Teach Nana...........

Nana; my DH has been driving for 26 years now and he is a firm believer in the "no load is worth a wreck" train of thought.....so I track the weather for him so he can get a heads up to what he is driving into and if he is on the road and things get to where he feels unsafe he just pulls over in the first safe area he comes to.

STOCK YOUR TRUCK: I am cautious by nature and I make sure his truck has supplies as I have seen the news video of trucks stuck in blizzards sometimes for days at a time.

I always make sure there are 2 gallons of drinking water under his bunk, along with some snacks, instant soups, hot cocoa, a roll of paper towel, and an extra blanket...and because he smokes an extra pack of those too...enough for 2 days is my plan.

I myself would rather be safe than sorry and there were TWO times last year he was mighty happy I had done that; even if while he was home and I was making him help put it all away he kept tellin me I worry too much.... OH and I also put in a 10 pound bag of cheap kitty litter; I cant count the times he has told me that was awesome to have when the tires just wanted to spin after parking all night, and he was in a tight spot.

 

Nana you are smart woman just use common sense. Allow yourself more stopping distance and reduce your speed if road conditions call for it. I always try to plan my route as to avoid as many North/South roads as possible as most of the winds/storms come out of the west. The North/South routes will drift faster and worse in hi wind snows. And as others have said if you feel it's unsafe to drive, find a safe place to park until it gets better. They will get that load when it gets there.

 

Be alert for changing road conditions. We have stretches of highway up here that are notorious for going to black ice at night. Nice dry pavement one second to skating rink the next.

 

Shiny roads and you can sometimes never know for sure.

 

Just remember the 18 tires are to stay on the road.

But if you doubt your safety or just feel a little unsecure, it may be time to park.

 

Can walk on it you cant drive on it
If the snow isn't to deep you can drop your tandems over the line and get decent low speed traction when the main grooves are slicked up.

With population and the pathetic driving skills of both CDL and personal vehicles it just isn't worth doing battle for a few slow miles of running.

Running states that are equipped to manage winter conditions have roads in decent order in less then 8hrs.

Its worth my property to wait it out,I have never chained up nor will I ever. There are plenty of chain free miles to run in the lower 48

 

While the arguments for "if you have to hang iron, better hangiing your butt on the counter stool at the T/S" has some merit (to those fair weather flyers) in your dedicated situation, you come closer to a postal worker..the load must get there, and on time! Or you will lose your dedicated gig!!

I read the advice postings you have received so far, and the conditions in the upper midwest are different to your conditions in the southwest in your dedicated zone. They deal with much more iced raodways..however you too will find the ice..the earliest sign for ice is the "no spray from the tires" on the road surface. Watch for the spray off the tires, this is a good rule of thumb, however there can still be icy spots even with spray, so whenever the outside temperature gets CLOSE to freezing slow is the answer, especially in curves and off ramps. At the same time your attention to surrounding vehicles and road conditions needs to double or more.

As for chaining...remember you can't "spin onto" a chain in slick conditions, you need your chains on before you get the spin. Yes it is that time again, two weeks ago, sitting at Jubitz, I did a chain instruction afternoon for a Swift newbie...his mentor was one that believed if you need chains you need to sit it out...so I taught him how to hang some iron..right now with the weather a bit cooler, and storms on the horizon, you need to get out and hang some iron, so that you know how to do it. If the dock you are given has any declination, and the conditions are icy or slippery, you might not get out of the dock without having hung your chains prior to backing into the dock..drive tire only for this..no need for drag chains in the dock scenario.

Any particular questions..PM me Nana, I will try to help you out!

 

Sound advice from otherhalftw, and the others.