Fog question

I must have a really good dispatcher then... Granted, most (if not all) of sni's dispatchers are former drivers.

There have been several times when a shipper wanted to pick a fight with me because I was new, my dbl never went to bat "in person" but would always tell me what to say, how to say it, and why.

Im still green, but at least it's not seen quite as easily thanks to that.

 

In the case of what we've been dealing with the last few days, ANYONE doing the posted speed limit is driving dangerously, given 100' or less visibility at 60 mph. In that case, by your standard, the highway ought to be shut down: not feasible. The fog we've had has been here for at least a week, every single night, and stretched for roughly 150+ miles at times, from Seattle down to the Washington/Oregon border. We finally got a break last night. It would make much more sense if ALL drivers adjusted speed accordingly, instead of showing how "good" they are by blazing down the road blindly. S I said earlier, if ANYTHING was in the road, either a stall, or elk, or tree down, etc... At 60 mph, and 100' or less visibility, would you have time to react safely?

 

100% ABSOLUTELY CORRECT !!! I remember one day long ago in the 1980's, I hit a patch of Freezing Fog on Hi-5 between jct 46 and 58 in Cali. In a snap the moisture of the fog FROZE on my windshield. I couldn't see a nothing, was like driving blind. I just held on to the wheel and prayed I wouldnt hit anyone or anything as I tried pulling off the road. Ever since that day, when it's cold out and foggy, I run the defroster on high heat, if it gets a little warm inside the cab,I just crack the windows But keep the heat on the windshield.

 

Yeah, freezing fog is nasty too. I remember my CB antenna's looking like hotdogs, and then I noticed the truck was running hot, pulled over, and the grill was choked off with frost.

 

So what you're saying is you had mildly reduced visibility?

Here's the definition of driving in the fog. On my final day of practice driving, in CDL school, we were in the mountains. 3 trucks, we'd gone up, stopped for lunch, my truck (3 students and instructor) started back, the other two groups decided to have a smoke break, and left 45 minutes after us. The other two students were napping in the sleeper jump seats, I was behind the wheel. Everything was going great, middle of the day, we hit fog so thick for 15 miles, that for 5 of it, visibility was my hood ornament. The instructor (22 yrs exp.) and myself both had our noses pressed to the windshield hoping we didn't hit anything. I had my 4-ways on, my lights on, mirror heat, etc.. Never got above 10 mph. When I looked in the mirror, I could see roughly 3/4 of the way down the side of a 40' trailer. Was some of the worst fog he had ever seen. When it finally cleared, looked like a parade behind me, BUT, no one tried to pass me, they all had their 4-ways on, and for the most part I got a thumbs up as they passed. As soon as possible, he had me pull over and take a break, as we were both white knuckle from the exp. The two idiots in the back, never saw a #### thing. The other two trucks, didn't hit a single patch of fog, it lifted that fast.

I've driven in rain, sleet, snow so thick I had to weave from delineation post to delineation post to stay on the highway, wind and ice. The two conditions that make me the most alert, and I hate the most are wind and fog, pestilence, I hate pestilence also.

 

HI TruckerGonnaBe, 1st, you have to change your handle, because you are a full fledged trucker in my book. I'm sorry I was so hasty in telling you to find another company, as this is normal trucking stuff, and a different company might be, same poop, different shovel. Give it a little more time, and maybe a small piece of black tape over that light on the dash will help.

 

He said "minimum".

 

He said "minimum posted"... In Washington state , we have no minimum posted speed limit. Perhaps a clarification by him would help clear up what he meant..?