Driving a truck on the snow

You just have to take it easy... no sudden moves, easy on the brakes.. i roll on the throttle to test the road, if i break the tires loose at 45 then i slow down.

I rolled east through every snowstorm last winter, and never was late once. Got major kudos from dispatch as i was the only one.

 

Another factor is the temp. when it snows. Contrasting the wet, snotty snow on the east coast with a fine, dry powder out west. Some snow you run over and it hammer out into ice.........some blows off the road with steady traffic.

Steady, graceful motions win the day.........don't start, stop, or turn quickly. It's gonna take a few seasons for you to feel at ease and know what strategy to use.

 

I don't know where the cutoff is but if it is snowing, pray you are up north or out west, cuz those states have a better handle on snow removal and road treatments way better then those southern states.

Oh, carry a 5 gallon bucket filled with rock salt for those moments you are stuck spinning your tires (don't forget a scoop too and make sure it is rock salt and NOT ice melt), a snow shovel for those moments you wake up with 2 ft of snow in front of your drive tires, and extra washer fluid. You will go through a lot more than you have ever done before.

Lastly, make sure you have a new set of wiper blades on before the snow flies.

 

Great advice in this thread. Not much more I can add. I will stress go slow and increase following distance.

 

Just drive fast enough to keep the tires hot it will melt the snow lol Snow, rain, wind, ice, tornados i like driving in those conditions. But in fog nah

 

Do EVERYTHING in sloooowwwww mmmmoootttiiiioooonnn....

Drive slowly

Steer slowly

Apply throttle slowly

Apply brakes sllllooowwwlllyyyy

If you concentrate on being slow and smooth with how you drive on dry pavement during the summer months, then you will be miles ahead of the game when the going gets slick. Too often I see drivers during the summer that jerk the steering wheel side to side, with poor lane control. That will get you into the median on your side in a hurry in the winter.

If you feel like you are starting to yaw or spin out, then remember that coasting is your friend. Back off the accelerator smoothly and steer into any trouble smoothly and it will correct itself.

Major kudos to mclass555 for his outstanding video, which demonstrates how it's done. Very slow, very smooth...

Did you have the inter axle lock on during this filming? Seemed like you had a bit of an issue with some yaw.

That's the ice storm I ran I-10 eastbound from LA to Miami, and ended up sitting two days waiting for I-10 to open. I drove 60 miles from Beaumont to a truck stop in Louisiana on ice covered freeway, with nowhere to pull over. Somehow I got on the freeway in Beaumont where they had closed the freeway (nothing noted it was closed) and was all by myself in the middle of night puttering along at 25-30 mph until I found a truck stop. When I took the exit down a slight downgrade I was in 2nd gear and lightly stab braking to be able to make the turn. I parked in the empty fuel island and carefully walked the parking lot, slipping on 1" of solid ice, until I found a spot. Got her in there and called it good.

Here's a picture of one of the trucks in the parking lot...

 

Couple more winter tips. Kitty litter works well when your not getting traction. When your running more than a few hours in blizzard conditions stop and clean your tail lights off. Have extra winter clothing and supplies. Throwing iron is easy, do it this summer like 4 x's. Use some bungies for any slack on the side rails. It's just like tarping. The better your system the easier & faster it is. Hang your iron just like you are going to throw it. Saves alot of grief. There just snowflakes don't be scared.

 

Amen! Take time to put the iron on so when you take it off it will lay out perfectly. Saves having to unravel the heavy spaghetti in wet snow.

Have your bungies organized in your side box. Have your warm/wet clothes organized in the cab. Have a really good pair of gloves. Have a HEADLAMP so you can easily use both hands at night.

Once you are organized and have worked on your METHOD of chaining up and unchaining, then it will be a lot easier when you do it for real.

I ran I-70 through the Rockies 20 times this last winter and chained 12 of those times, and wished I'd chained on more than a couple of the times I didn't. Once you have your method down, then it can really save time, hassle, and give you more peace of mind when you know you've got 'em tight and right.

 

That's right. Good details lepton. There's alot more to trucking than rolling down the interstate. We run 8/9 axle they suck in the snow, so 3 railers on all the drivers plus drag chains, lots of drag chains. I park the truck at an angle if there's traffic going by so i don't get hit.

 

Turn off the cruise. Turn off the Jakes. Steer easy, brake easy.
Plenty of good advice in this thread.