(Host) There’s still more to say about the very cold weather this week. The Vermont Fuel Dealers Association has made an emergency request to the state to seek an exemption for the hours fuel truck drivers can work each day.
The association says high demand for deliveries, longer trips to pick up fuel, and difficulty starting some trucks have added to the drivers’ workloads. The exemption has to be approved by Vermont Emergency Management and the commissioner of motor vehicles.
The utilities continue to ask Vermonters for conservation. Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power are issuing a joint appeal for conservation. The companies say there’s not a power shortage, but that conservation now will reduce costs and help to keep peak loads down. They recommend conservation during the evening hours between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Finally, there’s your car. The tow trucks have been very busy getting cars started and Paul Sayers of Paul’s Sunoco in Berlin, says there are some precautions drivers can take to make sure their cars are ready to go in sub-zero temperatures:
(Sayers) “Always keep a full tank of gas, and at least always add a can of dry gas to every tank. Best thing to do is just start them and let them run. Because at these temperatures, starting them up, hopping them going down the road – they’ll freeze just going down the road.”
(Host) Tonight is expected to be the coldest night of the season so far, with wind chills dipping in some areas to as much as 50 degrees below zero.