Confidence on slick roads for someone new to trucking.

That is the worst. Snowing at night real hard . It is hypnotizing . Especially if ur eyes are already tired after a long day...

 

I just parked my truck a few days ago. Winter storm Iowa. Storm wasn’t all that bad. But drivers. Especially truck drivers were pushing it way too much. I wasn’t going to be part of their wreck.
I’ve watched many drivers push it too far. I spent a whole day in Grand Island NE. Watching tow trucks bring trucks in off the freeway. They were all pushing it too much on a freeway that should have been closed.

I remember one year we were snowed in, in Sioux Falls. Asking everyone to not try to go out. Might be ticketed. They interviewed this guy in a donut shop. He said : I’m out getting coffee and donuts cause I got me a four wheel drive! Everybody watching thought: You’re not out there getting coffee and donuts cause you got a four wheel drive. You’re out there getting coffee and donuts because you’re an idiot!

 

It's good for tug testing, for checking the trailer for air leaks downstream of the relay valves, and they say it can be used in the event of a drive-wheel skid.

 

That is a really bad habit! In a drive wheel skid you should be concentrating on getting the drives turning. Grabbing the trailer brakes is most likely just going to break the trailer loose because there's so little feedback in the trolley valve , and now you have two axle groups sliding. Throttle control is the key, just enough to get the slightest forward pressure on the kingpin. Not necessarily accelerating, just a bit above a neutral coast so the trailer isn't pushing the truck. That's the most stable state to have the truck and trailer, no demands on the reduced traction of the tires except for their natural centering forces. I talked about it more in depth here :
Winter Driving w/o the platitudes.

 

Like I said in my earlier post, I will grab a little trailer brake to clear out the snow that builds up in the trailer drums, sometimes as often as every 10 miles. It takes a TINY amount and you don't want the trailer to skid. In the winter, like you, I'll use it right before I drop the trailer to get them good and hot to hopefully not have to beat on them in the morning. And like you I use them to tug test a trailer.

 

When the weather is going to present ice or black ice, drive during the day if possible, this way you can see how the pavement changes and adjust speed for it, also you can check the states road conditions and go from there, slow is safer, no matter how much you weight, and leave the cruise and jake off.

 

When the weather turns south, it's no longer a matter of getting there on time. It's a matter of just GETTING THERE!

 

I think understanding your skills and experience and acting accordingly are the most important things a driver can do when road conditions are problematic. I have a 'comfort zone' and will push myself beyond it if circumstances warrent. However, I also have a NOPE. In the recent past, I've gotten out there when I was out of my comfort zone, but not in the nope zone yet. I think it's important to take advantage of such things, because that is how our skills improve and our comfort zone increases. However, when trucking along and my gut says. NO MORE, I get off at the next safe haven and wait it out. Part of the calculus of that is, if my trucking along at a slower speed is making me a nuisance to other drivers, time to get off the road. If I'm not able to comfortably drive fast enough for the traffic, I'm becoming a hazard to others and should get off the road and out of the way. Just my thoughts.

 

If you are scaring yourself then you are screwing up. Drive within your limits. How fast other people are going doesn't matter. There are morons everywhere. You may get caught up in someone's else's problem at some point, but as long as you don't cause the accident you're good.

I don't know how close those other guys were behind you, but I do not tolerate people following me too close. Especially other trucks. It's a recipe for disaster. I tell them to make their move and go, or back off. If necessary I threaten to call their company or the police. Things like that I don't play.