When is the right time to shut down due to bad weather.

When considering the "right time" to shut down, you should also know the weather forecast. If you know a road is going to be a bad condition, you may need to shut down early just so you can have a place to shut down. Wait until you are in the thick of the problem, you may find everyone is shut down and you have no place to park.

 

Drive winter at night. Shut down on the other side of big towns.

 

When I was new I would drive all day through it but its not worth driving 25 mph on the interstate behind slow traffic for 11 hours. When it gets so bad that everyone is driving slow and there is still heavy snow coming down I shut it down now. Then the next day the roads are clear and you can do the speed limit. Plus less 4 wheelers on the road since they know about the bad roads by this time. Also when I was new I thought loads had to get there on time or the world ended but I found no one freaks out if you cannot make it on time due to bad weather or a breakdown.

 

With time on the road you will begin to gasp very intimate knowledge of specific situations to stay out of. There are hundreds if not thousands of mountainous roads where once you lose your virginity you say never again. There are so many different things that go into a go no go decision. I think the biggest one is your skills and your truck. Outside of road closings there are no hard and fast rules. An example of one of mine was no crossing over the mountain on I-80 in Pennsylvania if ice was reported. I simply refused to go. I kept it on the side and offered to let load be repowered if the company wanted. I'm having a brain fart and can't remember the name of the hill, but its on I-20 several hours west of Dallas. One winter I got stuck at the bottom of that dang hill, and so did a lot of other drivers. With time you will learn. Till then just pay attention to the old hands and the owner operators. If they park you would do well to park too.

 

If it causes an issue , ask them if the truck is involved in an accident is any less of an issue , you're the one driving , you know your experience level/capabilities , you know the road conditions where you are , all of that equates to you making the final call.

 

Fixed it for you....you got the priorities reversed....you , your family comes first , no load out there worth you or them.....

 

Ranger Hill probably

 

Yes, it was Ranger.

 

In addition to your abilities, which only you can know that, know your equipment. Meaning, have you just started driving the truck 3 months ago and are unsure of how it reacts in certain situations? Then take it easy, don't over drive your visibility. What do the tires look like? I can't stress tire condition enough, are they in good shape, traction tires or summer tires, are they siped? Do you know for certain all the brakes are in good shape and they apply evenly and correctly? I have seen and driven trucks where one brake is always tighter than another and that can be a disaster, you will know it on dry roads from it pulling one way or another, or on gravel as one will skid as the others rotate. What about stuff like glass? Do the wipers work good, how about the defrosters and mirror heaters? Few people know it but if your AC does not function your defrosters will not work properly. Modern vehicles mix AC with the defrost to dehumidify the interior of the cab, less humidity, less fog on the glass. Bad weather keep your lights on so others can see you, white truck in a snow storm or fog, pretty hard to see. Back to visibility again, stopping distance is everything, don't be a suicide bomber driving so fast that if someone is going 10mph slower you run right over the top of them. We have alot of fog up here at times even in the summer in the mornings, if visibility is poor I don't care how mad the guy is behind me on a 60mph road many times 45 -50 is sometimes max. Last but not least, if on a 2 lane road and you decide to run slower be courteous, when you get a chance pull over in an appropriate safe area and let traffic go by. 5 minute break can do a lot of good sometimes, plan extra time to get where you are going. If you are ahead of schedule all the time life is a whole more flexible, roll with the punches. We are paid to be professionals not suicide jockey's, my opinion for what is worth.
J-J

 

snow, go slow.....ice, no dice