Winter driving in Midwest and Northeast

OK, right up my alley here: Cold sucks. NE and Midwest get hammered with the cold white and clear water so if it was me and I could go SE Regional during the cold time; I'd jump on it. Keep in mind, though - remember what Charlotte looked like after this last winter's bad ice storm? SE doesn't get as much but they do get it and aren't real well equipped to deal with it when it comes. I stopped counting wrecked cars, SUV's and big trucks running from Ruther Glen. VA to Atlanta (via Charlotte) at 87 cars and 22 big trucks (including straight trucks). They motored on when they shouldn't have. Had that been on 90, 80, 70 or 40 in the mid-west; they'd have just shut the interstate down. Literally. They have gates and signs and lights and will post some poor State Trooper out there and make you exit. But good luck with that. The exit ramp will be blocked by everyone exiting and nowhere to go. I've pulled up to the flashing sign to meet a Trooper that said "shut it down. You're not going anywhere tonight." "No room on the ramp Sir." "Right here (the actual Interstate) is fine." We'll wake everyone up when we reopen the road." Sure enough. About mid morning next day (10:00, 11:00) KNOCK, KNOCK. "Fire it up. We're opening in an hour."

NE is much more up to your judgment. They're pretty good about plowing and salting even in storms, but there is a point they can't keep up with Mother Nature; but it ain't hard at ALL to figure out when to shut it down and ride it out. Everyone else is and the plows have gone home to ride it out. Wuss or Smart. Your call. I call it smart. Sticks and stones (and wrecked trucks) may break my bones but being called a Wuss ain't never hurt me. See, back east the ice is more of a problem than the snow. The snow is plentiful for sure, but it's moist and turns to ice fast. Ice is also a problem in the mid-west, but the snow is a little drier and it gets problematic when it packs and THEN gets slick. Little farther west (anywhere in the open plains) the snow is dry and powdery but the winds are killer. A 45MPH steady wind blowing a ton of snow that's not sticking to anything is a real problem. So they just shut the road down til it blows over. No pun intended. That's another reason for the chain laws. They are so spread out that it may take some time for the plows to get to a grade. Driving on a few inches of pack in good visibility from Lodi, OH up to Findlay, OH isn't much of a problem as long as you take it slow and easy on the several inches of snow pack. There's no hills to cause you to lose traction. You'll only lose traction if you are going too fast. Which they do. I see several grain buckets (usually - or dump wagons and sometimes others, but mostly overanxious grain buckets and dump wagons) on their side every year because they cranked it for a turn but kept going straight. Chi-town is pretty good about keeping things clear, but they too get overrun by Mother Nature from time to time.

For flatbedding: DEFINITELY some heavy winter coveralls like Carhart Insulated (the canvass holds up better than just a straight set of insulated Dickies). Everything I did securing and tarping I could do well with heavy insulated gloves on. There's also a ton of other stuff you need to know and heed. Flatbed lanes tend to be rough in the winter. It's about time for the fine folks that participate in TTR to start posting threads about winterizing and surviving winter OTR. Keep an eye out. I will too and if I don't see a thread about helping new drivers get through their first winter in the next few days; I'll start one. Time to start preparing was well over a week ago. There's still time enough to winter up, though. I'm a little miffed that personal finances won't have my new winter foul weather stuff here till mid November. I'm due for replacement this year. I'll be calf deep in the mess by mid-November! Til then I'm stuck with my duct taped and stitch patched gear. I can't complain, though. It's lasted many winters. Comes a year every so often, depending on how you buy (quality is expensive - but it lasts a LOT longer) when you just have to replace the worn out stuff. This is that year for me. So, in parting I say spend what you need to spend on quality and durability. It pays in the long run.

Best of luck Hand.

 

I've done it 13 winters with only a jacket and a long beanie to cover my ears. If I need more insulation I use a sweater under my jacket, and that's it! Anything else, is very uncomfortable to throw straps, tarps or climb loads. GL!

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I guess I should have qualified my post. I'm slim, thin and HATE the cold. LOL. Moving around looking like a kid on South Park has never been a problem for me.

Thawing out was. LOL. We all have different cold and heat tolerances. I can take 100 degrees on the thermometer and 95% humidity no problem. Hit me with 50's and a breeze and I'm hunting Long Johns. Just me.

"Who killed Kenny?"

"Old Man Winter". LOL.

 

LOL! In that case consider insulated coveralls, gloves, boots and something for your head too. Wal-mart carries most of that... If money is not an issue try Cabela's or something similar. You being slim might not have any trouble moving around with all that extra gear. GL!!

 

I don't believe in chains and I'm from the upper midwest. If you drive places that require them, you have no choice. Personally I don't go to those places. If I can't make it without chains, it's probably not worth doing. They also tend to give new drivers a false sense of security.
Dress warm or have worm clothes for the times you need them, drive using caution and common sense and you'll be fine. Steady speed, no heavy braking on slick roads. They can't be avoided 100% of the time.

 

get on a dedicated account where you go to Florida to Georgia and back... problem solved.

 

I know exactly where I'd go for any winter clothing needs if I had my choice: Fleet Farm in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They have great selections of boots, hats, gloves, insulated coveralls, and anything else you can imagine that a trucker in winter would need. Better selection than Walmart, and usually as good or better pricing too.

In other areas, consider the farm/fleet type stores too.