What NOT to do when crossing an ice covered bridge

Grouch - as a wannabe, I'm asking, isn't it possible to learn to drive a truck on ice?

I know with cars it is possible, is there something about trucks that make this not the case? I learned how to drive on the ice, and even took my drivers test on the ice. Where I'm from, unless you didn't want to drive 6-7 months a year, you learned to drive on ice.

 

Lepton - I don't understand why folks jumped on you. I for one, found the intent of your post worthwhile & the on topic responses educational.

 

I think what he means by saying "he has not learned to drive on ice" is that there is no fool-proof method for driving on ice, learned or otherwise, especially slick ice. The best you can do is try and manage keeping yourself from getting squirrely with skiils that primarily invlove a very steady hand and very light foot on the more common straight sections, icy turns are a whole other issue and can only be dealt with using significant reduction in speed BEFOREHAND. It's not rocket science or raw skill, it's simply common sense and having the ability to recognize when you're in a [potential] icing environment.

Avoiding other potential drivers who may mess up in your space can only be accomplished by parking well off of the roadway. You can sit all winter or you can get out there and do your best with what and who is out there. The option is yours. Nobody said there were no risks in trucking.

 

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^^^^^^^^ that's funny

 

I started to multi-quote a bunch of this, but changed my mind. If you watch the video closely, you can see the front of the truck dip (watch the headlights dim when the angle changes,) just before the rears step out. If you watch closely, it's a dip then right back up, i.e. on the brakes, traction loss. When I first watched I thought he just jumped off the throttle, a major no-no. Either hit the clutch or learn neutral throttle, which isn't the same as coasting.

But back to our intrepid Swifty. Notice that the trailer is farther to the right (his right) than the drives, meaning the trailer was sliding as well, which pretty much leaves the conclusion that this driver pulled the stupid four wheeler trick of jumping on the brakes on a slick bridge. Even had he steered into it, it's likely it wouldn't have ended any better, as far out of shape as he was coming off the bridge. The tractor would have snapped hard to the right, and that driver would have to be be very quick to unwind the opposite lock to avoid jackknifing the other direction.

As far as the power divider: If y'all had any idea how the assembly worked, you'd understand that it is stronger locked in than released, as the differential section is bypassed as the input shaft and thru shaft are locked together by a sliding collar. You can run all day with it locked on slick roads and not hurt a thing. It's actually harder on the divider to have one tire spinning on and off all day than to be locked in, and this is what damaged the older dividers; they'd actually fling the oil off the gears and overheat the gearsets. You don't want it locked on good traction surfaces because the removal of the differential action will allow the axles to bind up against each other due to the slightly different number of rotations caused by minor tire diameter differences and turns, and this wears tires and needlessly stresses the interaxle shaft components.


Rough ice you learn to deal with, glare ice is another story. Even at 10 mph you don't have enough traction to avoid some idiot who is insistent on ruining your day. I pretty much run as long as the road's open, unless it's glare ice. That I park for.

 

Sounds good, 6 months off a year!

 

That would be a double locker, silly.

 

I have driven a truck since 1963, in all kind of weather, across all kind of terrain. Crossed this country more times than I care to remember. Put chains on, took chains off, my $ss has eaten the seat up a thousand times. Drove for a company out of Portsmouth, Va during the late 60s, ran Chicago and this was before 1-64 was ever completed. We would get on U.S. 60 in Richmond, Va and run it all the way to Charleston, WV and this was way before we had power steering or jake brakes. If you have never run U.S. 60 before, then do it sometime, in the dead of a snow storm,---LOL Come off of Buena Vista Mountain with 45,000 lbs of paper rolls on. Or Gauley Bridge, WV

Now do I know how to drive on ice---NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I will challenge anyone who claims to be a "super trucker" that says they do. All I know to do is slow down and pray. Once you lose traction and the trailer starts coming around, only by the grace of God are you coming out without wrecking.


I was going to a location during an ice storm with a set of pups, the rear pup was empty and it was on an downward incline, the light changed on me and the car coming out on the side street started moving and I tried to stop, the rear pup came around and I just "hammered it" and by the grace of the Lord and the driver of the car having enough sense to see what was happening, we came out of it.

 

Thanks for the reply. 50 years! That is quite something - congrats. You still driving full time?