APPLEGATE, Calif. — Wheels are finally rolling again on Interstate 80 late Monday afternoon after blizzard conditions left truck drivers stranded for days on the side of the road.
“(I’ve been) stuck here for about four days,” said truck driver Atiq Habiby. “Everyone is waiting for their packages, and we are delayed.”
Truck drivers were forced to wait it out until the roads higher up could be cleared.
"Pretty bad because some people maybe they don't have the food and the biggest problem; there's only one gas station and no place to park and there's a lot of trucks there on the road,” said Habiby.
It’s a sentiment shared by fellow truck driver Tina Washington.
"Pretty much have to be prepared and have plenty of water, plenty of food just for conditions like this,” said Washington.
Few are more prepared than Robert Mclarney, who’s been a truck driver for 28 years. He’s from western New York.
"I'm used to these conditions. In Erie, south, we get a lot of storms up there, ice storms,” he said.
He has a pretty good idea of what to pack, he even brought a barbecue in his truck.
While it’s the norm for him, blizzard conditions this severe are unusual for the Sierra. Some drivers needed to be pulled from the snow after getting trapped near Echo Summit.
"Thank you for some of the people here who especially said, ‘Thank you, truckers,’ and I saw a lot of people stop here and they say, ‘Do you need anything?’ I really appreciate the local people here,” said Habiby.
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