Winter driving and chaining

This is probably one of the better "video tutorials" on Youtube. There are many, but many suck. There are 4 in this series..



Depending on the type of running you do, often planning and keeping abreast of weather ahead, you can dodge/avoid many Wx systems by running hard or holding up or deviating course. But if you regularly run west, you need to expect to chain at some point. Makes no sense to sit 24+ hours to avoid 45 minutes of work and mountain pass driving. It's all in the timing. Time of day, time of storm arrival, load requirements, your available hours, and storm intensity. Every trip is a situation. Every trip has it's own set of options and needs.

Running some western states following some storms is virtually impossible given the amount of snow, one climb after another, for up to 300-500 miles in some cases. Reason to make sure you have 4-5 days worth of food/water, and plenty of fuel that won't gel up.

Sometimes you can sit for 4-6 hours and they remove the chain requirements. Try and keep your drives heavier then your trailer all times during the Winter. ALWAYS keep your tanks (DEF and fuel) full, especially leading up to prior to significant storm arrival. Bad storms in the midwest and plains often leave truck stops without fuel for a day or more

 

My first month solo my dispatcher suckered me into chaining up and taking a set of chains over Eisenhower in a decent snowstorm to some dumbbass who didn't understand the concept of a chain bank. That was when I was new and didn't know I could say no, even though it directly contradicted the company policy of not chaining to go into known chain conditions.

It was definitely an experience and popped my snow cherry (first time driving in snow in a truck and it was a doozy).

 

I know drivers don't talk to one another like they once did, but the ones who do, listen to them. They have usually been driving awhile and enjoy helping other drivers. Worst snow storm I ever drove in I was behind an old timer and we talked the entire time. We took care of each other for several hundred miles until it cleared. Lots of good advice out there.

 

I was told that if you have to chain up, it's time to pull somewhere safe and take a nap. Unless you are experienced and driving the Rockies in Colorado or Idaho, you'll never need to chain up.

Driving on ice/snow comes with experience, there is nothing you can really do to prepare for it. I went into this past winter thinking I knew how to drive a truck on ice, I ended up (right side up) in the ditch on the first day of snow (empty roll-tite trailer, essentially a sail boat, mixed with freezing rain and high winds).

Was an incredibly humbling experience. But I kept it on the road from then on. Just remember to go SLOW. Put your flashers on and go just as fast as you need to to keep it on the road and get where you are going safely. If that means at 10mph, then so be it.

 

Don't let the super truckers on the CB push you into going faster than you feel is safe. Throw on your four-ways and plug along, let them holler and pass you, and you'll catch up with plenty of them later on when they're stuck in the ditch. I had one doing that to me last winter as I was nearing home. He was throwing a royal tantrum because I was only going 35mph. Less than 2 miles later, I watched him slide through a red light he couldn't stop for and jack knife his tanker. Be especially careful when you're empty or light, because that's when most problems happen on slick roads.

 

Also loaded to the back if you run flat deck. You *must* put most of the weight over the drives if you want to stay on the road.

 

Avoid driving during bad weather, but make aure you know how to do it, and do it well. Practice with gloves on because you'll have them on when you are doing it for real. I got stuck in a horrible storm in wyoming, temps so cold I can't describe it; had to chain up to leave.

 

Keep in mind that where you end up working can also determine whether you chain or not.
OTR, it seems that drivers have the option to sit it out.
If you end up working for any of the LTL companies out there, you will be expected to chain. Choosing not to is not an option.
Our company delivers hospital supplies, and we're part of the hospital system. These supplies are needed without question. We get there any way we have to.

 

Did you get that job out of CDL school or did you have winter driving experience before? People who are new to the industry should sit a storm out rather than try driving through it. Their inexperience is just an increased hazard for other drivers.

I didn't have an option, because we get 4-6 months of winter here, so it's either, I don't work, or I do so very carefully.

Sometimes it's best to even just wait an hour or two, so that plows can come through and lay down some salt. It's a lot less time consuming and less energy-depleting than chaining.