Driving in wind

I don't really start worrying until the gusts get over 45-50 mph, when I'm loaded with a medium to heavy load.
With an mt trailer, anything over 25 gets a bit hairy.

In every case, if I start to feel like the winds might tip me over - I slow down and pull over at the nearest safe place.
If there is a high wind advisory and I am less than ~20k, I park it.

Better safe than sorry, even if Supertrucker thinks otherwise.
I've seen too many supertrucks rolled over as I rolled safely through the next day. And I really think that they lost more time and money than I or my company did.

A load can be late and rescheduled, and nothing much is lost more than a little time.
But a load that rolls over, is simply lost. And maybe a life or two with it.

 

ya also have to worry about the wind blowin another truck into YOU

Be careful when coming outta tunnels. Ya probably already know this but that's when it'll hit ya also.

 

No advice other than this, driving in cross winds with side skirts is total ####. Since I normally drive flatbeds with low lying loads, it doesn't worry me much. But dragging a van trailer is scary.

 

Pay attention to the trees and weeds along the side of the road, they can help give you an idea of how strong the wind is and which way it is blowing. If you are driving into a strong wind from one direction, be careful at underpasses, as there will be eddies there going the opposite way, similar to the river currents at a bridge pier/post.

If you are traveling where there are very strong but infrequent gusts, try rolling the window down a crack, so you can hear the gust of wind before you feel it, and it starts pushing on the truck and trailer.

 

deal with it or get an office job??...if the driver is uncomfortable in high wind cross winds,the driver has the utmost authority to park vehicle.

with you being a rookie...that comment is absurd!!!...

I can believe you're one of those drivers who will drive in dangerous conditions and possibly run others off the road...

 

no, transam pete just said it like i would, oh and by the way, i got's me 25+ years, would that have been anymore absurd from me as well???

the o/p was already a driver in his past life, and was saying it "terrified him".

what is the best way to deal with that??

either buck up or park it, or get into another line of work. the choices here seem simple enough.

if we have to park a rig for every little weather event, nothing would ever get delivered or picked up.

you do the job you were trained for, got your experience doing, and get paid for.

 

Driving in the wind is and can be dangerous to a point. Slow down if that doesn't work get off the road and put your nose into the wind. When a driver says "I ain't afraid!" then he/she has not been in the right place at the right time. Like driving a logger in the woods and it's blowing 40 mph. No body in their right mind would be in those conditions.

 

first of all..it's up to the driver whether they feel safe or not to continue especially if you have a light load...being a "billy big rigger" doesn't lead a driver anywhere but disaster, like sitting in a ditch!

 

yes but to come and say, "i'm terrified" is something that makes others say, "stay home" of get another job"

i cannot tell you the many times i have driven across bridges with high cross winds, partially loaded, fully loaded or empty. what should i do, stray home on windy days??

my current job now, each night, when i return to my terminal from my last drop off?? my trailer is EMPTY, and i have to cross a bridge with high cross wind warnings, what should i do, use the underground tunnel???

you handle it like a driver, and do it, or sit beside the road watching everyone else drive by you.

if one is uncomfortable driving under ANY weather condition, then as transam pete said, get an office job.

 

i domt think she likes you much gizmo
but lil diva you wont be trucking long before most grownups are still driving
make sure you mention me along with gizmo