At what point would be considered lightweight? In Wyoming i80

On dry roads and high wind I think closing everything up would be better. On slick roads and high wind if your tandems are back it will slow the movements down if your trailer is getting pushed around. Similar to how a long wheelbase truck will handle better on slick roads than a short one. Everything happens slower, more time to correct it if you start sliding.

 

Cant give you any data... But I run through WY twice a week every week, all year round. In the last 3 years I have only been stuck in WY maybe 4 times because it was too windy for me. And many of my loads going west are in the 10k to 25k (in the box).

I know WY, and I know how to run there safely. When someone runs the entire length of the state multiple times a week they will either learn, burn out from anxiety, or crash.

I just simply stated that in MY experience having tandams closer to the rear is better.

Your above post does indeed make logical sense to me, and it very well may be that it would be backed by fact and science. I dont know I'm not a scientist.

 

When mega fleets started to test out trailer skirts, many got the ones that were very close to the ground. While it likely made the trailer skirt more aerodynamic, they soon found out that the skirts were getting damaged from driving on uneven roads or when backing to the dock with the tandem to the rear. So mega fleets learned from this, and now their skirts are higher from the ground or have a flexible rubber sheet below the skirt.

It seems like tests are showing the aerodynamic skirts on both trailers and trucks are more effective the closer to the ground they are, but because these things keep on hitting objects or uneven roads, they’ve been forced to raise it up higher from the ground.

 

If the signs are on or the warnings are up on Wyoroad.info AND the roads are icy, I park. Period. It's not worth taking the risk that something happens and you become liable because of it. Sure, you may have to sit for a few hours, but you have to protect yourself and your CDL, first and foremost. If you choose to continue, then God bless you, and I wish you the best of luck.

 

I hate skirts. Because I have no experience with them. I see trailer as a BIG sail. If the wind is on it wrong that trailer is a BIG problem. No skirts back then.

I hate to see skirts just make a big problem worse. Its not worth it. But eh... what do I know...

 

While I fully understand why almost all people come to this conclusion the reality is a bit counterintuitive and more complex here. Skirts are mounted below the center of gravity and slightly counter initial rollover forces in cross winds. Once a rollover is in progress they can end up making it more violent once the top skirt is above the CG of the trailer but it is most likely already going over at that point.

There are many valid reasons for people to dislike skirts but trailer skid which is more likely with the additional surface area is much easier to recover from than a tip which will also remove weight from the drive and steer wheels on the same side.

Hopefully most of us with more than a year of experience have our monkey brains trained how to recover from a trailer skid, where I very much doubt any of us have reflexes developed to recover from a tip over.

 

Also dealing with rain related run off the road type scenarios with a loaded 18 wheeler. Its almost the same reaction required vs a blown steer.

Plant steering wheel steady, smash the hammer briefly until truck is stable relatively and then EASE that SOB back onto pavement or EASE that rig straight off to the side at a VERY gentle angle, no braking, no power for blown steer. She will stop soon enough.

Regarding rollovers. Once those inside wheels come up about a foot you have about that much time to "Pay off" away from the wind or inertia of tanker liquid forcing you over. Those insides should come back down in time. In my case they usually did.

Otherwise I would be writing stories about rollovers. What a mess. Once the inside wheels get above a foot and keep rising and you do not pay off or follow the gusts of wind to the side you are on your way to a roll over. A secondary very extreme reaction is to J turn your tractor and point into the wind regardless of terrain. (Not a rock face...)

One situation that happened to me which I have no training for is someone got under my trailer (Flatbed freuhauf center frame decki) with her hood forcing me to slap brakes stop short when blind side backing at a 45 degree angle.

The flatbed rotated it's load towards the car, leaned the trailer to 30 degrees lifting my mack day cab onto her drives with steer axle 10 feet into the sky.

Hung there for a few heart beats as it decided which way she is going to go.

She slammed back down as I drained the last of the air holding the drives braked max.

If there was not enough angle she would absolutely have flopped into that car and killed that lady with 6 pallets of shingles. THUMP. MASH.

That accident also validated my securement theory of throwing everything onto the load so it's not getting loose that easily.