I run into hail out west say near Garden city Kansas. I'll slow and pause at walking pace for a while, I want the hailstorm to proceed north and east at 20 or 30 mph ahead. I'll sit right there on the road with the others and wait now and then. We all know that within that hail is a possible tornado. It will take a while. Schedule? Forget it. We'll sort the time damage and get a new appt time if needed.
Once west of Rapid City near Sturgis I hit a white out. A absolute and irrevocable painting over all windows, you cannot see the wipers themselves. Some of you laugh, but you haven't been in that kind of white out blizzard. I stopped then moved right looking for the wake em up grooves that is near the white line. Once I found it by feel on the front right steer i stopped and started making noise on that radio. Flip side helped out east bound as well to get that traffic stopped because they will ram me if they didnt.
20 minutes later it eased enough to see 20 feet. I stayed on that groove until I climbed the next ridge out of there.
There is no specific speed. One rule, you drive as slow as you can see. Even if it's idle in low gear at walking pace.
The one thing you need usually is to check the NOAA's hazards map. it is updated every 6 hours and in real time if necessary within 5 minutes by computer and human work. FOG warning is usually up for whatever area you are heading into 4 hours prior. Check check and check again. Any kind of warnings will be on there long before you get there.
If you have a thunderstorm west of Phoenix or near Tuscon etc in that area, you already know that once the storm starts to collapse it will build a Haboob (Sandstorm) You also then logically already know long before you drive into that storm (Don't do it dummy) you find a place and go take a nap or lunch parked safely. Wait a hour or two.
Most truckers, particularly the new ones. Make a mistake. Hop in and drive drive drive. If the world ended and everyone fell off, they would drive off rather than stopping. The smart ones would already have parked and let the lemming herd drive off. You want to be smart and see what is ahead of you where possible.
Low visibility question
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by ashtre, Mar 14, 2019.
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