Behind-the-scenes heroes of winter weather

Feb. 10, 2026

By Heather Deaton

ATLANTA, Texas — Two days before a major winter storm was forecast to hit much of Texas, two tanker trucks had to be taken off the road. But thanks to the hard work of TxDOT mechanics, they were able to get them back in action.

These trucks - used to spread brine on Interstates 20 and 30 - were sidelined for mechanical issues. There was no time to lose to get them up and running again as crews worked to prepare bridges and major highways across the state.

“The two tanker trailers we have are critical for winter weather because roughly half of our sections have interstate that run through them,” said Atlanta District Fleet Operations Supervisor Scott Hendrix. “Without those, we would not be able to pretreat like we need to and to treat during the event. Their large capacity allows crews to cover a lot of miles without having to stop and refill.”

The first sign of trouble came Thursday morning on the tanker assigned to I‑30. Its brakes began malfunctioning during brine operations. A TxDOT mechanic went to get the trailer moving again. But the fix didn’t hold, and the tanker had to be towed back to the district shop.

“We don’t normally have seven techs working on one piece of equipment,” Hendrix said.

While the I‑30 tanker was being repaired, the district’s second tanker—assigned to I‑20—rolled into the shop with its own problem: a venting failure that prevented it from spraying brine.

“I was a little bit concerned because I knew the district was going to need this — bad. It was all hands on deck to get these things back up and going.”

The crew quickly came together, troubleshooting side by side to keep the repairs moving.

“I’d never seen that many people working on a single piece of equipment,” he said.

The technicians stayed on the job until the work was finally finished at 7 p.m.

After the final tanker was repaired and taken for a test run, there were sighs of relief all around.

“The crew we have in the Atlanta shop is amazing. I can’t say enough good things about this group of mechanics working as a team to solve a serious problem,” Hendrix said. “The guys out here understood the gravity of what was going on and knew that these things needed to go.”

Mechanics are a major part of TxDOT’s winter weather response, working around the clock along with crews on the road. Stories like these happen across the state and show the agency’s tireless commitment to keeping roads clear and passable during severe weather.

Learn more about how TxDOT responded to the January, 2026 winter storm in a recent Newsroom story.