A Schneider National facility near Dallas, Texas has been badly damaged by a tornado, one of a number that wreaked havoc in the area on Tuesday. The US transport and logistics provider said that all employees had been accounted for and were safe.
"We are thankful and relieved to report that all Schneider associates who were at our Dallas Operating Center when Tuesday's tornado touched down are safe, accounted for and are back at work today," said a spokesperson for Schneider. "We are proud of our associates' response to yesterday's tornado. They received alerts of the storm and followed protocol by taking shelter."
The facility, one of Schneider's larger hubs in the area, is used for maintenance and refuelling, and is the base for the company's driver managers.
Video footage shows several trailers, including those bearing the distinctive Schneider National livery, being thrown high into the air before crashing back into the lot.
Schneider said that while there was no damage done to the company's buildings there was extensive damage to trucks and trailers located in the yard area.
"Approximately 100 pieces of equipment were damaged in the storm," said the company's spokesperson. "Recovery efforts began Tuesday night and clean-up is proceeding quickly. Our Dallas associates are working hard to restore the facility to working order and to get back to doing what they do best: hauling freight for our customers."
The company is now working with its customers to transfer and redirect loads and freight impacted by the storm. "The storm's impact to freight, our customers and our operations overall appear to be minimal - a remarkable outcome in light of the force of the storm," she added.
The tornados hit the area around 13:30 local time and lasted for more than two hours. Between six and 12 tornados are thought to have hit the North Texas area but the figure is expected to be confirmed following assessment on Wednesday. The National Weather Service confirmed at least two separate "large and extremely dangerous" tornadoes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Further south Toyota has a plant at San Antonio but a spokesman said that there was no impact on the plant either from the storm or through logistics disruption.
