Thousands of pounds of steel sheeting slid off of a flat-bed truck as it turned east onto Yosemite Avenue from the northbound Highway 99 off ramp at about 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Each stack of steel plating contained some 10 thinner sheets measuring about a half-inch thick.  Manteca Police officers said it was fortunate that no motorists were driving next to the truck when it made its turn, because they would have been sliced or crushed by the impact that made sizeable gouges in the roadbed.

The truck was en route to Escalon from Oakland, the driver told officers.  Traffic was backed up on Yosemite Avenue for approximately 40 minutes.  Officers directed the off ramp traffic around the scene of the mishap.

The effort to move the steel plates off of the street and onto the truck were hampered because of the weight.  A volunteer with a fork lift found his vehicle thrown off balance trying to lift the steel.  A city lift met the same impossible challenge. J&M Equipment on Spreckels Avenue volunteered to clear the street with a heavy duty fork lift – without charge to the city, police said.

Manteca Police cited the driver for having an unsafe load and the CHP sent one of its commercial trucks to the scene to further inspect the truck.