winter driving advise

Especially LED lights as they don't generate enough heat to melt the snow.

 

Go read this thread: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...enced-truckers-advice/52869-ice-ice-baby.html

It'll help you understand the dynamics of what's going on between you and the road.

 

Thanks I'm glad too see there are still good natured drivers out there willing to help out.

 

Go slow, keep off the brake, leave LOTS of space.

Even when it isnt snowing and the roads are clear, parking lots, and docks can still be full of ice. I unloaded at one place where the dock was at the end of a ramp. Nice clear day, but the lots wasn't salted. Once the trailer started down the ramp it pulled the truck down with it. Like trying to back down a ice rink. Good thing the building was there to stop me. Took another truck to pull me out. Than they call the plow guy to come and put salt down.

Now if it looks slick, I tell them to salt it, or I won't back in.

 

I haven't had to drive on solid ice or layers of snow in quite a long time - but I still remember the experiences. Unfortunately, the wheels of commerce do not stop rolling because of inclimate weather. My excursions on solid ice - weren't exactly pleasant times. Driving 5 miles an hour, having very little control of the truck - but doing it at night with very little or no other traffic around, I would drive for however long it took, at that speed, to get to the other side of it. You better be looking FAR ahead of you and seeing whatever might pose a threat to blocking your way and have a plan of action LONG before you get to it, because there ARE no sudden stops on ice. Hitting the brakes only causes you to slide or even start jacknifing. Letting off the fuel and letting the truck come to it's own rolling stop is the only way I ever found to work without crashing into things or going off the road altogether. I would get the speed I wanted it to go - which was very slow - and idle it in the gear I was in versus using the accelerator at all. Using the fuel or using the brakes in those conditions basically has the same effect - loss of control of the vehicle.

Watch the video that someone posted earlier on this thread. The first vehicle "takes off" - hitting the fuel. He/she was apparently trying to get the vehicle to move away from crashing into cars - but the effect of hitting the fuel made it FAR worse. That vehicle was hitting other parked vehicles like a steel ball in a pinball machine - there was absolutely no control. The second vehicle tries to move - after seeing what the vehicle before it did - which was a sheer act of stupidity. I have to wonder how many thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of damage was done in that short period of time with those 2 vehicles bouncing around like that.

If you find you MUST continue on in bad conditions, I'm just seconding/thirding/etc the same thing everyone else has stated: keep it SLOW and avoid at all costs any sudden movements. You HAVE to look as far ahead as you can see to prepare WAY in advance for whatever might be in the way, if anything.

 

Excuse me if this is already in the thread ... have a container of kitty litter with you (one of those plastic gallon-jugs with the flip-top is perfect). You can use this for traction on short, icy sections so long as you don't need maximum traction.

Fill up more frequently for a couple of reasons; 1) you don't want to get stranded somewhere by a storm and have to worry about running dry, 2) diesel is blended differently in cold weather to prevent gelling. If you have been running in the south and come north you will probably be alright as long as you keep running. You could run into a problem though if the weather turns suddenly colder and/or you shut down long enough for your fuel to cool down. Also watch your water seperator filter and remember to drain your air tanks nightly. And don't forget about a little airline anti-freeze if it gets really cold.

 

Keep an eye on the weather forecasts for temperatures below 15 degrees and make sure to use fuel anti-gel. Don't let your fuel level get below a half tank. Isopropyl alcohol added to your windshield washer fluid will keep that from freezing up.

Also, make sure you have some food in your truck in case you are stuck out there for hours. There was an incident here in Wisconsin this past winter where there was a 20+ mile long back up on I-90 north of Janesville. The roads got slick, and traffic wasn't able to move for something like 12 hours or more.

A good supply of warm clothing, coats, hats, scarves, etc would also be a good idea.

You will end up driving on some crap roads, even if you are just trying to get to a truck stop or rest area to park it. Take it slow and easy, and keep yourself relaxed. You'll have 4-wheelers and even some big trucks go passing you by like you're sitting still. They are called 'dicth-bait', as that is exactly where you will see them a little farther up the road - in the ditch.

My hubby finished driving school at the end of October last year, so he earned his wheels over the worst winter the midwest has seen in years. The city we live in broke it's snowfall record. He kept it upright, out of the ditches, and out of accidents. Other experienced, good drivers will usually help talk a rookie through things. He even had a group of more experienced drivers basically escort him to a truck stop once on crappy roads as he was deadheading.

 

Fatal crash involving two commercial vehicles and a Patrol cruiser on Interstate 75 on December 9, 2005: A trooper found a tractor-trailer in the median after it had slid off the road. While waiting for a tow truck, another tractor-trailer went out of control and slid off the road, striking the first truck head-on, killing the driving instantly. The trailer of the second truck also struck the patrol car. The trooper was not injured

..watch at 1:05 on the left side & u will see the truck lights start to jack-knife to the left.. also watch as it finally comes to a stop how close it came to hitting the truck that was moving in the opposite direction down the hiway! Wonder if he saw that truck sliding across the median heading in his direction? How would u react in that situation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaK1YoxZY5g

 

Here's what I noticed:

1) the ABS was working on the jack-knife truck, at least on tractor. you can see it cycling as the truck slides to a stop. Which means one of a couple of things is true: either the trailer ABS (or the trailer brakes themselves) was non-functional or the jake got him started around.

2) The truck moving the other direction he almost collected did just what he should have. If you watch closely you can see that he has moved as far to the right as he could. He definitely saw the truck coming across the median!

3) That poor SOB in the truck in the median never had a chance! The only way to survive that is to be sitting in the cop's car.

 

It looked like a england truck.