Photo Credit: Georgia Department of TransportationGeorgia’s Highway Emergency Response Operator program just got an upgrade with bigger and safer trucks.
According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the HERO trucks that patrol the highways and help stranded motorists will help make the job safer for operators.
“Georgia DOT HERO prides itself as being a leader for safety within the Safety Service Patrol industry,” GDOT traffic engineer Andrew Heath said. “These new vehicles are one way that we continue to challenge ourselves to provide a safer environment for our employees and for motorists.”
The new vehicles are 13-feet long, 8-feet wide and 8-feet tall. They feature roll-up doors and compartments to make responding to an incident easier for operators.
The new trucks aren’t replacing the entire fleet of big yellow trucks. The department is replacing 10 percent in the initial phase.
“When HERO patrol operators are responding to a call, every second counts,” GDOT HERO manager Jason Josey said. “Our goal with these new vehicles is to improve response time, while also improving the safety of the HERO patrol operators and the traveling public.”
The new trucks will feature the GDOT markings as well as the logo of the department’s sponsor in the program, State Farm.
