driving in strong wind

Regarding the arms, some people favor one to control the rig into the wind, swap hands as necessary.

Ive got the carpal tunnel problems to go with the back, no regrets. I'll do it again if reincarnated.

There is one lesson some of you learn with the older trucks, thumbs out of the wheel. Always, if you cross a curb or something at a angle and the wheel whips, it's going to break at least one something.

 

If anyone wants to feel how powerfully the steering wheel can kick, park your truck with the engine on and crank the steering wheel all the way to the left or right as if you are trying to turn the wheels so you can more easily work on the headlight area. Then when the wheel is as far as it will go with power steering, shut off the engine. That's the closest I have come to breaking a thumb. It hurt for days. Once the power steering isn't assisted by the engine running the wheel will come back about a quarter turn with a strength that is hard to believe.

 

Wheatland, WY. 40+ mph gusts. Having fun today.

 

I'm hesitant to mention it because it might be a myth, but my father had 2 friends both truckers that had lost thumbs. According to my father both lost these thumbs from blowouts in the 60s. However I have seen drivers with their thumbs wrapped up.

 

I was empty coming south through Montana headed for my next pickup. It was fall and very windy. Twice I looked back after a gust of wind to see my rear tandems up in the air about 18 inches. I pulled over shortly thereafter after and waited it out.

 

I ran from Casper, WY to OKC in the last couple of days. The electronic reader signs in WY noted 65+ mph wind gusts were expected from 11:00 am Sunday to 2:00 pm Monday. Not a good time to be pulling a light high profile load. I ran that well before Sunday morning, BUT I would estimate wind gusts were at least 40+ mph during my run with an empty flatbed and a high profile tractor.

I chose to stay off the I-135 to I-35 from Salina, KS to OKC to avoid paying tolls yesterday, meaning I ran a lot of narrow two lane roads going south from I-70 to I-40. I will admit I involuntarily crossed the zipper three times yesterday, getting pushed by gusts of wind. Each time I simply held the wheel to maintain position just over the zipper (with no traffic approaching) and waited for the steer tires to nudge me back over. There is NO NEED to panic in a situation like that, simply get the steer tires in a position to come back, hold it, and wait for the wind gust to die to drift you back into your lane. DON'T panic and jerk the wheel even more because it isn't responding IMMEDIATELY. Be patient. This applies to driving in snow and ice as well.

READING THE WIND

To get an overview of wind conditions download the MyRadar app and turn on the wind layer. That gives a great view of current wind conditions. My phone is mounted to the dash area and I use MyRadar frequently, as I run out of OKC and encounter wind and weather problems on a daily basis during tornado and thunderstorm season.

For anyone that has been a fisherman, especially if you fished rivers, there is a saying that you need to be able to "Read the River". You look at how the water flows around rocks to create calm areas just behind them where trout will hang out and wait for food to flow around the rock. The same ability to Read the River applies to being able to Read the Wind.

Be aware of terrain and how it will affect the wind. For the balance of this discussion let's assume you have a hard, gusting broadside wind from your passenger side and let's also assume you are running on a two lane freeway....

... normally you would be pulling left on the wheel to fight the crown of the road (the "crown" being the way the road has a high point at the zipper to help water drain off to either side). But with a wind from the passenger side you now need to battle pulling to the left to stay straight because of the crown versus pulling to the right to counteract the wind from the right.

Imagine the wind flowing like a stream across the landscape. If there is a gully or valley, the wind will flow down through it and become more powerful as it is forced between the sides of hills or cliffs. See those conditions in advance and be prepared to proactively control the truck before you get there.

If you have obstacles on the right of the road, like trees planted as a wind break or buildings, the wind pushing you from the right side may either completely disappear, or may create vortices (eddies) that will violently rock your truck and trailer. See them and prepare to deal with that rocking.

Bridges over the freeway present another challenge. Often when you get to the bridge the sudden lack of push from the right side will seem like you are being sucked to the right, then as you clear the bridge the wind will be much stronger as it flows around the obstacle. Be prepared to counter steer to the left as you are sucked to the right, then counter steer to the right as you are pushed to the left.

Passing another truck in these conditions present a series of challenges. When you get into the hammer lane to approach a slower moving truck you are now on the "wrong" side of the crown, your truck is leaning left and you are getting pushed to the left, so you need to have MORE counter steering to the right.

THEN, as you get closer to the slower truck you will start getting violently rocked. This is because of the vortices curling off the back of the truck getting pushed by the wind into the hammer lane.

After you clear those violent vortices you will enter a calm zone as your cab approaches the back of the trailer of the truck you are passing. THEN it will seem like you are being sucked to the right, into the truck you are passing as you meet the complete absence of wind or the effect of the vortex coming off the top of the trailer you are passing.

As you approach to being even with the cab of the truck you are passing you are going to meet the first of TWO wakes. The first wake will be just before you are even with the truck you are passing. It will want to push you hard to the left. Be prepared for that but DON'T over correct, because that wake is short lived (if you are passing at a good rate of speed than the truck you are passing). After that first wake will be another calm zone, if you over corrected during the push of the first wake you can be sucked toward the truck you are passing when you hit the calm zone. Be loose and relaxed and ready to steer hard to the left to counter act that.

Then finally you will hit the front wake about six to eight feet ahead of the truck you are passing. Again you will need to counter steer hard to the right, BUT do NOT steer to the right too hard. The problem I see with many drivers on the road in this situation is they counter steer too hard to the right as they complete the pass, and waggle their truck and/or trailer into the truck being passed. This is the Rookie Waggle. Avoid it like the plague.

One more note on passing or getting passed in high broadside winds: If I am passing I try to ride the yellow fog line on the left, and if I am being passed I try to ride the white fog line on the right. You never know if you are passing a true professional or a steering wheel holder that is oblivious to the actions of the wind as one truck passes another. I want to have as much room between us as possible to allow that trucker to be able to correct any over steer.

If your pass also happens to coincide with a wind obstacle, such as a bridge, then be extra careful and ready to counter steer any issues that will arise.

By the way, the times I got pushed across the zipper yesterday was after the MyRadar showed the wind direction had changed in Kansas. I thought I had a headwind until I started crossing narrow bridges with gullies. After getting through there I looked at MyRadar and realized the wind had shifted to start hitting me broadside again.

Stay aware. Read the wind.