Tornado Damages Schneider Terminal Near Dallas

A tornado that touched down in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Tuesday caused extensive damage to equipment at a Schneider National terminal, the company said.

There was no damage to the building, but the twister caused “considerable damage” to the equipment in the yard as can be seen in news photos and videos, said Schneider spokeswoman Janet Bonkowski.

She said there were no reported injuries as of Tuesday night and added that everyone was thankful for that, considering the images of the destruction of tractors and trailers in the facility’s yard.

As of Tuesday night, Schneider still had a few “associates” calling their employees who were unaccounted to ascertain their whereabouts, Bonkowski said.

About 65 office and maintenance workers and 200 to 300 drivers come in and out of the facility each day, the Schneider spokeswoman said. At the time the tornado struck, there were 254 trucks and 204 trailers in the yard, she said.

The Schneider terminal is located in Lancaster, Texas, about 15 miles south of Dallas and near the confluence of Interstate 35, Interstate 20 and Interstate 45.

The City of Lancaster activated its outdoor warning system as the tornado approached early Tuesday afternoon, the town’s public information officer, Alicia Hills-Oyedele, told Transport Topics.

Damage reports indicate about 300 structures in the town have been damaged, including about 150 severely, she said, adding that no fatalities were reported.

Reuters reported that a tornado also lifted tractor-trailers into the air at a Flying J Truck Plaza in Dallas on Tuesday.