About 30 Carts of Amazon Packages End Up on West Germantown Pike in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
Hundreds of Amazon packages ended up on a busy road in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, just before midnight Wednesday, and truck drivers and neighbors are still waiting to learn how. About 30 carts of packages were found on West Germantown Pike, about half a mile from the mall, CBS Philadelphia reports.
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What happened
Some of the packages were open and some were damaged. A witness said the carts fell out of a tractor-trailer. That account has not been confirmed, and no cause has been announced.
The carts blocked traffic until police pushed them to the side of the road, where they stayed for hours, CBS Philadelphia reports. The fire department was called about packages blocking the 600 block of Germantown Pike around 11:40 p.m., and the crates were off the roadway by 2 a.m. Thursday, according to 6abc.
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Cleanup
There is an Amazon facility about two miles away. Police said they could not reach anyone at Amazon. Later, a tow truck and a forklift were seen loading the carts and packages into an unmarked trailer.
No one has said publicly how the carts got into the road or where the packages came from.
Why it matters to truckers
Whatever the cause turns out to be, the story shows how much depends on a trailer being loaded and secured correctly before it leaves the dock. Doors, latches and load locks are part of every pre-trip inspection. For shoppers in the area, a delayed or damaged package may trace back to this night. Amazon's shipping costs have been in the news too, as an 11% rise in third-quarter shipping costs showed.
Quick facts
- Where: West Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.
- When: just before midnight Wednesday.
- What: about 30 carts holding hundreds of Amazon packages.
- Cause: not confirmed; a witness said the carts fell from a tractor-trailer.
FAQ
Did the packages fall from a truck?
A witness said so, but no cause has been confirmed. Police said they could not reach anyone at Amazon.
Who cleaned it up?
A tow truck and a forklift were later seen loading the carts and packages into an unmarked trailer.
How long were the carts there?
Police pushed the carts to the side of the road, and they stayed there for hours before they were loaded into an unmarked trailer.
Where is the nearest Amazon facility?
About two miles away, according to the coverage.
A question for readers
Truckers, what would you want to know first: how the carts got into the road, or why they sat there for hours?
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Sources
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