We are thankful and relieved to report that all Schneider associates who were at our Dallas Operating Center when the tornado touched down are safe, accounted for and are back at work today, the carrier said in a prepared statement.
Schneider National officials released a statement Wednesday saying that although some 100 pieces of equipment were damaged, no employees were injured when a tornado thrashed its way through the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tuesday afternoon making a direct hit on the Schneider’s Dallas Operating Center.
Videos from the storm show the twister picking up and tossing trailers through the air. Footage of the storm made worldwide news.
“The storm’s impact to freight, our customers and our operations overall appear to be minimal — a remarkable outcome in light of the force of the storm,” the company said in a statement.
A tractor weighs 20,000 pounds. An empty trailer weighs 14,000 pounds, while a full one weighs about 46,000, a Schneider spokesman said.
We are proud of our associates’ response to yesterday’s tornado. They received alerts of the storm and followed protocol by taking shelter.
In the statement, Schneider said there was no damage to buildings at the facility. Clean up efforts began the night of the storm proceeded quickly. The center re-opened for business Wednesday.
We are working with customers to transfer and redirect loads and freight impacted by the storm, the statement read. The storm’s impact to freight, our customers and our operations overall appear to be minimal “ a remarkable outcome in light of the force of the storm. Schneider National is grateful for the support and concern for our associates who work in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Equipment and products can be replaced, people cannot.
In all, an estimated 13 tornados swept through the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Last night, almost 50,000 were without power–many are still without power tonight.