What was most difficult for you?

I-15 into LA...That was fun! For a second I thought I was looking for the localizer and glideslope!

 

Running team in 1998 with my dad. Coming accros NE on I-80 all of a sudden I hear a tornado Warning for RIGHT WERE I AM. I floor it then I see the sucker BEHIND ME. Dad wakes up and goes hit the shoulder I have to PEE. I go here is a Bottle use this. He goes why I go there is a F-4 ON MY ### AND IF YOU THINK I AM STOPPING YOUR NUTS. I go your choices are pee out the window or use the Bottle. He used the bottle. I properly disposed of it at the next fuel stop.

 

I would have to sy was Jan. of this year. We had a train that needed loading and we had to drive to other elevators during a 50mph wind day. On top of that the snow that had fell recently was light and it was below zero temp. Which made for a blinding day. Never made that second round.

 

Some highway with pretty good down grade and danger off the the side.

RAIN! So hard I could only guess where the road was as I crept along at 10 mph.

 

D.C. into V.A. on the 4Th of July B4 fire works.

 

When I was driving with instructor, on 402 near London. Fairly gentle curve to the right with incline and comming up to an underpass.
It was in a snowstorm, I broke traction and started to jackknife.
I was trying to keep it straight while looking out the drivers side window.
Got it back into control, then went for a well diserved coffee, while instructor
wrote in his instructor log--"good winter driving skills"
I think I had already checked my briefs by then.
That added a couple a gray hairs, letmetellya

 

Going over Petersburgh Pass on the NY/MA line in super thick fog. I had three Macks pulling tri-axle dumps in front of me. The fog was so bad I could barely see the cab of the last truck. We broke out of the crud half-way down the MA side, and there was only ONE truck in front of me. Turned out he was just taking it easy, and hi buddies were waiting for him at the bottom by the run-away ramp.

 

Years ago running thru Canada and up to Alaska on the Alaska Highway and on to Deadhorse which is 501 miles North of fairbanks was somewhat of a challenge with blizzards and cold weather as low as -65 F below plus wind. That was in the mid 70's when most truckers were professionals and not just a piece of meat in the seat.

 

I've got two of them,

1. while in driving school, our final day of road training, we'd head W. on US 285 out of Denver it was clear and sunny. Three trucks each with instructor and 3 students. Made the run to the top of Kenosha then back to Grant for a turn around. After each took their turn we stopped for lunch. The other two trucks decided to do another set of 3 turns, we decided to head back to Denver for some extra City time. Just past Conifer we hit fog, and holy %#%^ was it thick. The other two guys were sitting the sleeper dozing, I was driving and the instructor was in the passenger seat. Visibility went from unlimited to end of hood in about 50'. I was leaning on the wheel, the instructor had his nose to the windshield, 4 ways were on and we crawled for the next 10 miles at barely above idle, at times I couldn't even see the back of the trailer. Not only did I ace that part of the training, but they gave me xtra credit for driving in such bad conditions. The other two trucks didn't hit any fog coming back.

2. Helloween of '00, coming back to Denver on I-80 hit a blizzard coming off Elk. From Arlington to Laramie it was miserable, one time, if the snow would have lifted and you flew overhead, it would have looked like a giant snake from the tracks. I was lead truck of about 13, I would aim for a deliniation marker, then drift the other direction til I saw another and back, did that for 15 miles before it cleared enough. By the time I hit Laramie my grill was packed with snow, took me 5 minutes to get all the grill unplugged of snow.

 

I hit a blizzard heading south on the interstate after leaving Council Bluffs. Like, practically white out conditions. And it was at night. I missed my fuel stop because I couldn't see where the exit ramp was. Had a pretty good idea where the road was as I was following the tire tracks from the vehicle in front of me. Thankfully they knew where the road was too. However I had to stay at a certain speed otherwise the snow would cover the tire tracks up that I was following. Oddly, once I got into MO, it was totally clear. No snow or anything. That had to be the #1 white knuckle experience of my driving career.