Winter Driving ?

How do I handle the truck if I hit black ice?
Last week, coming from TN to GA on I-75 the traffic came to almost complete stop because of many thick patches of black ice. Immediatelly I turned CB on and heard drivers talking about it and trucks slidding sideways. Then my truck started slidding sideways.... I was right on black ice. Truck started slidding to the left eventhough I was steering to the right.... I had almost no control of it. Didn't know what to do... I was going 5 mph, didn't step on brake and kept rpm low. I though was going to hit vehicle on my left.... But thank God, was able to pass that and moved on. For about 20 something miles everybody had to move at 10 or so mph.... there were many accidents, roll overs.... very sad...
Anyway, thanks for any info you, experienced drivers can give me on this.

 

You should have had your CB on in the first place... you might have picked up enough of a warning to have stopped until conditions improved.

There's a couple of other things you can do: First, keep an eye on your temperature gage - if there is water on the road as it slides below freezing, you know what's coming. Watch the spray coming off of the wheels of the vehicle in front of you in your lane... as long as there is spray its water; when it stops, the road is starting to freeze. Finally... slow the heck down early. Let the hammer-lane cowboys fly by you and don't worry about their BS - you won't be in the ditch.

When you feel little slips in the seat of your pants, that's individual tires starting to skid a little. Time to hang it up.

 

another little thought watch they guys in the day cabs as they are the locals and are probably used to dealing with what ever it is on a regular basis and know the bad spots etc

 

Very true. In Pa black ice season is January and February when the temperature dips below about 15 with a dusting of snow and wind. The right lane looks somewhat clear, but the constant warm tires running over the light snow it melts and then freezes instantly. Despite what some other posters said, I run the snow covered left lane. Con-way's Sterlings have a good spin control system and I quickly figured out I would break traction in the clear right lane but could run in the snow covered left lane with no issues. The next morning when the sun comes up, you can clearly see two shiny tracks in the right lane indicating black ice from the night before.

As far as black ice on hilly terrain, I just try to keep my rpms low going down the hills with a steady brake pressure and do anything to get out of the right lane tracks. That's what works for my equipment - I've had my back box pretty far out there but it comes right back when I release the brakes. The last thing I want is a tractor skid - I'll be exploded in the median.

With the way my company operates, I've had more experience on this stuff than I care to but have managed to do it accident free pulling doubles. There is no real way of running on black ice. To me, it comes down to knowing your equipment, load, and the tendencies of the road you're on. Of all the conditions I run in at night, this is by far the one I hate the most.

 

out here it is somewhat different as the right lane is tends to be more clear as the hot tires throw up spray and it doesn't settle back in the lane so much as the wind is always blowing etc...but not always
used to run 80 across wyoming every night with a rocky set I knew exactly where it would turn to crap and would start slowing down at point x as I knew that I wasn't gonna be able to see soon I have watched more than one guy go flying past only to be in the ditch in a mile when they couldn't see the road anymore

 

Was going today from Memphis, TN to Searcy, AR. A lot of sleet, icy rain, snow... accidents... what a mess. Looks like those locals don't know how to drive under these conditions... Anyway, took US-64 W, a smaller country road. As I expected, the road had no treatment, at some points it was covered white (frozen snow? ice?) I don't know... I'm still a new driver, from a tropical country, very little experience driving on snow and such. But I was amazed... saw a truck driver going at 65 mph, on this road, wouldn't slow down for nothing. Some parts of the road were clear and I could almost keep up with him. But as he kept passing everyboy (on the opposite lane), we got distant. The road was very slippery, like soap... I thought he would at least slow down some for the ice but he didn't. On one curve I almost lost control But, let go of the accelerator pedal and was able to straighten up the truck. Good thing I wasn't going too fast and there wasn't anybody coming my direction. The fast truck in front of me however, kept going as if the road were totally dry... How is that possible? Saw two other truck drivers, going at 55 mph, or 60 on left lane, covered with frozen snow, and ice.... How can they do that??? Do their trucks have something different? One was even holding the stering wheel with one hand and the cell phone with the other
They must be SUPER TRUCKERS...

 

Push the clutch in and steer into the slide as you should. Removing the power from the drives lets them free wheel and that takes what is causing the slide away.

Automatics are different as you have to screw around with the stupid thing on the steering column if you are in a 2 pedal truck! If you are looking like an 8 armed monkey in a banana picking contest trying to steer the truck, screwing around with that column mounted POS just isn't in your future! But the ditch surely is!

That's why I hate autos in a truck! Not as much driver control as you think there is! Been there done that! I'd rather put the coffee cup down and shift than put up with the CPU module crap and the wait for it to actually believe I want reverse or a forward drive gear when you switch the button or the thing getting confused when in heavy stop and go traffic and giving up blinking it's little red "I give up" light or listening to drivers at the truck stop yelling at you while you are waiting for the stupid thing to decide to go into gear while backing into a hole got old real fast! I was never so happy to get out of that truck and that first one I drove way back in 97-98! Volvos bite! So does Automatics!

 

Stupid truckers is more like it. You were silly trying to keep up with them. I know 64. Really flat and higher than the rice fields on both sides of you. Were you in a hurry to wreck? No load is worth crashing. Think you'll find a job after you roll a truck when you should have slowed down?

Thos guys might have ended up in a ditch eventually. Lots of that happened around here yesterday. More to come!

 

No, I tried to keep up with the first driver only, where the road seemed clear. But then I had to slow down... But he didn't. When I almost lost control I was going 45 mph... And the driver in front of me kept going.... at 65 no problem....

Today I had to take the same road going back east. OH MY GOD!! It was worse than yesterday. I drove for almost 50 miles on a frozen icy road No vehicle going my way... only a few cars and some trucks going west. I was handling well and keeping speed at 45 mph. Until all the sudden, truck started going to the left. I didn't look the trailer in the mirror cause it would freak me out but it felt like it was going to jacknife! Whole s*ht!! Truck crossed to the opposite lane... there was one truck coming but it was far far away.... Immediately I took foot off gas pedal and kept steering to the right. Truck started slidding to the rigth (but not as much as the first time). So, I steered to the left.... and again truck went to the left, and I stereed to the right as truck started slowing down... Finally got truck and trailer straighten up. THANK GOD!!!! But I felt the adrenalline on the tip of my tongue... and tingles on my scalp The truck driver coming my way saw the whole thing and as we passed each other he waved at me and I waved and smiled back at him What a relief!! If I were close to a ditch or to another vehicle it could have been pretty bad.
The road is very slippery. Truck slid sideways again a couple more times, I was going straight 35 mph. This has been an incredible learning experience for me.
Thank you Rollover, for your tip. I really want to learn from experienced drivers. I remember the video tapes we watched at CDL school about skid and how to control the truck. My CDL school was GREAT! It was a 3 month program and it covered everything in the books. Unfortunately we didn't practice skid control on the range. Maybe one day I will try that. The video showed trucks practcing on a wet range. I remember they using the clutch, like you said, Rollover. I will try that technique next time.
While I am sitting here, typing this, a Schneider truck fell in the ditch, I can see it from the restaurant in this small gas station.... it is soo slippery.... he was parked and the truck fell in the ditch. It's the second one today....

 

Are you familiar with the term "speed to great for conditions?" You had no chains. You are lucky you weren't in the ditch. A few more feet in that skid and you would be unemployable. Not worth it IMO. You were lucky.

You can poke the sleeping dragon only so many times. He will eventually wake up and bite your #####.

Lots of guys experienced and inexperienced that made the tow truck operators in TN a bunch of money yesterday.