winter driving advise

Nice thread starter Soon2B!

Another question....How are the Interstates in places that are more apt to snow/ice? Does the DOT stay on top of it?

 

Space, make sure you leave a lot more room in between you and whats in front of you..

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Don't go fast.. Don't hit the breaks hard, Don't get in a hurry.
Do's make sure you are well rested. Allow more time to get where your going for bad weather and traffic.

Same as above,
Gets to bad find a place to park.

Experience is the key.... Main things are Slow down, leave more room around you, Do not break in a slide...

Something I would do is let off the gas going over bridges.. I heard people say wow that bridge was greasy but I could not tell if it was or not becuase I was not on the fuel..

Oh thats another thing... Do not use cruise control

The answer is NO they do not stay on top of it... most cases they just let the bad part happen then wait till its over then go clean it up... If your lucky they will clean the entire interstate and not just in the urban areas..



I think there are a few threads that are stickies that tell you what you should have during the winter in the truck... That is important as well.. you want to be prepared in case you get stuck out in the cold..

Something else you need to pay attention to is wind... if your light you can slide off the road....

 

Do not let the dispatched push you to deliver a load if you think it is too bad to drive. A dispatcher is not the one who will have the accident and possibly be killed or kill someone else. If you have an accident the dispatcher will deny they pushed you to deliver.

I worked for a grocery distributor a few years ago that delivered a lot in the mountains. One of the first things they asked me was could I drive in the snow. I said yes, as I have driven midwest and east coast many years. (the old timers will remember the 1976-1977, and 1977-1978 winters. They were a bear)

But I also said that nobody's groceries were worth me getting hurt or killed over. If it was slick, they could wait untill it wasn't. They agreed with me 100%.

Let the company know right away that you will be safe above all.

 

truckerjo is giving top notch advice.

my snow/ice experience is only in california, oregon and washington, and i've heard our driving conditions after snow are different than back east so i'm not sure if i'm any help here. BUT.....SLOW DOWN is the big thing, don't let other trucks push you beyond what you're comfortable doing. jake brakes can be bad, i use them to check for traction,try them and if they don't work, turn them off right away and slow down even more.

don't do ANYTHING sudden, steer or brake or accelerate!!!

don't use cruise control on slick roads.

i drive a single screw pulling doubles, so i'm the first guy you're gonna see hanging iron. have been stuck going north a couple times over siskiyou summit before they put the chain law up and the downhill side was slicker than snot, just a long line of cars and trucks going down at 5 to 10 m.p.h. going around the curves and the set starts to fold, just let off the brakes and they straighten right out (this is where plenty of room between me and the guy in front of me comes in handy) a sliding wheel will try to pass the rolling wheel, so let them roll and they will stay in line.

if you want to know specifically how slow? i'll run anywhere from 15 to 35 (35 is max on chains) if the road looks/feels good and no chains on, a little faster

i don't know if this makes any sense, but it's the stuff that is playing in my head when the weather gets bad

oh yeah, as to DOT staying on top of it, i find that oregon does an outstanding job of keeping the interstate clear, plows, push trucks, de-icer. sometimes they can't keep up with the storm and close the road though. california does alright too.

i'll probably get yelled at for saying that about the jake brakes, but it's something i do, best advice is probably to just stay away from them.

 

Yes, do not use jake brakes on slick roads. This means snow, ice, or just wet. Especially if you are light or empty. You can end up jack knifed.

After dark in the winter an icy road will look like it is just wet. Be real careful if the temp is hanging just around 32. You can run upon ice before you know it. Watch your mirror brackets for ice buildup if it is raining.

I will probably catch you know what for saying this, but if I am not sure if I am on ice or just wet road I will hold my throttle steady and quickly yank the hand valve about halfway down and release it. If the truck does not slow down, then I know I am on ice, and I ease off the throttle and slow to a safer speed.

Only do this on straight flat road. Some people don't agree with this, but it worked for over thirty years for me.

 

DO carry a bottle of bleach or a bag of salt.
DON'T go down a graded exit faster than 10 mph.
DO leave 30 seconds of following distance. You don't even wanna know what 30 seconds worth of space looks like.

 

my snow bag consists of
1. a GOOD set of raingear $60 at the farm and ranch store,
2. WATERPROOF boots $28 at wal-mart
3. sportsman/hunting gloves, kenai is the brand name that i have, made neoprene and look like something a skin diver would wear. they don't keep your hands dry but they help to keep your fingers from freezing, and you can feel what your doing when your wrasslin with chains. $16 at the sporting goods store. (priceless in my book)
4. a headlight, flashlight with a strap you wear on your head. $11 at wal-mart (also priceless)
5. hammer, some guys also carry a small set of bolt cutters
6. about a dozen bungee cords.
7. i also have a chain cam tool that's about 2 1/2 times longer than the one that comes in the chain bag. it was made by one of the mechanics in our shop and helps get the chain cams tight enough that most times i don't need bungee cords.

that's the gear i use when i have to chain up. of course i'm dressed warm with long-johns, etc.

only wish i could find some windshield wipers for my spectacles.

 

Heavier loads put more weight on the drive wheels giving you better traction. Light loads and empty trailers are harder to stop, especially in panic stops. Going dowhill with a heavy trailer uses more brake than a light load.