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

I was doing that a lot today. I think it was the aftereffects of the TA buffet.

 

Yeah I drove overnight through a blizzard in pa last winter on 80. Solid 6 inches to a foot of snow all across the state. Only other guys out running were the line haul single screw guys. They were stuck on every hill lol. Was a long night weaving around em all.

 

If it even starts to snow. you NEED to park immediately. I don't want you in my way.

 

To clarify, for all you boneheads out there, park immediately OFF THE ROAD. I don't care where.

 

Sorry it's hard to detect sarcasm vs serious posts

 

An ice storm has been camping out over OKC the last two days. Lots of trees down on the side roads just west of town. It's starting to freeze and will be slick tonight.

This morning I ran to a rig in SE Oklahoma and made delivery back in the city at noon. Sure and steady and made some stack today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

There were a few moments I felt it get greasy today, but light on the steering wheel and throttle kept it on line. The biggest challenge was the muddy lease road, with a steep hill requiring a sharp turn to get through a narrow cattle guard.

 

That's why I took the southerly route from LA back to NC. 4O can be a greasy , icy mess.

I can handle it. Not so sure about the others. I don't care to be sitting , waiting on the big hooks to jerk the crumpled metal apart. I'll run 10,20,30 and eat the couple extra miles.

Takes the guess work out of it.

 

Route planning goes a long way to keeping your wheels turning. Even if you are an O/O running the 10/20/30 is a wash or even better fuel mileage than running the 40. In winter it adds a bit of insurance to stay under the weather mess, unless you get clobbered by a dust storm.

 

Solid experience here. I'll just add a couple things.

Sometimes the four wheelers go bananas at the first sign of snow. Might be a good time to take a coffee break, p-break, grab a few moments out of the truck and walk around. This isn't because you're new, which you've said you are, or because you cannot drive in inclement weather (you're the professional driver). No. It's because you are the professional driver you take a break and let the four wheelers run into the ditch and each other. Then? When things have settled down a bit? Hop back in the seat and dodge the rear-end collisions, and the four wheelers in the ditches.

Another thing. My first time out was during December. My trainer and I were stuck in what-the-heck-wherever. Well, us and the rest of the truck stop. Dispatch tried the:


"I have kids in kindergarten who can drive through that! Get out there,"

...line with my trainer. He winked at me and responded to them:

"Fine. Send your kids out, I'll have the key for them."

I loved that line and I remember it still.