Truck drivers challenged by strong winds Monday on Interstate 25 in Monument area

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) — It's not unusual for 18-wheelers to blow over onto their sides during high wind alert days on southern Colorado, and Monument experienced some of the strongest winds Monday.

Fortunately, KRDO13 is not aware of any overturning. Some drivers likely stopped to wait out the wind at one of several local truck stops.

KRDO 13's The Road Warrior spoke with three truckers who had pulled over onto the shoulder of I-25; only one, Tihalir Williams, did so because of the wind.

He said that he had just dropped off his load of sporting goods at around 6 a.m. and was heading back to Arizona when he felt the impact of strong winds that he never had before.

Without a heavy load for stabilization, his truck became more susceptible to the wind.

"The trailer started swinging," he recalled. "I started crossing the lines. I thought maybe I'd make it. I went about two more feet, and the trailer started to swing out. I'm like, I'm done!"

It wasn't until 11:30 a.m. that Williams felt comfortable enough to get back on the road.

Rocky Hobbs is a veteran driver who is more accustomed to driving in strong winds. He had a full load of food that he was taking from Denver to Albuquerque.

He stopped in Monument only to grab lunch and said that the wind wasn't strong enough to worry him.

"You get around Walsenburg or anywhere they have the wind generators," he explained. "If the wind gets too much for those and they shut those down, then you've got to start thinking about (pulling over). But as long as they're spinning, you're fine."

Most noticeable Monday was the large amount of trash blown around by the wind.