For the past six weeks I have been working nights which is a big change for me because I am basicaly a day and evening driver.

The one thing that has been on the top of my list the last week has been black ice and what to look for when driving and when parked during loading/unloading and breaks. Forunatly I don't see much if any snow for the simple reason I see mainly the lower elevations and no mountain driving and the white stuff does not make it here much, maybe once or twice a year.

Black ice is when water freezes to the road and if you don't know what to look for it looks like any other streach of road, it can form on either asphalt or concrete and be presant on clear or over cast days, all that is needed is freezing tempuratures and water on the roadway and can cause the same results. Trouble!!

What to look for is the following;

Freezing tempuratures. When I move into a diferent truck the first thing I do is install on the dash is a new thermater, these can be bought at most truck stops for around $20 or less and usualy take a AAA battery and some models take two. This can be your best freind during winter driving...How accurate it is depends on where you mount the outside probe, this is attached to the dash unit by a length of small wire to the unit itself. I usualy mount the probe out of direct contact with the head wind, this is easy with west coast mirrors... This may not give me a "dead" on outside tempurature but will let me know when it is close to or below freezing. A thought here is that you cannot depend on what the FM is saying for weather conditions because the station could be miles away and is reporting the conditions at the station or the closest airport.

Be observant on what the road itself looks like. Does it look like it is dry? Or like it just rained? If it looks like it just rained this is called glaze and could be a sheet of ice, along with this I keep a close look at the texture of the surface and see what looks like broken glass or takes on reflecktive quality it is time to slow down and stay off as much as I can from the brakes and throttle. Take it slow and easy. Keep in mind that the rig will slide in the direction of the tires that brake traction ant the best thing to do is take your foot off the peddle and coast through it while swerving the immediate problems.

Another animal altogether is freezing rain. On this keep an eye on what is happening on the windshield, if ice is building up outside the reach of the wipers AND building up on the mirrors. As far as the mirrors go do not be afreid to open your window and run your hand over the brackets to see how it feels like... If it is slick and feels like ice WATCH out!!! My thoughts are it is time to shut down and find a place to park untill the sun comes up....

Between snow and ice, snow is the lesser of the two problems for the simple reason that snow can be seen and ice can be invisible!!!

Let me give you some advice regarding the night shift. I have been doing it since Jan. of this year and you'll eventually get used to it. What you get used to is running on less sleep. I find that it helps to compare your current hours to your former hours. It serves as a guide, so to speak.

For example, my starting time has been 6 A.M. for years. Now it is 9 P.M. going from Monday night to Saturday morning. I change it from P.M. to A.M. and subtract 3 hrs to keep myself straight. Also, since I start Mon. night, I try to stay up all night Sunday night, and then sleep during the day.

I wonder why nothing is mentioned about nightime linehaul drivers as far as tired truckers are concerned. Some of these guys (myself included sometimes), drive more tired than anyone else because of having to maintain daytime hours on weekends.

On the night of the 22nd, one of our drivers wrecked on the PA turnpike due to a frozen over bridge. What sometimes happens is a snow squall moves through quickly, dropping not much snow at all. The snow melts, and quickly refreezes, creating an veritable ice rink. I encountered the same problem on I-70 E/B about half way between Frederick and Baltimore, MD. on Thursday morning. People were spun out all over the place, and once again, it was the bridges that were slippery. The paved surfaces were fine.

A CB with weather band is a big help, but a lot of people don't seem to like radios with weather band.

Let me ask you a question, portland. Could you mount the probe for one of those thermometers behind a cab fairing?

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

I run frequently through a notorious black ice area. The Indiana toll road between South Bend and the Chicago area is one famous breeding ground for black ice. The wind comes sweeping south down over Lake Michigan, and leaves that area clear of much snow, but leaves a sheen of black ice on the road. In winter, I hardly make a trip down the road without seeing someone in the ditch. It just takes a lot of care and patience to drive through it. I've had windy days when I looked in the mirror and saw my empty trailer over in the next lane. You just have to remain calm, and drive like a professional. I also exercise my right to park the truck based on my judgement of road conditions. The guys that fly down that stretch of road in the winter are the ones that end up in the ditches. I use the radio a lot for checking on road conditions. It's one of the places where the CB is a real life saver.

I lived in Chicago for a couple of years and in Seattle for three. But the worse driving conditions I have ever seen were in Atlanta. Not sure why, maybe it's because the temperature is not quite low enough to make good ice, so it just gets snotty.

I saved myself one night near Huntsville, AL by being observant; saw the ice hanging off a vehicle that passed me. I didn't know I was driving on ice! So I backed off a lot and then very carefully added power. No traction! I "tip-toed" into town and shut down.

Let me ask you a question, portland. Could you mount the probe for one of those thermometers behind a cab fairing?


I bought one of those outside thermometers at Wal-Mart for $10.

I mounted the sensor on the cab fairing, and it seems to be accurate.

IMO, an important piece of equipment for winter driving.

Absolutly, as long as it is away from a heat source such as a light or the heated mirrors AND out of the direct wind.