The Dallas City Council has received a donation to fund four new blocker trucks for the Dallas Police Department, expanding a program aimed at improving safety on some of the city’s busiest roadways.
Dallas police added blocker trucks to their fleet in 2023 after Officer Mitchell Penton was struck and killed while responding to a freeway crash in 2021. His death underscored the dangers officers face while assisting motorists on high-speed roadways. Before that, officers relied on patrol units or fire apparatus to divert traffic — resources that were often tied up for extended periods and costly to repair if hit.
In a news release, the City of Dallas reported that the Ford F550 vehicles, funded by a donation by QuikTrip, will be stationed at crash scenes and other emergencies along freeways and major roads, shielding officers and other first responders as they work in active traffic lanes. Each truck includes an LED arrow board to direct drivers and a crash attenuator built to absorb the force of an impact, reducing the risk to personnel on scene.
Since the program began, the trucks have responded to more than 1,200 incidents and have taken the brunt of five crashes over the past two years, according to officials. Since their introduction, blocker trucks have continued to deploy several times each week, becoming a routine part of the department’s response to major roadway incidents. In the past two years alone, they have absorbed five vehicle impacts, preventing injuries and saving the lives of first responders and motorists.
“We are deeply grateful to QuikTrip for this generous donation to protect our first responders at accident scenes,” City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said. “The company has a long history of supporting public safety, and this donation further elevates their commitment.”
In addition to the blocker trucks, last year, QuikTrip funded construction of a reality-based training village at the Dallas Police Academy. The company also contributed more than $200,000 to Assist The Officer, a nonprofit Dallas foundation that provides financial assistance and counseling services to officers and their families, the City of Dallas statement said.
The Dallas Police Department is reminding drivers to Move Over or Slow Down when approaching an emergency vehicle stopped with its lights activated, whether on the shoulder or in a traffic lane. Motorists must vacate the closest lane when possible or reduce their speed to 20 miles per hour below the posted limit — and to 5 miles per hour when the speed limit is 25 mph or less, said the department.
“When you see one of these blocker trucks at a crash site, please slow down and give our first responders the space they need to do their jobs safely,” said Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux.
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