, was crossing Lord Baltimore Drive with another pedestrian at the intersection, which has no traffic signal or crosswalk, Rogers-Feher said.

About 30 Harford County residents, who were evacuated last night after a highly toxic chemical was found leaking from a truck, were back in their homes by about 2 a.m. today, and State Police continued to investigate what may have caused the leak.Residents of about 15 homes near Joppa were evacuated last night when the leak was discovered on a tractor-trailer hauling 39,000 pounds of the highly toxic chemical, chloroacetaldehyde, which is used in making fungicides. There were no injuries, but authorities said they were cautious because the chemical can irritate the eyes, throat and respiratory system.

IT'S FUNNY how people get distracted from what is important. Take for example what happened a few weeks ago when I got that dreaded call from my home-security service that the alarm at my house had gone off and I needed to go there immediately.I called the hospital where my wife is a nurse to advise her of the potential calamity and ran to the parking deck to wake up Ol' Betsy, my 13-year-old vehicle of choice.Traveling moderately fast on the highway, not wanting to risk a speeding ticket from an unsympathetic traffic cop, I saw something that completely shifted my thoughts.

Cal Ripken Jr.announced today that he'll be auctioning off the 1994 Chevy Suburban that he drove for several years during his Hall of Fame career with the Orioles.  Ripken drove the truck to Camden Yards the nights he tied and broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played record, Sept. 5 and 6, 1995. Ripken also drove the Suburban to Orioles postseason games in 1996 and 1997, according to a news release put out by his public relations firm. The winning bidder will receive first-class airfare and lodging for two in Baltimore, and he or she will be invited to attend the Sports Legends Museum Gala honoring Ripken and fellow Hall of Famer Eddie Murray on Sept.

Michael Caylor Diesel truck technician Ryder System Inc., Aberdeen Age: 41 Years in business: 18 Salary: $48,000 a year, plus overtime. The hourly pay for a technician of Caylor's level at Ryder is between $20.53 and $25.67 per hour. How he got started: Caylor said he always liked working with his hands and began working on cars out of high school. A friend told him diesel mechanics made good money, so he attended the Diesel Institute of America (then in Baltimore) and went to work for Ryder.

The state is constructing a commercial vehicle inspection and weigh station and a new state police barracks along Interstate 95 in Perryville northeast of the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River.And a new shopping center is being built on the property behind them.The inspection center will house the second truck and tractor-trailer weigh station in that area; the other is on U.S. 40 near the Thomas Hatem Memorial Bridge. The two stations will prevent truckers from taking alternative routes to avoid being inspected, said Jack Moeller, director of engineering for the Maryland Transportation Authority.