Downhill in Winter

There's solid gold in the number of tire chains we passed in the morning. An enterprising soul could make bank just from recycling value, let alone repairing and reselling.

 

What gets my goat is there is a ferocious winter storm coming up, I find a hole say in Pendelton for example to set a while and there is always someone talking that the storm don't apply to them and they leave despite a general protest of others along the lines of don't be stupid. More often than not, you will learn that Mr Stupid is gone into the ditch, off the mountain or whatever form of wreck that is possible out there.

I hate it. It's such a wanton waste of good equiptment, loads and possibly others caught in the mess when Mr Stupid wants to go regardless of what Nature is capable of.

 

Heavy, you can call me Mr. Stupid then. I always felt safer dealing with the roads at night when the weather was bad than dealing with all the other drivers the next morning when it had cleared but was really slick. I know what you mean, but I ran these roads enough that I knew them very well.

 

You and me both. Ive gotten through Kit Carson trying to clear a oncoming howler because I aint got a set of chain, a foot on the ground and nothing to guide on.

I had two problems typing that post about getting my goat, one was a angel and the other was the devil. So I had two minds about it. Late at night, all by myself is a wonderful time to do battle with old man winter. No cars around to screw it up or trash talking bigriggers messing around.

There was one evening where a dusting turned to a foot and then two near Billings MT, Despite my high morale and energy levels I was hearing bad things on the Divide in the eastern part of the state that night so I spend the night in Billings itself while the snows piled everywhere. Sometimes it's best to be safe and not try to take on something really bad. The dispatcher will just have to wait like I am.

And there is that problem a dispatcher thinks I am late because I chose to be safe. All of the resulting yelling and bad things back and forth could easily be avoided if it is left to the driver to understand how to be safe and when to fold em now and then once in a while.

 

Unless that double is me. Don't expect me to teach you anything.

Come off the top slooowwwww. You can pick up speed easy enough but it is hard to slow down on slick. Pick up speed until you find that comfort point where you can hold it back with gentle braking and the motor. You can use the low jake if you are prepared to react if it breaks free, but if the hill isn't too long just either drag the brakes along between 5-10 PSI or if that isn't necessary just let it build up some RPM's and brake it back down. Start braking earlier than normal and be gentle. Just let them drag you back down, not try and stop the wheels from turning. When you go into the curves start turning early, and smooth. Quick adjustments on the throttle, brakes or steers cause it to break free.

Normally if I spin at all climbing the hill I put chains on before dropping off the other side. Besides, I like chains because then I can use my jakes a little safer and not have to rely on brakes so much. Don't be afraid to stop and chain.

Someone else mentioned following distance, and that's also a big deal. Keep the idiots away. If you do break traction you don't want to swipe or crush someone. Either slow up and let them get ahead or come around them and let them fall behind.

I've been told that keeping those tires rolling smoothly is the best thing for snow. You don't want to go too slow, definitely not too fast. Just gently rolling along. Think ahead, stay comfortable, keep it gentle.

 

That's how we manage to slide at 2mph, unable to stop. Not a good feeling.

 

I had a slide like that in MS one day in town vs a stop sign. The problem was a car the only one other rolling that early in a proper ice palace was coming up on me. I did my instastoprightnow braking and she started sliding forward into the path of the stupid car coming on from the left through it's own stop sign.

Slow motion, we stopped 5 feet apart. I hate the slow motion. Takes too long to resolve.

Told the boss all was well, but it's not good to be doing that in weather like that. Being loaded didnt matter. (Plumrose bacon I believe, I could be mistaken, it's been a long time ago.)

 

There's only two times in my career I couldn't come to a stop. Both when I drove for Swift.

The first time was taking a left turn off a four lane highway. I didn't account for the fact that I was turning NORTH onto a downhill street in midday sun a few days after a snowstorm. The four lane highway was bone dry. The downhill street was glaze ice with little sun to warm it.

To top off matters that downhill road had a sharp left turn with a high curb on the right. In spite of the fact I started that turn in 3rd, there was no way I make that downhill left turn without destroying a steer tire on the curb.

I opted to keep it straight, into an office building parking lot. I brought it to a controlled stop just before the building, with a secretary's eyes getting real big as the hood of my truck got close. I backed out of the parking lot and made the turn with the power divider engaged.

The second time was just after midnight in Louisiana eastbound on I-10, after I got back on the freeway in Beaumont, TX after they had shut down the freeway due to an ice storm. There weren't any traffic control devices to get back on the freeway, so I got back on. After a couple hours of dainty driving on sheer ice I finally found an exit to a truck stop. The exit was downhill from the freeway. Thankfully nobody else was on the road. I came down that exit at about 5 mph and there was no ability to stop at the stop sign at the bottom. I feathered the throttle and made the turn and parked in the empty fuel island, the only dry pavement. I walked the parking lot, slipping and sliding, and found the only parking spot left, then spent half an hour getting it in there. I-10 was shut down for another 36 hours.