Watch WSDOT Truck Push Huge Semi Trailer Off I-205

Is this the little WSDOT truck that could?

I think it is. I think it is.

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The Washington State Department of Transportation Southwest account posted video of a jackknifed semi that had blocked all southbound lanes of I-205 near the NE 50th Avenue underpass. The trailer was stretched sideways across the freeway, completely shutting things down.

And then… in rolls the hero.

WSDOT Trucks Front Bumper Fixes Traffic Stopped on I-205

Instead of waiting on heavy recovery equipment, a WSDOT maintenance truck lined up with the end of the semi trailer, nearly perpendicular, and started pushing.

Not towing.
Not winching.
Just pushing.

The state truck eased into the trailer with its reinforced front bumper and slowly drove it forward until it cleared the travel lanes. In the video, you can see the tires spinning as the driver keeps steady pressure on it. It’s not flashy. But it works.

Sometimes clearing a crash takes cranes and hours of work.

This time? It took a determined operator and what I am calling a “tush push” by unofficially the “little WSDOT truck that could”.

Team Effort, But One Big Question Remains

WSDOT credited partners at the Washington State Patrol and Clark County Fire District 6 for helping manage the scene.

One thought, though, and this is just speculation, that trailer had to be mostly empty. If it were fully loaded, there’s a good chance our little freeway hero wouldn’t have stood a chance.