Teach Nana...........

Keep your washer fluid full; it really is hard to see at all if your glass is dried over with salt and road spray. I think the best thing I was ever taught is SLOW DOWN as in really, ACTUALLY SLOW DOWN. Rigs don't stop or turn very well in good weather and in bad weather with ice or snow they barely react at all. Try to anticipate your next action even more than normal and stay off the brake pedal as much as possible. If you get the opportunity go to a skid school pad; kinda wakes you up but really good training.
Keep the dirty side down!

 

Pretend that an egg is taped to the top of the gas pedal and brake pedal. Sounds stupid, but drive so that no eggs get broken.....

 

Oh one other thing Nana. If you think a storm could arise put some anti-freeze on a rag and wipe down the metal frame or on the all season blades the rubber of the wiper blades ( BE SURE TO NOT GET ANY ON THE ACTUAL WIPER ITSELF) and this will keep them from getting full of snow which will then turn to ice and make your wipers useless till you stop every 5 minutes to keep them clean. I also do this to the grill of my truck which keeps ice and snow from building up and blocking air from the radiator causing an overheat problem.

 

a side note to the Washer Fluid comment . . . . .
Keep two "big" bottles of rubbing alcohol in the bottom box. Use one bottle for each gallon of washer fluid,thats is whats in the over priced "Winterized" fluid.

Just make sure to purge the system throughly with the mix.Its not fool proof but works pretty well.
Ive had 3:1 ratio still freeze like water when its
Sunny and -20* in Nisku Alberta
Also keeping a good spray bottle full of alcohol its good for blasting frozen mirrors,the quality of the bottle will determine if you can hit the right mirror from the left seat at road speed

As for the grill and blade assemblies I use non stick cooking spray,which when applied with a rag in the best "bug stick prevent" you can use in the warmer months(grill,bumper,horn caps,mirrors,visor etc)

 

All great advice......

Nana, another piece of advice for winter driving.....

California and snow do not mix......So.....STAY OUT OF CALIFORNIA during the winter!!!!!

There must be some rule that says after the first flake hits the road, 4-wheelers must crash and Cal-Trans closes the highways down.....

 

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet. But do not set your trailer brakes after driving in the snow all day. It is a pain to have to beat the frozen brakes apart.

 

Oh...did anyone mention that if you park on snow.....move your rig back and forth in about a half hour or so.....
Your tires are still warm enough to melt the snow.....otherwise you'll get stuck if you wait until morning to move....

 

Thats funny, i see more wreaks in Colorado in the winter then in California. People from Colorado and east of the Rockies drive just as fast in the snow as they do in dry conditions. Never see 60 car pile-ups in California, sometimes you do, see them out east on the news all the time because of speed. Rule 1, drive slow, don't let the flatlander supertrucker push you to drive unsafe. Rule 2, if you don't feel safe, shut it down. I lived in the mountains most of life, untill last few years, one thing you learn, you like those chains when you have to drive in the snow in the high country.

 

This may be bit long-winded but:
Tis the season:
Now that the seasons are changing, so do the pitfalls of driving an eighteen-wheeler. Knowing the extreme conditions on our highways across this country is part of being a professional driver, but being prepared for the extremes, goes one step farther than just being ready. Depending on what regions we drive in or through, will give a clue to what personal needs a driver will have need for. For those of you who traverse all 48 states, dramatic changes with weather conditions happen almost daily or perhaps every second or third day. But these different conditions need to be thought out ahead of time and the necessary clothing, emergency supplies, and personal comfort particulars addressed before a bad situation occurs.
Managing your drive:
We all know about rush hour traffic and the mess with delays from impatient drivers…and this does include the “pros” as well as the 4 wheelers. With the added attraction of rain, sleet, and snow, drivers patience will get an even greater test. So get yourself ready for the inevitable stupid syndrome!
Start your drive time earlier than your normal schedule to allow for the delays that will naturally happen. Just starting ahead of schedule will allow a better cushion for on time delivery or pick-up. Besides, it never hurts to be early to your appointment. But timing to a schedule is just the start, now your attention to your surroundings needs to be bumped up a few notches, following distance needs to increase, and any distractions in the cab need elimination. Turn the cell phone OFF, turn the radio down, and pay a little more attention to the CB, odds are, that will be your warning of problems ahead on the road. Before you started driving down the road, did you get your directions for the customer, and did you check your route to get there? Just in case, do you have an alternate route? If the weather is really bad…extreme snow conditions, icing roadways, down trees from wind or ice accumulation or even fallen power lines blocking roadways. If any of the previous exists, CALL THE CUSTOMER AND CONFIRM DELIVERY OR LOAD!
Driving:
Have you ever driven in snowy conditions? How about freezing rain or sleet? Whether your answer to these questions is yes or no, caution not aggression is best. Remember, you too can be a hazard, not only to others, but to yourself. Take your time, try and relax, and most important is to pay attention to points of your vehicle…front, sides, and rear…adjust your mirrors to give the best overall visibility, clear off the dash so nothing is sliding around distracting you, and give all other vehicles extra space and clearance. Be mindful of low hanging power lines and branches, snow and/or ice buildup can make limbs and lines hang exceptionally low. When approaching overpasses, watch the traffic crossing the bridge, a splash from accumulated water coming over the railing can be frightening, watch for a pattern of splashes in your roadway as well, they will show you the ruts and low points on the surface.
Torque
Driving in snow, especially without chains, it is imperative that you not let your power get away from you. First, engage your power divider to give you the best traction; remember to engage when stopped, not when tires are spinning. Excessive torque will cause your drives to break traction; to avoid this scenario, use one gear point higher to keep your RPM’s down. If this creates lugging, get back one gear point, and reduce your throttle to maintain the lower RPM’s. For those of you with automatic transmissions, you might think about flipping that thing to manual shift, this will give you more control of gear selection.
Braking
When road conditions are wet, with outside temperatures dropping to the freezing zone, a heavy foot or panic movement can be your downfall. In snow and freezing conditions, allow more space between you and the vehicle ahead, this will give you more time to react GENTLY, when an incident occurs ahead of you. Remember that there is lag time before you sense the brakes taking effect. Also, if your brakes are wet and cold, the friction between drum and shoe will heat and dry the brakes to start slowing…you need to allow for this extended lag time…give it a chance to work before applying more pressure to the pedal.
As you are driving in wet conditions, occasionally apply slight brake pressure to keep the brakes in a working fashion. Just remember to be GENTLE in your application of the brakes.
Jakes or Engine Brakes
Using this wonder of science and engineering is a hugely contested debate among drivers. Some, (like me) say that using Jakes in snow and wet conditions is alright. Then again I do qualify this statement with fact. Many years ago this subject came up at a firehouse meeting, so we went to the airport, “slicked up” a taxi way with foam (even more slippery than snow, but not as bad as black ice), and put it to the test. With a straight truck configuration (fire engine) we approached the foam at 35 mph, applied some turn and flared the jakes…no loss of traction. Then we repeated the scenario, this time applying slight brakes with the jake application, same speed, same turn aspect…with the joint application of jakes and brakes traction was lost. My theory stands true…it isn’t the jakes that make you break traction, it is the combination of brakes AND jakes.
With this said, when in snow conditions (I do not use jakes in ice…actually ice is my DON’T GO rule), I set my jakes down to the 2 cylinder setting; it just makes me feel better with them in use. The use of jakes in these conditions is an option that each driver must determine his/her answers for. There are equal arguments on both sides of this issue.
Trailer air
A good habit to get yourself into, year round, is leaving the air to your trailer applied (red button in for those of you from Rio Linda) whenever you are connected to the trailer. Once a habit is established, it is hard to break away from, however the reverse is not so true. Developing a habit, to be used part of the year is hard to maintain.
That miniscule gap between the shoes and drums of the brakes leaves just enough air to keep the freezing of the wet units. Trust me it is no fun crawling under that trailer to break the ice from the brakes. It is so easy to avoid this simply by leaving the air applied to the trailer when attached.
Keeping with this line, freezing trailer brakes, when hooking to a trailer that is say, pre-loaded, when starting out, drive in a “S” figure and watch your mirrors to ensure the tires are rolling, not skidding, when you are moving. If they are skidding…grab your hammer and start crawling to give those breaks a few good whacks…be careful not to crack the drums or damage any other parts while you are banging away.

 

True...true.....
My point or points are Californians normally don't drive in rain let alone snow without problems.....
And.....CAL-Trans will close highways down when it snows...
Particularly in SO-CAL.......
CAL-Trans and CHP have closed the Cajon down just about everytime the white sheyat falls.....

(And the Tejon Pass too..... I-5

And Tehachapi Pass......CA-58

And Soledad Pass....CA-14)


I don't get it.......The Cajon is 4 miles of a steep grade.....compare that to Cabbage, Vail or Donner.....

At least in CO you can follow behind the plows........