Winter driving tips for truck drivers?

Depends on several things.
Your weight
Terrain
your gearbox
your tires

I can't answer this properly. Awesome question

 

i just dont like that sound being down low on rpm and hearing the motor and turbo trying to spool to catch up. I run old cat motor and with straight pipes, i can hear when the motor is happy. Down to far, it doesnt sound happy. being loaded maxed out of course. thats how i roll all day

 

play it as it happens. way too many variables. No one runs the same anything !

 

thanks

 

You will be better off to have them.

We are deep in chain season. Here is the rub.

Chains in western states all day long and through the night if necessary. It's part of what trucking is.

HOWEVER.

In the eastern states say east of Omaha all the way to the Atlantic. You wont find a #### thing about chain. The smart people have chain for vehicles and during very specific kinds of Nor"easters like the 1993 storm or the 1977 storm cities, counties and or states in the east my require chain only locally. You will find that it is essentially a blanket ban on vehicles population wide who dont have a chain and never touched one in this lifetime. Truckers included.

I know what a proper big rig without governing and certain other things can and cannot do in wet or powder snow. And the same on ice. I know my own limitations earned in sweat, fear and sometimes blood. I'll park her first before I have to toss chains I do NOT have onto that rig in the east.

This means old iron. With good tires. None of that computer crap. Newer than say 2000.

How many times must I repeat that many eastern outfits do not buy chain, or even make a culture we don't need no stinking chains. Etc. They are only hurting themselves.

In my previous two vehicles I had chains made in Austria specifically for ice work. Now? I don't bother because where we go on ice is essentially flat and only if absolutely necessary. I could throw on a set of 100 dollar chain onto the drive wheels and hope for the best when things really get that bad. But generally I intend to stay home and hibernate when ice storms show up. And you should too. Arkansas has nothing worth talking about vs Ice storms like say Chicago or Maryland etc who have armies of snow fighting....

If it is within your power to buy a set of 4 plus one (your drive tires on both axles and one drag for your outside rear trailer plus two spares) then do it. Piss on your company that dares to discourage you using chains. You might need them if you are in a situation after having spun out as so many doubles have near Chicago.

Chains are not the magic go time charm either. Stupid truckers who don't install them correctly, abuse them or otherwise inclined to persist in going into a winter howler and get stranded anyway, deserve it. Don't be one of those. Find a safe place to wait out a good storm and make a new appointment time for your load.

Remember, if you can walk on that stuff. Your rig can too. Within a very small set of possibilities in limited speed range, power, input amount and so on.

 

Had the first real icy blast this past week, Virden to Brandon, MB, literally sheet ice, 4 semis jacknifed as well as a host of 4 wheelers. I was empty, pulling super B tanker......fairly simple advice is just slow down to what you feel comfortable with. The steering will usually give you some kind of warning first, perhaps skip traction for a second, there'll be clues!....but usually guys are in way too much of a hurry.
I use other 'tactics' too lol....keep the fuel tanks full, stay off the cruise....my main rule of thumb is ALWAYS keep your distance!!

 

If you find yourself on what is called split ice. Where a strip of pavement is present plant all your drives on one side on that strip and stay there. You will be rolling pretty slow and steady. HOPEFULLY the ice is not all tore up and heaved by a thousand truckers on chain before you got to it causing your rig to dance.

A little dancing is normal on ice. It's when your steering wheel turns to a limp noodle is when you have to come off your power, stay off brakes and do NOT whatever you do make large inputs. Wait a few heartbeats, She will come around eventually. USUALLY.

Find your true straight ahead center on your steering wheel top. Roll a masking or duct tape around that spot. That way you can always return the wheel to exact forward straight ahead and wait a minute for your rig to regain it's footing.

 

Yes its a challenge avoiding those clowns. I've only been hit once. I got into east bound shoulder trying to avoid being hit by west bound Reimer truck who was passing on blind curve. Totalled brand new truck and trailer. Put my hard head through the windshield, broke ribs. It was my 3rd week on the job that I'm still at 22 years later.

Bypass at Revell River (west of Ignace)will be completed next year. Get rid of that curve once and for all. Had dinner with one of the engineers Saturday. He told me it knocks a whole kilometre off the route.

 

Ibelieve ''lugging'' refers to the old mechanical engines. the fuel rate was constant so at lower RPM it would overfuel the engine.
I don't believe an electronic engine can be technically be ''lugged''.
Maybe some one can explain it better.

 

As a general rule, chains are only put on when lights tell you to at the base of a mountain or grade where conditions are such that many trucks without chains are going to fail to get traction enough to make it to the top