Driving in wind

I have had it happen to me with an empty trailer and that makes it worse. It sucks and is very nerve racking. Hang on tight and enjoy the ride, I'm a rookie, so I don't have much to offer as far as advice.

 

drive in your comfort zone, don't think you have to keep up with the other guy... and try not to get the white knuckle grip on the wheel stay calm as you can

 

Hold on tight and whatever you do don't look in your mirrors. LOL

It helps to slow down a little to.

 

it is all part of driving like traffic rain and snow. I80 had a 30 mph crooss wind today you just deal with it or go get an office job

 

A lot of roads have a "crown" in the center of the roadway and as you move towards the edge, you "lean" that way, as well. Leaning a few degrees INTO the wind can buy you a little extra cushion and make things a little more comfortable. Leaning AWAY from the wind direction compounds the situation and can put you in a very dangerous situation.

Slow down when the wind gusts gets strong enough to where you feel very uncomfortable but don't slow down too much. If you have to slow down too much so as to cause a dangerous situation for others who don't have high profile vehicles, you should maybe stop.

Winds from frontal and outflow boundaries (approaching storms) are usually short-lived, other winds typically subside at dark.

Often you can alter your route some to where you can manage a quartering head wind as opposed to a full cross wind.

 

Stexan had some good tips! If you stay more toward the center of the road then if you do get blasted with a gust you will have a little more time to correct before you are on the shoulder. The type of truck you will be driving will also play a great factor. In my experience the Volvo's are the worst in the wind! Too much fairing and not enough truck! I had a International 9900 and it did beautifully! Like driving a tank on the beach!

You can usually gauge how bad the wind is by looking in your mirror at the edge of the trailer to see how much the truck is leaning. Really though anything above 25mph is getting serious. If you are uncomfortable then just park it. Also like Stexan mentioned the winds usually subside at night so you can possibly plan around that.

If you decide to push through, just slow it down. Don't ever judge the conditions by what the others numb-nuts are doing! You don't know how experienced or dumb they are! Just because they are doing 70mph doesn't mean jack! Be careful when passing or getting passed. Watch for others that are passing you because the tail end of the trailer will usually drift toward you. If you are expecting it then you can slide over a bit and allow for error.

Relax out there, don't drive white knuckled. Also when driving through mountains or canyons keep your eyes open for places where the wind can get funneled through. This will make a gust of wind very much stronger! If you are paying attention and anticipate it, it won't catch you off your guard.

Dust storms are a whole other story!

 

Stay away from things like chilli for supper the night before.

What ?

Oh, sorry ......

I thought the thread was titled " Driving WITH Wind "

My bad.