News camera was rolling as semi hits black ice

The lesson here is whenever you feel a loss of traction occur... jam upon the brakes.
That should make things much better.


NOT

It takes discipline to ride out a hairy situation when all instincts say "WHOOOAAAAA".

 

Looks like he saw the car entering from the on ramp and freaked out by slamming the brakes. Should of just kept on going slowly and not worried about that car..he already has the right of way..coast on

 

Yeah, that's the real test: can you steer and resist the temptation to brake while you are totally puckered? I've done it in a car when I was younger, don't ever want to do it in a truck.

 

One of the things we had to convey in racing schools and for trackday schools was that your reflex action is almost always wrong... i.e you should turn into the slide, don’t touch the brakes, let the vehicle “float” don’t try to over control it, give it fuel to straighten out, etc... These responses have to be learned, because most are diametrically opposed to your survival instinct.

It was always a conversation about contact patch area and controling that. It’s never like the movies where you see someone stomping on the gas and then stomping on the brakes and then kissing the trophy girl. Weight transfer is a killer. Smooth is safer and quicker.

I feel like the swift driver got scared and instinctively stomped the brakes and didn’t let up until he ran out of kinetic energy. Where as easing his foot off the accelerator and allowing the vehicle to float side to side wouldve got him to an area that had better traction and regain control. I feel strongly that if he’d been paying better attention, and possibly did a more thorough trip plan he’d be telling a story about how he recovered from a slide on ice just outside of San Diego. Instead we’ve got a teaching moment for new drivers and those who dont have experience in challenging conditions.

 

The other truck was definitely having issues, but dealt with it correctly.

 

I have a mantra I drilled into the skulls of all my trainees at Swift:

Coasting is your friend.

 

Yeah that can be a difficult impuls to over come... Got a little refresher course this morning as I lost traction for a few seconds on some ice on I-29... Pucker factor of 9.9 cause I was being passed at the exact same time I felt the drives let go... Kept it on the road, got it straighten out, and managed to avoid contact with passing vehicle... Thank God!!

 

Here is a news flash. ITS ICE!!!!! YOU WILL SLIDE EVEN IF YOU GO SLOW. The only difference is when you go slow you will crash or slide off slower lol. nuff said.

 

Yes but if you dont lock your brakes, it is possible to keep it in control and keep going.