losing control in winter weather

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by 4noReason, Jan 25, 2014.

  1. 4noReason

    4noReason Road Train Member

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    ok so other day. Im bobtailing going super slow like a snail. everyone cars and truck with trailers passing me going maybe almost 70+ and its like the weather had no affect on them. me on the ther hand i decide to speed up to maybe 52 mph and literally almost lose control. So I slow it down to 35mph all the way till i get home. Heres my point .How is it the ice/snow/wind is bullying me but everyone else it is not bullying. i have on guard thats how i know how fast the vehicle in front of me who passes me is going. is it im over worrying? or do the drivers just drive better than me. i was so confused.
     
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  3. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    How was your throttle control? There's a lot of power there with no weight on it when Bob tailing.
     
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  4. rwdfinch50

    rwdfinch50 Medium Load Member

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    You need to drive at the speed you feel safe at, and not worry about the other drivers. You were bobtailing, and that's pretty tricky in ice and snow. I always slow way down when I have to bobtail on icy roads, if there's no way I can avoid it. It seems to me the only really unsafe thing you did was to speed up when you didn't feel safe. Never let others actions dictate to you what is safe and what isn't. If you wreck your truck, it won't matter how many drivers passed you, only that you were driving too fast for conditions and you wrecked.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2014
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  5. yessir

    yessir Medium Load Member

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    i was going 45mph on i78 in nj nd it was a heavy snow because they didn't clean them yet nd i slide come up to a jacknife i just took my off the accelerator nd i was lucky i took 2 lanes before i straight it up nd i slow it down to 30mph nd i saw an empty flatbed pass me going about 60 mph until now i can't tell how he did it i was wondering if its about experience or not.
     
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  6. Marksteven

    Marksteven Road Train Member

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    Bobtailing sucks in the rain so doing it in Ice and snow will always be horrible. I drive a single axle vision and even with a load on the trailer
    in snow they suck big time while making turns.
     
  7. 4noReason

    4noReason Road Train Member

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    i know right? it just pisses me off. its like the drivers control it better than i do. i had no idea how bad winter driving really was. i mean i did it for training. but man i feel like this one is worse than last year.
     
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  8. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    Bobtailing on dry pavement can be tricky. Let alone with bad weather. Those drive tires need weight on them to get friction. You have to be very gentle with the throttle and brakes. If the road is slick you need to atleast double your following distance. Think of it this way, you can spend your whole life driving too slow, only takes driving too fast once for an early funeral. And I don't know about you, but that's one appointment I won't mind being late for.
     
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  9. Aminal

    Aminal Heavy Load Member

    NO, NO, NOOOOO!!!! They do NOT drive better than you!! They drive much smaller and differently constructed vehicles and some just drive stupid and have been lucky. Don't mistake what an Audi with Quattro (or the American or Japanese or other countries' cars) can do in the snow and ice with what a big old truck tractor can do, even bobtail. Matter of fact I'd RATHER be under a trailer and a medium load than bobtail in the cold, white water. Seriously.

    Low and SLOW in the SNOW. That's the ONLY way to go. Bobtail or not. Bobtail is actually the most risk. No weight to make all the stuff designed for weight, to work at it's best. Don't EVER let the way other's drive affect your good judgment learned from training and experience.

    Here's a freebie: You know the one single most important character trait to develop in trucking safely is? Patience. Don't worry. Wherever you are going will still be there whenever you get there. Getting there without a bump is the most important thing. The rest they can deal with. Nobody in the office has patience. It's up to US to make sure WE use patience and good judgment. They can kiss sand if they don't like it. YOU are responsible for making sure the conditions and you go and at what speed. Not your DM, Load Planner, the flying four wheelers (and some crazy truckers too) or the customers. YOU.

    Great call going slow. Especially bobtail.
     
  10. Lepton1

    Lepton1 Road Train Member

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    Bobtailing is definitely the most challenging mode of trucking. You have all that power, like a sportscar, with very limited traction on the drives and high center of gravity. Seems like many new drivers get caught in the "bobtail wringer", especially when cornering too fast.

    Whether bobtail or pulling a trailer, loaded or empty, I find that I'm consistently about 10-20 mph slower than other trucks in slick conditions. I chalk it up to the fact that other drivers must feel bullet proof.

    Anyone seen pictures of that multi-semi pileup on I-94 earlier this week?...

    ... http://www.weather.com/news/commuter-conditions/indiana-interstate-pileup-20140124 ...

    ... it never ceases to amaze me to see so many truckers clustering up in bad conditions, trying to pass each other. All it takes is one trucker at the front of the pack to make a mistake and the entire cluster is "cluster trucked". Whenever I come upon a slower truck in bad conditions with other truckers coming up faster than I am I will always hang well back of the slower truck and let the "bullet proof" truckers do their thing, and wait until there aren't any more truckers coming up behind me AND wait for a good straightaway to make a pass.
     
  11. nd-newbie

    nd-newbie Light Load Member

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    #1 Do not use cruise control on ice, snow, rain or ground water.
    #2 Bobtail drive wheels are prone to slipping as they were not made to function normally without a load on them.
     
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