Newbies!!! It's almost winter!!! Here's some tips.

Really good advice posted on here. To reiterate a few; carry cat litter, small heavy hammer for breaking brakes loose, warm boots. Safety department won't agree, but many drivers when parked, depends on where parked, don't set tractor brakes but do set trailer brakes or visa versa. I usually set the trailer brakes and not tractor brakes, if in a good parking spot. The reason is it is easier for me to use a hammer on the trailer brake drums than the tractor ones. Also, if trailer brakes are frozen and the tractor brakes not, you can rock the trailer a little to see if ice on brakes comes loose. Don't forget to release trailer brakes when you do this.

 

Don't drive with you four ways on, I don't know what started this trend, there is no law and it makes it hard for the truck behind to know if you are braking.

Nothing like following a long line of trucks up a hill in the dark and seeing nothing but blinking lights.

 

Question: lets say your westbound on i70 with about a 45,600 pound load you just passed Eisenhower tunnel on i70. time to descend, its snowing and the roads are in a worse case scenario. how do u descend that without using jakes and without smoking your breaks? for kicks and giggles its night time(just trying to paint an absolute worst case scenario)

EDIT: lets say your in Wyoming and your gettin into a Wyoming windstorm, with snow drifting across the i80. whats the formula for shutting down? if winds above 40mph + drifting snow + load under 30k = shut er down? im pretty sure i prematurely shut down in wind i cant stand the feeling of wyoming wind smackin the hell outta my truck so im looking for a seasoned weather vet driver to give me a better idea. specifically on wind speed to load weight shut down ratios for 53foot dry van drivers

 

Go slow enough, you can descend any grade without ever braking or using engine brake. And as it happens slow is the only way where grades and ice coincide. No load is so valuable and time sensitive that if it doesn't traverse Vail during the worse storm of the season, the world will end.

If you were in such a snow storm situation and descended that pass at a rate where you risked "smoking your brakes", it really doesn't matter because you're not going to make it down anyway. You'll end up sideways somewhere and a faint image of your rig hung up, captured by a traffic cam will be on some display somewhere for the world to see.

 

well, the state will help you with this one. As you come out of the hole WB, there is a signboard 5' before the exit, it will flash a recommended speed, if your going above that speed GET UNDER IT. There is a pull off, use it, get your wits about you, take a breather (your gonna need it). Now, I know advice is no jakes, but, if your loaded that heavy your pushing 80K, personally I would have my jakes on the lowest setting, and stay in the low gears and gentle use of the brakes, on/off on/off on/off the whole way down.

depends on the wind, if it's a straight cross wind, tandems all the way back, reduce speed, and look for a place to shut her down. If it's an angled wind, use your judgement. The sad part of Wyoming wind driving, what works for one driver may not work for another, and it can change on a moments notice. As much as I gripe about drivers being afraid to chain up, I will never second guess a driver who parks it in the wind.

 

Another tip......dont wait until October to load your cold weather gear....


It's freaking cold! *shiver*

 

Remember too that not all drivers 'know' what they are doing but all of them 'think' they know. Give way to the road rangers who come up blowing by you like you are the fool.
Chances are, further down the road, you're going to have to yield to the crew pulling 'stupid' out of the median. Live smart, drive smart and don't push your limits.
The speed limit is the MAXIMUM speed you can do...
That doesn't mean you have to do it. God Bless all of you and I hope next year to argue with each and every one of you.

If my post offends you, please try to get over it. Truckers have attitudes and I are one.

 

Don't just set your brakes after driving all day. Move back and forth on snow/ snow pack until your tires have had a chance to cool some. You can melt yourself into little pockets and be stuck like no other on flat ground.

 

the answer to any situation is different for anyone. just because 20 trucks keep going if your nervous shut down
some of those 20 guys dont know enough to know they should be nervous

coming down Mont Eagle in the rain the other other day everyone was passing me
a couple of them chatting away on thier cell phones without headsets
before we got to Chattanooga there were 2 wrecks
Eastbound side was a parking lot from I59-I75
don't make the front page of the newspaper

 

All good ideas and tips so far. But the most important by far was the one posted by Numb...You the driver are by far the most important safety feature / device on/in your vehicle. This is mostly for the newer drivers, but we all need to make sure and not try and out-drive the conditions or our individual skills/or the lack of them (read new driver). Winter driving is a skill learned only by doing it and all of us learn at different levels. So please if you find yourself wondering "if " you should try and make it...DON'T TRY....There is not any load of freight , food , steel, etc worth your life or the poor person driving their car that you may hit and kill. Like I said this is mostly for the new guys , but I've seen instances where even the most skilled/ experienced driver had no business getting out in it. Good luck to all you folks this winter season...God Bless and Gods speed.