Scariest Moment

you want a place to learn how to correct a jack knofe or sliding for that matter, go to michigan on there polished concrete roads, in a light rain with a really light trailer. The only 2 times ive started a jack knife slide was in michigan with a empty trailer.

 

Ah yeah, but then your tires catch in the giant holes in the concrete and you're fine again.

 

I'll probably never get that far. I've tried "warm" opti idle and got no engine start and almost dead batteries both times.

I'll almost certainly freeze to death before getting too deep in winter driving....

 

My second day EVER driving...I had to cross a bridge on Rt.3 in Kilmarnock Va. Wind was blowing sustained at 30mph, with gusts up to 45mph. (This bridge should have been closed to trucks) To make things even better the bridge goes up at a 7% grade and comes down at a 7% grade. Did I mention that the "guard rails" are (were) only 2ft tall!!!!!!?????? I kept my truck dead center of the line, rolled up at about 15mph, and down at about 10mph! Scared me to death!!!!

 

I wouldn't classify it as a scary moment cause I'm such a macho, in-control, supertrucking kinda guy that never gets scared (yeah, right ) but...

Years ago I had a load of 4-wheelers from the east coast going to Los Angeles for a regular buyer and this particular load was urgent..so he says. I always dropped by home in the BlueGrass on my way out & this time I asked a bud of mine that had trucked mostly east and southeast for a few years (but not highly experienced) if he'd like to go & help drive. Charlie...we'll call him. I enlisted Charlie's driving assistance so I could make the customer happy and get there ASAP.

Headed out & wiggled my way down the backroads to catch up with the I-40 ribbon around Monterey, TN...truckin' west. Gorgeous weather all the way into Arizona. Stop for fuel before Flagstaff and switch out drivers. It's Charlie's turn. Late at night, stars fill the sky...you know the kind of night out west. We get ready to proceed west and I told Charlie to check with the eastbounders what "Flag" looks like before going up and I lay down in the bunk.

I am awakened some time later with "Boss!! Boss!!! Hey !!! Hey !!! Come up here !! I pop up and pull the curtain back to see...nothing. Nothing but pure solid white. Charlie has been diggin' the tuneage on the radio and not paying a bit of attention to what I asked him to do and now we are in the absolute worst possible snow situation blind as 2 bats. Needless to say I'm up in the jump seat in my skivies in a flash. Honestly, I roll the passenger window down in an attempt to see and get some bearing where Charlie has brought me. Charlie says "I'm gonna pull over" and I says "No daggum way! Let's swap seats." Charlie is already noticeably wet with sweat and his clutch leg is worthless due to his knocking knees. He gets his knuckles pried off the wooden steering wheel and I slip across in the driver's seat as he flops back in the bunk then over into the passenger seat.

I, not knowing exactly what part of Flag I'm at, keep a steady, slow pace and try my best to find a path but there is no other traffic...no lights...nothing. I believe this may be the only actual white-out condition I have ever experienced in over 30 years of trucking...and it had to be at night too. Black as hate. I was wishing I had went south back in New Mexico as I often did in the winter months to catch I-10 and miss what I am experiencing now.

Somehow I managed to get us to the Texaco (it was branded Texaco back then...don't know what it is now) truckstop on the west side of Flagstaff to wait it out. But somewhere between this line and that last paragraph was probably the most "concerned" I have ever been for my own safety since starting trucking so many years ago.

 

the day my wife said she was pregnant with twins scared the HE- doulble hocky sticks out of me. sorry dont have anything to do with trucking except i was driving in a snow storm in ohio at the time!

 

When I blew a steer tire on a KwT800 grain truck loaded with wheat. Runnin' heavy out in Potter Ne on route 30. Tire blew and for a moment I did'nt know what happened. THEN I did! Crossed over the yellow line and went down the embankment. There was another semi headed towards me an he swerved into my lane when I went into his! The truck stayed upright with no damage but a mudflap that got riped off and a small crack in the hood where the tire hit it as it flew apart. I was shaking so bad that I could hardly push the button on the mike to tell my boss. I could hardly stand when i climbed out of the truck! Changed the tire and an hour later was truckin' again but I was nervous for a couple days! If that other semi would have been any closer it would have been a head on collision!

 

I-40 leaving Little Rock headed to Wheatley, AR. 02:30 a.m. and I was tired. Then instantaneously, everything went black. I thought I had died but my radio was still working so I knew it was something else. I turned on the dome light in the cab and found a tarp had landed on my windshield and blocked the entire thing. I had to use my mirrors to ease over and stop...then get a new set of drawers.

 

WOW! That WOULD leave a mark!

 

I woke up and looked in a mirror before my first cup of coffee.