Wind and Hills! Quite different between 4 wheeler and semi!

I've been solo in a rig for a little over six months now. So, I'm still fairly new, but getting there.
I thought it might be helpful to those who haven't yet started driving to hear about some of the differences between driving a semi and trailer and driving a car. With that in mind...
To me, the 2 biggest differences are wind and hills. In a car, you may notice them, but they don't really change things much. However, when you are driving a truck, they are dynamics that require much more attention.
Hills are a biggy. You have to learn to negotiate hills. Going uphill isn't too difficult, the truck just slows down. But, downhill, that's a whole nuther story! Be prepared to have to learn and practice going down a hill. Especially if you drive out West where some of the hills can be quite formidable to manage. A lot depends on how heavy you are, the heavier you are, the more gravity tries to push you down the hill. I don't mean this as a tutorial on how to do it, just want you to know, going up hills and especially down hills is VERY VERY different and will be something to learn. I tend to go fairly slow down hills and hate it when there is a turn right at the bottom.
Wind!! If you drive a box type trailer, either dry van or refrigerated, you WILL learn that wind is a new dynamic you will have to adjust to. These box trailers are like big sails and they definitely catch the wind and can whip you around all over the place. Much depends on your load. The heavier you are, the more that weight will dampen the effects of the wind. Also, naturally, depends on whether you have a head wind, tail wind or the wind is hitting you broadside. Trucks DO get blown over by wind. You are most susceptible to it if you are empty or have a light load. I've pulled off the road and parked it for wind several times. I have also found that slowing down by just a few mph can make the wind much more manageable. I also know that wind will wear you out! Tiredest I have been from driving has been when I had to drive with wind all day.
There are other things, such as a truck is a much bumpier ride, but I just was thinking about the driving dynamics differences between a car and a semi and realized I didn't know that before I started, so I thought I'd share with those who are hoping to get into driving a truck. Biggest differences in the driving dynamics to me this far. Dealing with Hills and Wind!

 

Lol. I hope you now take back all those words you likely said about "that **** truck" in the way, over the years.

Now you know there was a reason we were going slowly.

Ride carefully! Glad to have you with us.
Always enjoy when the "light" gets turned on.

 

If you had a big Cat motor, you'd say, "what wind, what hill?"

 

The arroyos of California make driving fun and interesting.

 

And those of us feeling our oats would go "Here Kitty kitty kitty..." fun and games generally.

Vans and reefers are ok in wind. Its the curtain sides that are a problem. The one winter we had them in blizzard high wind conditions the deep snow buried the european tandems anyway and we just added horses and dragged them along. Once loaded in Kentucky and back across there for GM in Baltimore (Glass windshields etc) its easier.

 

Someone’s never watched Black Dog with Patrick Swayze.
Even he said, “It’s not the getting up, it’s the getting down.”

 

I always think there is a little bit of hollywood inside that clip. As far as stunts go with a eye towards controlling physics its pretty good.

 

Yeah, how the Pete was pushing the trailer sideways before somehow the shank broke loose, then the Pete appears perfectly straight back behind the tractor not the opposite side of the road..

 

I caught that too. I even saw the shake in that pete. I don't know yet if it's tandem hop from being locked or lugging down engine power. Its just one of those things to think on carefully.

 

I heard, the hardest thing to pull is untarped hay on a flatbed.