winter driving advise

i love the rumble strips when the road is iced over, i just ride them, since there would have to be allot of ice to fill and smooth them out you know where you are on the road and that you'll have at least a little traction lol





American Trucker

 

I was lucky growing up in Missouri. When I was a kid we would go sliding around in parking lots when everything was closed. What else can you do for entertainment in a town of 1000?

I still believe all that foolishness has saved me from more than one crash. I have have been slideways on ice snow and water in a four-wheeler and managed to correct it without an accident. Make no mistake, I know God had a role in it too. However, all that practice gave him something to work with.

Someone mentioned the cruise. Do not use the cruise control on slick pavement! I nearly hit the guardrail on the OK turnpike just west of Tulsa at 75 MPH in a four-wheeler. Popped over a hill on snow and it turned really glassy. That time God was driving I had nothing to do with it. You don't get sideways, tap the brake to turn off the cruise, over-correct, get sideways the other way and then manage to drive out of it.

 

Go buy some bald tires from your local tire shop and try some wet pavement. If you're serious then virtually every performance driving course will have some skid-pad time.

 

Being that I've been driving on snow and ice all of my life, my advice is that you experiment in whatever empty space you can. It's very much a "feel" thing and the only way to learn the feel is through experience. It's best not to gain that experience on a public road during a blizzard if you can avoid it. I know not everybody has the opportunity though.

Other than that, be alert, stay calm, don't ever panic, and remember that the brake and fuel pedals need to be treated very gently..."like kittens you like instead of barn cats with distemper," is how it was first put to me. Keep your RPMs down and your shifts smooth.

That applies whether you're driving a semi or a Yugo.

One final thing. A lot of four wheelers use trucks as a guide in bad weather. Some of them think they need to get as close as possible to do this. Be aware that while you've been fighting the weather, some half-wit may have found his way into your blind-spot.

 

If I might add a few other tips. Please run with your lights ON. Seen many trucks in blizzards with them off. After you've been on the Snowpack for awhile the LED tail lights do not generate much heat and will get covered,clean them off at a safe pull over/chain area,ect. Don't set your trailer brakes they will freeze up. Just your tractor you can brake them free when you power up. If you decide to stop for any length of time roll the truck back and forth for 10-20 feet to cool the tires or park on a slight down grade. Otherwise the heat from the tires will melt the Snow to Ice and you will be stuck on flat ground. Embarrassing situation. If you are stuck you can use bungy straps to secure your chains around the tires and carefully spin your chains on. Well that's about it. Time for Ice road truckers on the tube It's a hell of a lot easilier to speed up than it is to slow down.

 

one thing i didn't notice mentioned here is, when driving slow in snow conditions turn your 4 ways on if your below 45mph on the freeway, esp if you have other vehicles passing you that are driving well above a safe speed, it lets the people behind you know that you are moving slow.

i have seen many times cars and trucks go flying by only to see them in the ditch up the road, just cause people are going faster doesn't mean that you should too, turn your 4 ways on and keep it greasy side down.

 

Running on the interstate at any speed with emergency flashers on is illegal in many states, and unsafe in all of them.

 

after your post i did a little reserch on the subject, and you are right its illegal in some states but its common practice in northern states. typically i use them if i drop below 45 climbing a grade or in low visibility bad road conditions when you have idiots flying around you to indicate to other driver that you are moving slowly.

the problem is another driver coming up behind you at a high rate of speed may not be able to judge your speed quickly enough using hazards when travailing far below the posted speed limit indicates to other drivers that you are moving slow. around here 45 is the normal speed you turn hazards on so if you come up behind another vehicle with there hazards on you know they are doing 45 or lower.

the only state that i came up with threw a short search on the subject that it is in fact illegal to do that is Florida, last i checked they don't get snow there. of course you may want to do your own research on the subject, but its common practice in most northern state some places even have signs posted that its mandatory when traveling below a certain speed.

 

Actually it is the law in the PNW if you are under 25mph on a grade.

 

Utah as well (not sure on the speed), IIRC.