Transportation & Trucking Alerts: Total Solar Eclipse 2017

On August 21, 2017, there will be a total eclipse of the sun in parts of the United States.  Eclipses are a rare occurrence are a big deal to many people and it is expected to be quite a spectacle.

As a result, there are safety precautions that will need to be taken during on August 21, 2017,  and it will have a significant affect on driving, movement, and the delivery of freight. At the bottom of this page is a PDF document that was compiled from our friend Patti Gillette of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association that discusses some important information that carriers will need to know during the eclipse.

According to NASA’s webpage:

“A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks any part of the sun. On Monday, August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) across all of North America. The whole continent will experience a partial eclipse lasting 2 to 3 hours. Halfway through the event, anyone within a roughly 70-mile-wide path from Oregon to South Carolina (https://go.nasa.gov/2pC0lhe (link is external)) will experience a brief total eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun’s bright face for up to 2 minutes 40 seconds, turning day into night and making visible the otherwise hidden solar corona — the sun’s outer atmosphere — one of nature’s most awesome sights. Bright stars and planets will become visible as well.

Looking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when the moon entirely blocks the sun’s bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality (https://go.nasa.gov/2pC0lhe (link is external)).