Driving on a flat tire

Oh trust me I know. I had a flat a few months ago that I limped about 5 miles until I hit a BROAD shoulder where I stopped. Next "safe" place for a tractor trailer to stop was another 20 miles down the road.

 

Agree on finding a repair service. We had a flat at a scale (yikes) and it cost us over $600 with the tech travel time, plus tire plus remounting. That's why.

 

If I have a blowout or otherwise know I've got a flat, I'm going to try to make it to the next exit if I can. Even loaded that other tire isn't likely to blow if you slow down. My personal opinion is it's much safer to go to the next exit than it is to try to get it changed on the shoulder.

 

It's your choice.

I have always limped them. The few times I didnt, I sat there waiting all day (or night).

One steer blew out, I couldn't limp it, obviously, and I waited 9 hours on the side of the freeway outside of LA. Another steer very recent didn't blow out but the outer wall got grinded up from torn up road. I wasn't gonna keep driving that. I almost got a full rest in waiting for the guy. When he finally showed up, he told me there was no wait. The office people were just screwing around.

If you can reasonably limp it... just do it.

 

Like I said above, I'll limp on down the road to a safe spot to stop, but keep in mind that if a officer sees you doing it you are going to get a ticket and be put OOS. I'm still not stopping on the shoulder if I can help it, I know too many people that have gotten killed or a very close call by sitting on the shoulder.

I got pulled over for a level 2 one time. When the officer hit his lights I was within sight of the next exit. I took the exit and there was a wide pull off spot on the ramp where I stopped. First thing the officer did was want to chew on me for not stopping when he first hit the lights. I told him that I was just going to the exit for safety and he told me that wasn't for me to decide. While we were there another officer pulled up (I think maybe a supervisor), after the two officers conversed the second one came up to me and asked me why I didn't stop. I told him the safety reasons and without saying so directly he said that I did the right thing and that he would have a talk with the other officer. He said their general rule was supposed to be, unless there was some sort of immediate danger, to not even initiate a stop until there was a safe to pull over.