Trucks Banned on Texas Roads in More than 80 Counties During Eclipse

Tyler, TX (KPEL News) - Drivers in Texas have already been warned to expect traffic delays on major highways, like I-10, that fall in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. Historical data indicates that traffic in the Lone Star State could increase as much as 200% because people will stop their cars to take a look.

In an effort to reduce that traffic nightmare as much as possible, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has banned travel by commercial trucks in more than 80 counties.

READ MORE: History Hints at Major Traffic Jams During Eclipse

According to their website:

Due to the Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, that is expected to cause severe traffic delays, no size/weight permitted travel will be allowed on that day from midnight to midnight in the following counties:

 

Anderson, Atascosa, Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brown, Burnet, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Coleman, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Coryell, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dimmit, Edwards, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Frio, Gillespie, Grayson, Gregg, Hamilton, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lamar, Lampasas, Leon, Limestone, Llano, Marion, Mason, Maverick, McLennan, McCulloch, Medina, Menard, Milam, Mills, Morris, Navarro, Parker, Rains, Real, Red River, Robertson, Rockwall, San Saba, Smith, Somervell, Sutton, Tarrant, Titus, Travis, Upshur, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Williamson, Wood, and Zavala.

More than a dozen of them are in East Texas. The swath where a total eclipse will be visible extends from the U.S.-Mexico border northeastward, through towns and cities like Uvalde, Fredericksburg, Waco, Austin, and Dallas, before exiting the state to continue the trek over southeast Oklahoma and much of the state of Arkansas.

The ban on trucks isn't limited to any particular highway. No travel for that population in the aforementioned counties is allowed at all.

If you happen to be driving your personal vehicle during the eclipse, you may not have to navigate alongside 18-wheelers. Understand, though, that traffic will be a beast anyway.