Authorities received a report of the southbound truck on fire about 2:20 p.m., said Sgt. Sam Liang of the California Highway Patrol.
Liang said a witness saw the truck weaving as if it was about to jackknife. The caller told police the vehicle passed over the right-hand shoulder, headed up a short embankment and plowed through a chain-link fence. The big rig came to rest near Pico Road.
The fence probably punctured the fuel tanks underneath the truck, said Battalion Chief Mark Neveau, of the Fremont Fire Department.
"The diesel caught on fire from the heat of the vehicle," Neveau said. "Then the fire consumed the vehicle."
The driver was found inside the cab and declared dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved and there were no other injuries, Liang said.
There was no information available Tuesday afternoon about the driver, who the man worked for or who owned the truck.
The charred truck sat on the embankment while hazardous material crews and firefighters cleaned up the fuel spill. Workers also pumped about 30 gallons of fuel out the truck, Liang said.
Southbound traffic was not badly affected by the accident, said Officer Steve Creel. Northbound traffic slowed down to about 20 to 25 miles for about a mile near the Sheridan Road exit.
