High winds in Wyoming, at what point would you shut down?

Empty in 70mph winds there is just no freaking way. I'd park it and I'd try and park it nose into the wind or at least tail in. 70mph winds can flip an empty truck over in the truckstop. That's the nature of the beast in Wyoming especially in the winter I've sat up there for 3 and 4 four days waiting for the road to open to cross.

 

We used to run a line haul from Billings, Mt to Denver, Colo . Pulling rocky mountain doubles.
Only pertmitable time we were allowed to stop was due to a road closure.
We were always light and it was always a heart wrenching experience.
One thing I would do, I would slide the tandems (if equiped) as far back as possible. This put as much weight on the drives as you could and would lengthen out the wheelbase, in my mind, giving more stability.
A lot of praying helped to. LOL

 

Funny you mention wind. Yesterday I dropped at trailer in Jerome, ID, and was supposed to come back with an empty. Luckily I buried it up to the air brake cans in the mud while trying to park the full trailer, so we abandoned any hope of getting the empty out. The railroad ties the landing gear are sitting on were totally sunk in the mud, no way I could get under it without getting the tractor stuck again (had to use the D8 to yank it out the first time, and only had one chain left since the first attempt broke the first chain). On the way back through Craters of the Moon a modular house mover had lost their 1/2 house in the ditch from the wind blowing so hard. If I had that empty like planned I bet I would have been laying in the same position somewhere close by. It was actually ripping so hard my tractor was having trouble around some turns. Puckered me up a few times, and that stuff doesn’t usually bother me.

If there is high wind warnings while pulling an empty van we’ll find another route or park it for the day.

 

What is 'permitted' is what you, the driver, allow.
They can not force you to drive when YOU think it is unsafe to do so.
And if you get blown over, they will not support you. You will be hung out and burned.

The thing with putting most of the weight on the drives is this...
If that trailer flips over because there is too little weight back there, it will flip over the tractor. Once that trailer flips, it will bring you with it because the fifth wheel connection will hold.
Best to keep the weights about even, in my opinion. I prefer a little more to the back end.


Oh, by the way, praying does not really do anything.
God's plan is God's plan. No amount of praying will change God's will.
God knows the end, from the beginning. Meaning that there is nothing we can do or say, on our own, that will change even one little thing.
Everything that can happen has already happened, and will happen again... there is nothing new under the sun... as the saying goes.

 

You ever pull RMD? Your logic is flawed.

As far as what's considered "permittable" I'm fully aware, it's ultimately up to the driver. Ever see a parked truck layed over on it's side in a 80 mph crosswind? I have, who's at fault there?

As far as your God thinkin, well, like they say "I never met an atheist in a foxhole"

Have a Good Day Driver!!