Ferrellgas tanker rolls on Route 309 in Montgomery Township, driver unhurt, shelter-in-place lifted
A Ferrellgas propane truck overturned Friday morning at Bethlehem Pike and Taylor Road in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania, driver's side up, around 9:20 a.m. Hazmat crews responded. The driver was not hurt.
Montgomery Township Police ordered nearby residents and businesses to shelter in place and asked them to shut off air conditioning, which cuts the odds of pulling leaking vapor indoors. That order has since been lifted. Route 309 had been closed at Richardson Road and Cowpath Road, with Taylor Road shut at Cowpath. Route 309 has reopened.
No reported leak, no injuries, a short road closure on a Friday. For a rollover carrying LPG, that is about the best outcome a carrier can log. The weather around the scene turned rough later in the day, with gusty storms and damaging winds forecast for the late afternoon, so cleanup crews likely wanted the tanker righted and the product transferred before any of that hit.
The Ferrellgas angle
Every one of these incidents puts a brand name on the side of the truck, and this time it was Ferrellgas. A clean response with no injuries and a quick reopen is the result you want when your logo is on local TV. Delivery operators running bobtails and transports into dense suburban corridors like the 309 stretch keep DOT hazmat training and rollover drills current for exactly this reason.
SPH short interest
Suburban Propane Partners (NYSE:SPH) saw short interest climb 67.4% in September. That is a sizable move into the name heading into heating season, and it says some traders are betting against the partnership right as retail propane demand starts building across the Northeast. Worth a look if you track the public propane marketers for a read on where the retail business is headed.
Crude jumps 6.5%
WTI gained 6.5% as US crude inventories fell by 8.6 million barrels, with Brent topping $105. A draw that size tightens the whole barrel, and propane and heating oil ride along with it. Jobbers pre-buying winter supply just watched their replacement cost move the wrong way in a single session.
Heating oil is a distillate, so it tracks the diesel and crude complex closely, and a run like this feeds straight into wholesale rack prices. If the draws keep coming, winter fill could get more expensive before the cold even arrives.
What to watch
Whether Ferrellgas or NTSB releases a cause on the rollover, which tells carriers what to drill on next. Whether the SPH short build keeps growing into November or reverses on the first real cold snap. And whether next week's EIA inventory numbers confirm the 8.6 million barrel draw or walk it back.