Trailer swaying, wind, curve questions

@TripleSix nailed it. If your trailer is swaying you are "sawing at the wheel", or as I like to put it you are "Yankee Doodle steering". There's absolutely no reason a professional driver should not have PERFECT lane control in construction zone or high broadside winds.

I just came northbound through I-35W today with an oversized trailer, 10' wide (with a 10' wide wheel base) and 58' from kingpin to the back axle. The permitted route was through the construction zone.

I was able to take that construction zone in stride with no problem. I drive big broadside winds with high profile loads on NARROW two lane roads on a regular basis. The reason I can do this comfortably is because of how I steer.

First, setup is key. Be upright in the seat, close enough to the steering wheel to allow your arms to hang down and have about 90° at your elbows.

Second, hold the steering wheel like you are holding a wounded sparrow, firm enough not to let the sparrow injure itself more and loose enough not to suffocate it. Your thumbs should be ON TOP of the steering wheel, never inside.

Third, your arms should hang down like limp noodles. If steering gets challenging, I actually bring my elbows toward each other.

Fourth, only steer by pulling down on the steering wheel. Never push up or sideways. You will have far more control by using the large muscles in your upper back (latissimus dorsi) and gravity. It is FAR more relaxing to drive in technical conditions this way.

Fifth, LANE CONTROL is optimized by driving YOURSELF on a line about 2'3" left of the center of your lane. Forget the truck. Figure out how far left of center the bridge of your nose is from the center of the truck. Then visualize a line that far from the center of the lane and drive YOURSELF on that line. If you are on a curve to the left, that line should creep to the right and vise versa.

Sixth, steer tire dynamics come into play at highway speeds. There's a delay from steering input to reaction because the rubber on your steer tires bend. If you are in the middle of a left curve and there's a bump in the construction zone, your steer tires will want to throw you into a harder left turn. Anticipate that and do a quick counter steer to the right to negate that. On I-35W there are also "zig zags" with the road sloping away from the turn...

..."COASTING IS YOUR FRIEND"...

...lay off the throttle in those situations, coast and adjust steering to maintain your line, and you should do just fine. Coasting is often the right choice in slick conditions, just ease off on the throttle and coast if you need to hold a tight line. Don't ever hit the brakes, just COAST.

 

Every body is different. You should sit close enough to be able to depress the clutch all the way to the floor without tippy toes. Adjust your steering wheel, most trucks can adjust tilt and how far out or close you want it.

Regarding my comment about bringing your elbows together when faced with difficult steering situations, what I mean is normally my arms hang straight down with absolutely no tension. However, let's say I'm coming up on an S curve in a construction zone with a hard left and a hard right with recommended speed of 45 mph AND when you turn left the road is banked right and when you to right the road banks to the left. There is traffic next to you and the concrete barrier on your right. This is exactly the scenario in the construction zone northbound I-35W through Fort Worth.

When approaching that first left turn I slightly bring my left elbow inward, so that as I pull down with my arm my elbow will be make contact with the side of my chest and can slide in contact with my body as it needs to.

The reason I do this is twofold. First, this keeps the direction of pull on your hand on the steering wheel at about 90° for greater control. Second, contact between your elbow and upper arm gives you far more support. This is the same principle used by golfers and rock climbers. You keep your upper arms connected to your body through much of the golf swing for control and power. If a rock climber needs to make a long reach for the next hold he will pull as far as possible and then "lock off" by bringing that arm tight against the body. Keeping your arms away from your body aka "chicken wings" is a recipe for more strain and loss of control. Often when I pass a truck driver that has poor lane control their elbows stick out or worse yet they are using arm rests (I removed the arm rests in my truck).

If a turn is particularly difficult, with sways and bumps I might flex both my biceps and triceps to help lock a position with the wheel. The opposite hand and arm should always be relaxed. It NEVER pushes up or across. It is only there as a guide.

In a straight away that has bumps and swales or when faced with gusty broadside winds I will draw both elbows inward. This helps stabilize both arms when you have to make quick and sometimes dramatic steering corrections in both directions to maintain perfect lane control.