Twisters and Big Trucks

A tornado or a twister? I lived in Nebraska/Iowa for 15 years. They usually give plenty of warning, and you keep up on the weather channel if you are smart. If you can see it like that, you are potentially in big trouble. Twisters can flip a truck 100 feet or more in the air. I went to truck driving school in Nebraska. The instructors said to seek shelter when you heard there was a tornado watch-- Heck, most of the time all vehicles get off the road unless you are brainless. High winds, enough to pick cars and tear roofs off buildings precede and follow tornadoes. Not to mention high winds, rain and flying debris. However you can gamble and see if you get through it okay. Your call. If you mess your truck up, I think the company would be more inclined to call it driver error than an act of God. I know there are a lot of big he-men here, but you are actually allowed to stop and lay low when bad weather hits rather than risk your life. No life is worth a trailer filled with pop-tarts.

 

Worse event I remember was coming south out of Benton, Arkansas, that was in the 70's, the weather was bad, raining sideways, gusting wind seeming to blow in every direction at the same time, dark low clouds moving very fast. It was in the late morning. Traffic was not real heavy, but still I felt it unsafe to stop on side of I-30, & I was running empty. For a 3 to 5 mile stretch it felt like my truck wanted to go ever which way except for the direction I was steering it in. I was very happy when I ran out of it.