Winter Driving ?

All of us that pull trains know exactly what he means. The rear trailer will drag you off into the center medium. Or at least try to pass you. We know what were doing by when you cut in front of us and we have hit the brakes the back trailer will follow the slope of the highway. It seems that most of us that pull double also run the same road alot.

The fact this needs to be explained might mean you don't have enough experience as yet, and by the way only the dead stop learning.

Above everything else be safe. We run the snow lane because we have better traction than on the ice lane.

 

You know some idiot will pull out in front of you or do some type of Bozo thing.

So if you can't stop, why are you out there? Is any load worth your life? Or somebody elses?

You lost me me there.

 

I kinda agree with ya on that one, Rug. 9 times out of 10, its not my driving that scares me, its all the other bozos that dont know how to drive in harsh conditions and trying to figure out what they are gonna do before they do it if I have time to do so.

 

Totally agree with you - used to run P&G paper products from Mehoopany to the WalMart DC in Woodland. Sure felt good to get that 40k+ load of Chep pallets on the return trip .

 

Is that all??? During snowy weather I slow down, 35 mph or slower, keep my rpms low, don't do any quick movements, stay away from brake and keep more distance from other vehicles. But if there's someone going way too slow in front of me, I try to pass them (very carefully). Generally I try to avoid left lane as much as I can. This is what I do on level road. But what about slippery hills?

 

I gained much of my winter driving experience running out of the Con-way yard across the street from that WalMart DC to Newburgh, NY at night. Especially in January and February, black ice is almost a nightly occurrence.

Took a dovetail transfer to another terminal and as of January, I will do all my driving below the mason Dixon line. I'm one happy driver.

 

Touchy subject among drivers at this company. We ask ourselves why we're out there on those nights all the time.

It's always been an accepted general policy dating back to the days of CCX that line-haul would run unless authorities closed the roads, or until the road was closed. We question it all the time but I do not know of any instances where a line-haul driver shut it down between terminals unless the road was closed or ran out of time. That said, with the tens of thousands of miles we run on I80 in Pa on a daily basis, we are always recognized by the state for being a safe carrier and have very few at fault accidents on that road for the amount of miles we run on it.

I have a theory on why that is - the average line-haul driver here probably has around 10-15 years with this company alone plus all the experience he had before. My wild theory is experienced drivers know what they're doing and how to handle the equipment they run.

 

I can't tell you how may times I saw a set of doubles stuck half way up those hills, especially around Snow Shoe. I got a little taste of single axle frustration last winter driving a single axle day cab with empty 53 through the Catskills from Newburgh to Kingston to Binghamton - 10 hours for a regular 5 hour trip - WooHoo! For all the new guys out there, it's all about knowing your vehicle, and insisting that your company puts some decent treaded tires on for the winter. I drove a Ryder lease single axle daycab the last 2 winters, and made #### sure I had good deep tread on all of my tires. I can't say how many times I've seen worn out tires on rigs running the NE in the winter. Bad idea.

 

no not all but the trick is to be smooth and steady but you already seem to know that and the other was in jest for those boys from the tropics that end up in my neck of the woods as I don't want to run em over

 

Yeah, already played that game twice this year. I84 is an automatic "I'm getting stuck" around the 50 MM in Pa heading west. The other is just getting from I80 to our terminal. Had one of each so far this year.