Nevada DOT warns truckers of months-long truck escape ramp closure

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is asking truckers to use extra caution during a months-long truck escape ramp closure.

Starting on January 28 through early March, a truck escape ramp on eastbound U.S. 50 in Carson City will be closed for maintenance. The closed ramp is located near Golf Club Drive, between the Lake Tahoe area and Carson City.

A nearby truck escape ramp located near the U.S. 50 and U.S. 395 junction will remain open for use during this closure.

In addition to closure information, NDOT shared several tips for truckers on truck escape ramps:

• Avoid Needing a Truck Escape Ramp
• Have your vehicle serviced and maintained regularly.
• Use provided brake check areas located near mountain summits and tops of steep grades to verify that your equipment and vehicle is in proper working condition.
• Be familiar with the road and grades and load your vehicle accordingly.
• Operate your vehicle on downgrades using recommended gears and speeds to help avoid excessive brake temperatures.

• If You Must Use a Truck Escape Ramp
• Use a truck escape ramp if you are having difficulty slowing your vehicle or experience brake loss.
• Enter the gravel bed in line with the ramp and as close to center as possible.
• Contact Nevada DOT after you have used a Nevada truck escape ramp.
• Contact a tow truck company after you have used a truck escape ramp to remove your vehicle from the gravel bed, and have any faulty vehicle brakes repaired before driving again.

• Don’ts of Using a Truck Escape Ramp
• Do not avoid using a truck escape ramp for fear of possible damage to your vehicle. Damage to vehicles from gravel beds is negligible compared to the potential damage caused by not using a truck escape ramp.
• Do not try and drive out of the gravel bed yourself. Trying to drive out may only cause further damage to your vehicle.
• Do not wait in your vehicle while it is in the truck ramp. 
• Do not use the truck escape ramp paved entry as a rest stop or parking area. Runaway vehicles are traveling at very high speeds and have limited ability to avoid parked vehicles in their path.