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Truckers respond to call for help
By Jess Nicholas
Truckers joined relief efforts in New York Sept. 11, many of them donating time and equipment to help rescue workers clear debris and search for survivors.
“I sent out a call to truckers, and 25 independent truckers showed up with lowboys,” said Barry Heffernan, sales manager of Piscataway, N.J.-based Hoffman Equipment. “I’m getting phone calls from contractors who know what we’re doing and want to offer their equipment.”
Heffernan loaded the trucks with construction equipment donated by Terex and JCB. From there, Heffernan awaited instructions from officials as to where to deliver the equipment. He said he was particularly interested in helping the New York Department of Transportation, with whom he has a strong working relationship.
“It’s just a response from the heart,” he said. “If you wait for someone to ask you to do this, your heart’s not in the right place.”
Heffernan said landscaping companies were calling, offering equipment operators. He said Hoffman Equipment was also responding with its service trucks and dealership staff.
Owner-operator Kevin Kolodziej said his company, KTS Heavy Hauling, participated in the efforts.
“Hoffman called and said they had donated equipment, but had to get it there,” Kolodziej said. “There were 16companies who responded; there were about 25 tractors in all. We got in a convoy and were escorted to New York by our local police.”
Kolodziej said the trucks carried heavy equipment ranging from cranes to bulldozers. Kolodziej carried an over-dimension wheel-loader on his truck.
Piscataway is 20-25 miles away from the attack on the World Trade Center, Kolodziej said. He was carrying a load for Hoffman Equipment at the time of the incident.
“We didn’t know it was as severe as it really was, at first,” he said. “Everyone pretty much knows someone who was lost (in the attack).”
Kolodziej said he and the other truckers worked until after 1 a.m. hauling machinery to a holding area outside the city. He said he was getting ready to go back to Hoffman Equipment and pick up a second load.
The other trucking companies involved in the Piscataway relief efforts were J.H. Reed, R&R Construction, Ferreira Construction, Lakeside Construction, Halecom Construction, Caro Construction, Tow Masters, Rothberg & Sons, HMC Associates, Bill Westevelt Hauling, Conforti Hauling, DiMuzio Inc., CNC Services, W.J. Casey Inc. and Gano Heavy Hauling.
Bill Joyce of the New York State Motor Truck Association said that his association had not yet received a request for assistance, but “had a lot of offers” from truckers anxious to help.
Mike Allain, safety manager of Wal-Mart Logistics in Marcy, N.Y., is coordinating a nationwide relief effort in which water and medical supplies will be trucked in to the Marcy terminal from Wal-Mart distribution centers, then transferred to the stricken areas by his drivers.
“Out of 210 drivers, I have 190 volunteers,” said Allain. The effort will eventually involve hundreds of trailer loads of supplies. Donations and additional supplies will also be collected in trailers at 25 New York/New Jersey area stores.
To find out what help is available from the trucking community, the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut put out a fax Wednesday morning. “We got 15 responses in 15 minutes,” said Mike Riley, association president. Offers included the use of drivers, trucks and construction equipment. Through the Connecticut DOT, the association is in touch with New York’s Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance as soon as it’s called for.
One of those responding to the call is Kathy Civarella, president of J.R. Christiano and Sons Trucking. Her small Connecticut company volunteered the use of a tractor and reefer trailers. “Seeing what the world is going through, we wanted to do whatever we could do to help,” Civarella said. “It’s just devastating.”
The Volvo Group also offered its assistance to cleanup and rescue efforts in New York. Leif Johansson, president of AB Volvo & CEO of the Volvo Group in Gothenburg, Sweden, sent a letter to New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, offering a "wide array of Volvo and Mack heavy duty trucks and construction equipment, such as wheel loaders, dump trucks, excavators, motor graders" and other machines from regional dealers. Volvo said the equipment was immediately available at Volvo's expense.
Tony French and Marcia Gruver contributed to this report.
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