Bad Weather Driving.... ?

JJ Keller makes videos about hazardous weather driving for big trucks...they are pretty good in my opinion.

 

yah when it starts to snow real bad and hte roads get icy, I PARK, fi they tell me i have to throw chains on I PARK

 

Icy roads...slow going til you can find a safe place to stop...

tornadoes....never try to out-run one , get to the safest place you can find and stop...

rain conditions....slow down , increase your following distance by at the least double , keep your lights on , if it gets really heavy , find a place you can safely stop....


You'll notice I said to safely stop in all those scenarios...by that I mean get off of the roadway , into a parking lot /truck-stop....never pull over to the side of the road and stop...very dangerous to do that.

Main thing here too , is to never let a dispatcher/road manager/supervisor/boss tell you that you MUST keep going....use your best judgement and if your late , your late...no load in the world worth your own or some else life....nothing....better to be out of work than to widow your wife and orphan your kids....

 

Tony said it all. When it comes to Ice, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, there are no professionals- just the lucky and the unlucky. In at least those three, its better to be a Spectator than a Participant.

 

If you need to chain-up, park it. I've only thrown chains one time. Last fall, I was 400 lbs overweight so I threw the trailer chains. I hope whoever found them needed them.

 

I might be wrong but I thought chains weight doesn't count when you scale. Like if a dot pulled you over and see trailer chain they guesstimate how much to take off.

 

The same way you drive your car in bad weather.

 

but slower

 

1. Never be "afraid" to slow down in difficult weather. Truckers will always be screaming on by you, but go at the pace you are comfortable with, not their pace. As a rule of thumb think of 45 mph as the top speed in snow and ice.

2. Never outrun your visibility. Fog, dust storms, snow storms, or heavy rain can sometimes bring traffic to a standstill (or it should).

3. In slick conditions coasting is your friend. By this I mean if you feel your rig getting squirrely, the best bet is to EASE off the throttle and let it coast for a bit to straighten itself out.

4. In slick conditions every change in momentum needs to be gradual: acceleration, braking, or turning.

5. Lay off the Jake Brake in slick conditions. SMOOTH braking with the service brakes is far better.

6. If you get under 35 mph in slick conditions, then lock the inter axle differential.

7. Find a safe place to park it if you have to.

8. Learn how to chain up. If you run the west then the adage that you should always park it if you have to chain up doesn't apply, unless you want to go hungry. If you are under load waiting for "no chains required" signs on I-70 over the Rockies you might be parked for days, weeks, or months.

9. Bring Kitty Litter. Very helpful for getting out of slick parking lots if you don't want to chain up and then unchain on a dry road.