A tractor-trailer belonging to a Midwest-based liquid and dry bulk carrier jackknifed on an icy road in southeastern Pennsylvania early one morning last February. The driver was hospitalized as a result of the accident, and 40-50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from a ruptured saddle tank. The cargo was toluene diisocyanate, a toxic chemical used in the production of polyurethane products. None was released, but a product transfer was needed. State Police arrived at the scene and notified the carrier and a local cleanup contractor. The York County Emergency Management Agency was also on scene.
 
Since the carrier, St. Louis, Mo.-based Slay Transportation, was a Spill Center subscriber, the first call made by its Safety Director was to the Spill Hotline at Spill Center's 24/7 call center in Hudson, Mass. A Spill Center compliance associate took down the details of the incident and determined which agencies needed to be contacted. Spill Center maintains a database of more than 3,300 local, state and federal jurisdictions for this purpose.
 
"We notified each agency that requires reports and contacted the cleanup contractor at the scene to go over requirements for the product transfer and site remediation," recounts Spill Center Compliance Associate Calvin Teixeira. Normally, Spill Center also provides a list of qualified local contractors from its database for the carrier to select from, but in this case, the police already had a contractor on the scene. The site was excavated and the contaminated soil, which filled two roll-off containers, was ready to be taken to a disposal site.
 
"At that point, we got a quote for the disposal from the contractor, and forwarded it to Slay Transportation," Calvin continues. "Once the disposal was complete, we sent written reports to the regulatory agencies, advising them that the remediation was finished and that the disposal had been completed." All required reports, both by telephone and written, had been filed on behalf of the carrier, avoiding fees and fines for non-compliance.
 
Slay Transportation is the 13th largest bulk carrier in the U.S., running an ultra-modern fleet of 700 tractors and 1,200 trailers - with an average age of 5 years vs. the industry average of 12 years for trailer fleets. Over 550 drivers work for the company, which has an excellent record of safety and a shelf-full of safety awards to prove it, according to Ted Tahan, Jr., vice president and general counsel. The carrier is a business unit of Slay Industries, a diverse group of transportation and distribution companies committed to providing its customers with value-added, quality services and an emphasis on safety, he adds.
 
Staying Prepared for Spills
 
The carrier, a long-time Spill Center subscriber, doesn't have many spills which require emergency cleanup in the course of a year, relates Ted. "We use Spill Center a couple of times a year, sometimes on non-emergency incidents. They do an outstanding job," he says. "It's the ease of reporting and the quality of their employees. You're talking to people who know exactly what needs to be done, and they do it efficiently."
 
Slay Transportation runs 48 states, as well as Canada and Mexico, traveling through hundreds of different jurisdictions requiring reports after spills. "There is absolutely no way on Earth we could keep track of all those individual cities, counties, states and federal reporting regulations," Ted notes. "Knowing that Spill Center stays on top of all of the regulatory requirements is a relief. The same thing applies to their cleanup contractor database. We know we can get the assistance we need after a spill with a single phone call to Spill Center," he adds.
 
After the incident in Pennsylvania, the invoice sent by the contractor for work performed was received by Ted, who, in turn, forwarded it to Spill Center to review. Invoice auditing is a Spill Center service that many subscribers request, especially for high-cost cleanup projects. The auditing service evaluates all charges from contractors, emergency responders and other service providers to determine that they are reasonable and in order. At Spill Center, the contractor's invoice was audited by Senior Compliance Associate Tracie Murphy.
 
Says Tracie: "During my telephone conversations with the contractor, we discussed several of the invoiced charges, and he offered to reduce the total amount by 2%. He also reduced the hourly charge for the roll-off truck which handled the contaminated soil at the site, and he reduced the charge for Level C personal-protection gear. Plus, he deleted charges for a chemical hose, photography and an administration fee," Tracie reports.
 
The total reduction of the invoiced amount came to more than $1,700, and a credit memo was issued by the contractor to the carrier. Ted had been following the auditing process through e-mails from Tracie, who kept him in the loop during her communications with the contractor. The carrier had used Spill Center's invoice auditing service in the past and saved even more on occasion, Ted recalls.
 
He applauds Spill Center's efforts after the incident: "They did an extraordinarily good job on our behalf for handling that situation. That is precisely why we will continue to sign up for the services. Spill Center is a great resource for any carrier, and I recommend them wholeheartedly."

We hope you found this information useful. To learn more about Spill Center spill support and environmental claims management services, visit our website www.spillcenter.com. I also invite you to call me directly at 978-568-1922, X222 or e-mail me at tmoses@spillcenter.com.
 
Sincerely,

 
 
Tom Moses
President 
Spill Center

22 Kane Industrial Drive
Hudson, Massachusetts 01749