8 Million Dimes Spilled: Inside The $800,000 Texas Truck Crash That Shut Down A Highway For 14 Hours

The sight of cash on the highway is a universal fantasy, but for authorities in North Texas this past April, it became a 14-hour logistical nightmare. The incident involved an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer that overturned near Alvord, Texas, spilling its astonishing cargo: approximately $800,000 worth of freshly minted dimes onto the busy U.S. 81/287 highway. This was not a small amount of loose change; it was an avalanche of roughly eight million individual coins, creating one of the most unusual and expensive highway spills in recent memory.

The accident, which occurred in Wise County, quickly went viral across social media platforms like TikTok, sparking both disbelief and curiosity about the sheer volume and weight of the cargo, as well as the monumental effort required by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and local crews to recover the money. As of today, December 15, 2025, the story remains a fascinating case study in cargo logistics, highway safety, and the true meaning of a "massive cleanup."

The Massive Coin Spill: What Happened on U.S. 287?

The dramatic incident unfolded in the southbound lanes of U.S. 81/287 near Farm Road 1655 in Alvord, a small city in Wise County, Texas. The tractor-trailer, which was reportedly hauling a massive shipment of newly minted dimes, rolled over in a sudden crash. The impact tore open the trailer, unleashing a torrent of coins that carpeted the highway, effectively shutting down the roadway for the better part of a day.

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Initial reports confirmed that two people in the vehicle were taken to the hospital following the rollover accident, though the extent of their injuries was not immediately detailed. The immediate danger was not just the crash itself, but the immense quantity of metal scattered across the road surface, posing a significant hazard to other drivers and making the recovery process extremely complex.

The cargo was confirmed to be $800,000 in dimes, totaling eight million individual coins. These were not old, circulated coins but "freshly minted" currency, likely being transported from a U.S. Mint facility to a Federal Reserve Bank or a major coin depository for circulation. This detail adds a layer of topical authority, highlighting the critical role of armored carriers and logistics in the nation's currency supply chain.

The Staggering Math: Value, Weight, and Volume of 8 Million Dimes

To fully grasp the scale of the cleanup, one must understand the sheer physics of the cargo. The $800,000 figure is impressive, but the weight and volume of that many dimes are truly staggering and explain why the recovery took so long.

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• Total Dimes: $800,000 / $0.10 (value of one dime) = 8,000,000 dimes.
• Weight Calculation: Each U.S. dime weighs 2.268 grams.
• Total Weight: 8,000,000 dimes * 2.268 grams/dime = 18,144,000 grams.
• Total Weight in Pounds: This translates to approximately 40,000 pounds, or 20 tons, of metal.

A weight of 20 tons is a substantial load, even for a heavy-duty semi-truck, and it demonstrates the enormous density of coin shipments. This immense weight, shifting violently during the rollover, would have contributed significantly to the severity of the crash and the immediate spillage of the cargo. The specialized nature of moving such dense, heavy freight is a core component of U.S. Mint and Federal Reserve logistics, which typically rely on highly secure and robust armored carrier services.

The 14-Hour Cleanup: How Do You Recover a Highway of Coins?

The cleanup operation, which lasted nearly 14 hours, was an extraordinary effort that required specialized equipment and a meticulous approach. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and local authorities faced a unique challenge, as a monetary spill of this magnitude is far from a routine highway incident.

Unusual Tools for an Unusual Spill

Unlike spills involving liquids, debris, or even typical retail goods, the recovery of millions of tiny, heavy, and valuable coins demanded precision. Crews were forced to use industrial vacuum trucks, which are more commonly deployed for hazardous material or liquid cleanup, to suction the dimes from the road surface and shoulders. This mechanical effort was supplemented by hours of painstaking manual labor, with crews having to physically sweep and pick up the coins that the vacuums missed or that were lodged in cracks and crevices of the asphalt.

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The urgency of the cleanup was driven by the need to reopen the major highway artery, U.S. 81/287. The closure of a primary route for nearly 14 hours causes significant economic disruption and traffic congestion, making the swift, yet thorough, retrieval of the coin cargo a top priority for TxDOT.

A Comparison to Other Unusual Cargo Spills

While the "truck of dimes" spill is highly unusual, it joins a bizarre list of semi-truck cargo accidents that have captured public attention and tested the limits of highway cleanup procedures. The logistics of dealing with a massive coin spill are arguably more complex than many other types of spills due to the density, small size, and high value of the cargo. Previous unusual spills have included:

• Beehives: A truck carrying over 450 beehives rolled over, resulting in a swarm of millions of bees.
• Eels: A truck carrying thousands of live eels spilled its slimy cargo across a highway.
• Beer/Alcohol: Numerous incidents involving trucks spilling thousands of cases of beer or liquor.
• Supercars: Trucks carrying high-value vehicles, like supercars, often result in extremely expensive spills.

The dime spill, however, stands out because the cargo itself is currency, forcing a level of security and accountability during the cleanup that is not required for most other materials. Every dime recovered was a piece of federal currency that needed to be accounted for, a logistical challenge that turned a simple road closure into an international news story and a viral sensation.