Driving in the snow

g/man check and see the water content in rubbing alcohol

 

What is this black ice thing Ice is Ice it has no color if the road was blue would you call it blue ice? The old white haired guys always said when I was a kid just starting out when the temp drops to 26 degrees and the road is wet be prepared to bust your butt I have found this to still be true today and slowing does not mean from 65 to 62 I don't recall anyone ever crashing be cause they were going too slow,but what do I know as I did not go to truck driving school like todays professionals have. Thank god for that,no bad attitude here just speaking the truth.I just read in another post that some Brain trust put water in his def tank because it was getting low and now his truck won't run REALLY I WONDER WHY Maybe i am getting old and cranky but this stuff just drives me nuts

 

This is so true and from my side of advice and i'm new in USA but have experience in driving a lot on ice in norway (approx 15 years).... snow is good and ice is bad ..specially black ice..there is not any car equipped for black ice..not any chain has grip on black ice.. ice is to thin..normal ice road better grip
But i think to start with a good basic in my opinion is to have good winter tires! then you will come in bad winter conditions very far...
I drove on spikes in very bad conditions but mostly heavy winter tires and they were also extra *siped* http://www.drivingfast.net/techniques/winter-driving-techniques.htm#.UMi5P6XYfWQ

Just like to share my experience from a other country were i live now but have hard plans to move to USA.

 

gotta watch your steering on slow tight turns (like intersections) when it is slick

real easy then to loose traction on the steers and end up suddenly goin straight when you least expect it

 

The first thing you want to do is ask if you even have to drive the states that may get snow.A lot of companies will let you run southern states during winter as they always have drivers who will run and prefer the loads in winter conditions.

 

Jjust throwin in my .02 worth, also a newbie, one of the required classes in my course was to attend a day at the skid pad in Marshall Mi, not very expensive and well worth it. Still pullin the seat cushion out. The official name is Michigan Center for Decision Driving (MCDD)

 

Are you driving OTR in states that require chains? The reason I ask is, I'm originally from the Buffalo area, where we all know, is a winter hell hole but, I never saw a set of chains, much less used them.

 

Drive in a lot of snow up here in the Montreal area and there are some hills close by, Quebec in notorious for 9- 12 % grades on the secondary roads.
Just like everyone else has added, slow it down and drive at your pace. Never used chains in my life and good advice was given earlier, just get off the road if you think you need them, of course other than in mountain passes where required. It takes a lot of bad maneuvering to get a loaded tractor trailer with good tires on to slip.
Drive very cautiously if you are grossing under 50,000lbs, comfortably if around 75000lbs. If you are driving in snow get used to what your JAKE brake does and use it accordingly. Never ever apply the brakes unless urgently needed. You should be able to do all your braking with the engine, thus as said earlier stay out of packs and leave that extra distance between you and whatever is ahead so that the engine can stop you, you will get comfortable driving through as much as a foot of snow.

Watch all little 4x4 's such as jeep wranglers and 4 runners, they will generally loose traction and wipe out in front of you when they hit the air turbulence around the front of your hood. Just back out of it , they will end up in either ditch within a few seconds. Do not panic , you have traction. You will be an expert by March!

Also, make sure that you always have lots of fuel, as was mentioned earlier you may be shut down on the Interstate for a day and if the road is closed that tankers cannot get to the truckstops. Do not expect to run well in upper Michigan or Ontario in January if you bought fuel in the South, the fuel formula's are different and your fuel will freeze North of Pennsylvania. It is more expensive but you will not freeze yourself while waiting for road service.

I once fuelled in Mobile AL. just before Christmas and a few days later up in Montreal without having fueled in the Interim it went down to 30 below 0. The fuel in my tanks was literally like JELLO. it took a few cans of 911 and the night towed to the interior of the garage to get me going again.

The best of luck.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItA8ntrtSPs

this is what I fear of.

 

I disagree.
High RPMs have the most torque which means the most power to spin the drive tires. Use the highest gear possible to keep the revs low.

Mikeeee