On the morning of October 23, a pretty surreal sight greeted travelers along US Route 287 in Alvord, Texas. As the reps told the story, one of Western Distributing Transportation Corporation’s 18-wheelers rolled over and 8 million newly minted dimes dumped out all over the highway. Those coins—a heist worth roughly $800,000—created a huge storm. Cleanup crews worked for hours to remove the wreckage from the road.
The accident occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m., roughly 50 miles north of Fort Worth. The occupants of the truck, reportedly the driver and an armed guard, were treated on site with non-life threatening injuries. Emergency responders quickly transported them to a nearby hospital, where they began receiving treatment. The crash closed two southbound lanes of US Route 287 for almost 14 hours. This in turn created severe traffic congestion for miles, as impatient drivers abandoned stuck routes and searched for shorter ones.
As clean-up efforts began, crews were ready to move with a plan. To collect the scattered loot, they used high-powered vacuums, typically used to unclog sewers and drains. The image of the equipment being used for this purpose resonated with the community. Caleb Caviness remarked on the oddity of the situation, stating, “The funniest part to me was that they picked up the dimes using the vacuum trucks that are used to suck out sewage and water and stuff like that.”
While the closure of US Route 287 had relief for local traffic, many long-distance travelers were the ones most impacted, left stuck in the long backups. In typical form, the authorities rushed to fill the crater caused by the disastrous failure and the ensuing floods. Incredibly, by the evening, they caved and reopened the lanes to motorists.
Western Distributing Transportation Corporation’s subsidiary, US Armored Company Services (USAC), was involved in transporting the dimes at the time of the incident. According to their website, “We move cargo for all divisions of the government and were awarded [contracts] to move several of the government’s banks over the years.” That underscores the importance of the company’s role in safely transporting valuable commodities.
So, as the spill generated road rage among drivers stuck in traffic, local residents were able to appreciate and even laugh about the incident. One local quipped, “We were joking around that the city of Alvord would be metal detecting,” suggesting that the unexpected coin shower may have provided an unusual opportunity for treasure hunters.