Bad weather and trip planning. Impassable roads. What to do?

Do it all the time,,be a Boy Scout and travel prepared. I reroute occasionally on logging and seasonal roads as I’m hauling time sensitive freight. Company never balks at extra mileage. I do send them a message as soon as I reroute so they know where to find my cadaver.

 

I used to work for companies that would say, “Is there another truck going down the road?
Then why aren’t you one of them?”

 

“Used to work for”, is the correct response to that crap. I like to run. I chain and drive in inclement weather, but ###### if I’ll run when the danger meter in me tells me to shut down. The CDL is too important to waste for dispatchers that yell, why aren’t you running.

 

OP, always have the state DOT 511 apps to consult for travel conditions. There are some great weather apps as well for wind and general conditions. Find the ones you like and think about getting in the habit of checking them each day.

A CB is useful as well, there will be good reports coming over it in the worst of conditions. An example is a complete stop in the road ahead when it’s slick. Guys on the CB will often warn of that type of thing giving more time for a controlled stop. There is trash talk at the truck stops, but real talk on the road.

 

Used to they were pretty much all that way.
“We’re paying you to run, not sleep at a truck stop.”
I’ve heard it all.

 

the CB radio "can be" a good thing, it certainly had saved me from tickets, running into bad weather, and finding a "go around", if there was a wreck up ahead.

but they are abused too much, by the children behind the wheel of the big rigs.

you newbies have the advantages of all the latest, greatest gizmo's, we never had.

still, if i were not retired, i'd still have a cb in the truck, and the volume low, as i'd not want to hear the kiddies playing. then again, most times, id have it turned off....even better.

it was a tool for the day.

just do not get too comfortable with all those electronic gizmo's

learn how to read a map, look at the daylight sky, for signs up ahead for bad weather.

one thing i learned, driving especially any where near "tornado alley", and that is, "if you can see the funnel and it ain't moving"..???

it IS, it's coming RIGHT AT YOU.....!!!!!!!!!

been mixed up in a coupla three of those, and it'll scare all the crap outta you, and you won't need a toilet for 3 months...!!!!!!

 

I just looked at the mileage from the Love's in Von Ormy to the Love's in Fort Stockton and it's only an extra 13 miles via Uvalde. The roads might have been bad going that way a few days ago, too.

 

Has there been a thread started for road conditions by region? It would be pretty nice to have a thread where we post conditions of passes requiring chains or being closed entirely.
Driving through Spokane earlier today the roadway information signs said "Snoqualmie closed 90 west", I'd like to see a time stamped report by a trusted poster for up to the minute conditions. Any one of us could quickly post an update on Cabbage, Lookout, 4th of July or anywhere in the northwest. It would be a pretty interesting documentation of conditions as the years go by.
Just an idea...

 

During the winter months, I keep a close eye on weather. NOAA has a really good website: digital.weather.gov that has lots of good forecast info. Only problems with that site is it is kind of clunky and you need good internet to utilize it. Besides that I use weather channel and AccuWeather. And, I've found most states have decent DOT sites that give road conditions. Some states are better than others. I think Wyoming is one of the best I've seen.
Anyway, if you work for a good company (mine is Swift and they are excellent in this regard), they won't give you any pushback for stopping because you feel it unsafe for you to proceed. Even if other drivers are still running. One of the advantages of working for a mega. A single load isn't as overall significant as it is with a smaller company and they can absorb the consequences of a late load easier.
I don't have much winter road experience and tend to be timid with such conditions. It isn't uncommon for me to stop for that reason. I may push myself out of my comfort zone. But, when my gut says pull over, I find the nearest safe haven. It's always a gamble too about when to get back on the road. There are times when I finally get back on the road I realize I probably could have gotten back out there hours ago. Other times, I've literally gone 7 miles down the road to the next safe haven because the roads were still too bad for me.
As a driver you are 100% responsible for the safe and legal operation of your CMV. As a part of that, your competency and experience will directly effect when it is safe for you to be driving. Other drivers may be out there driving and they have the skill and experience that it is safe for them. Others may be out there and they should be stopped, but are trying to play super trucker. You can't and shouldn't judge yourself by what some other drivers are doing. Evaluate things for you and don't put what your dispatchers are telling you or what other drivers are doing as part of that equation (unless your dispatcher is telling you to park it). Evaluate things on your experience, skill and competency. If you think it wiser to stop. Stop. Send whatever messages or phone calls you need to inform who needs to be informed. And, get yourself a nice hot chocolate, a good book or movie and relax until it's safe, FOR YOU, to get going back down the road. If you are pressured by your dispatcher or company to get back on the road, time to find a new company. Any good company will respect a drivers decision to shut down for safety concerns.

 

We have electricity, but the water company doesn't. So no water the last few days. Been melting snow to flush the toilets. Sucks, but it could be worse.