States advising motorists ahead of Great American Eclipse

This chart from Youcanseethemilkyway.com shows the approximate local time of the Aug. 21 eclipse as it moves across the country.

The Great American Eclipse has dawned upon the trucking industry. Thanks to the upcoming solar eclipse, states have started asking businesses that use the roadways, such as trucking companies, to consider adjusting their delivery schedules, Transport Topics reports.

The map where the eclipse is expected to gather the most spectators stretches from as far as Lincoln Beach in Oregon down to the city of Columbia in South Carolina. Trucking companies and shippers have been considering altering routes to avoid expected traffic jams as motorists clog the roadways for the Aug. 21 eclipse. Some states are asking that oversized loads be limited as well, Transport Topics reports.

The eclipse event is expected to have a path of totality that cuts across the country.

According to NASA, an eclipse of this magnitude has not happened since 1918. Solar eclipses are usually witnessed only in some parts of the United States, but this one will be seen from coast to coast. This has pushed the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) to post blog articles with the public’s safety in mind.

This was an issue addressed by FHA spokesperson Doug Hecox in an interview with WTOP.com. He was quick to note how the eclipse was more of “a driver-distraction issue.”

The FHA is warning drivers not to drive with “eclipse glasses” and instead pull over and “enjoy the show from a place of safety.”

Hecox painted a scenario where a truck driver is not distracted with the darkness from the eclipse, a biker or bicyclist that may be coming from the opposite direction may not be as careful.

WTOP mentioned how pedestrian collisions increase at night when the road is dark, something that will happen during the eclipse.