winter driving, little nervous

Hey GravDigr, here's a thread from a while back: Ice, Ice, Baby!

I wrote it, hoping that understanding what was going down between the tires and road would help some deal with the slipping and sliding a little better.

If you're competent in a four-wheeler on the nasty stuff, you'll be fine in a big truck, too!

 

All pretty good advice. The most important thing to remember is SLOW DOWN. It dosnt matter if all the other super truckers want to run 70mph. Go as fast as you feel is safe and if you feel really unsafe pull off and park. If the company dosn't understand that you stopped due the conditions then find another company.

 

well we we will have to agree to disagree most of my snow driving have been on I95 & I81 I would agree if it was on ice but on snow the engine wouldn't have enough torque to break free unless you was running lower RPM with you foot on the floor and if it did let off and it correct it self but at high RPM it break loose and you let off the engine brakes and you go from spinning to sliding And of course you have to know you engine to avoid hitting the peak

And I95 snow is normally heavy packed and glazed over and if you hydroplane in slush you was going to fast to begin with And All my evperence has been with pulling doubles light and a lot of the times empty and this might make a difference because a set of empty doubles will slide on unglazed packed snow just like its on ice

 

Like the other poster mentioned, sometimes the worst roads are in the southern states. This is because they don't have the equipment or manpower to take care of it. Also more humidity in the air which leads to more ice build up. Some of the worst winter driving I have ever done has been in Arkansas, Amarillo, New Mex.

Do you know how to spot a professional, experienced driver in a snow storm? Look for the trucks parked. Those are your professional, experienced drivers!

The absolute best thing you can do if you think the weather is going to get bad is to pull off and get a good parking spot. Check out the weather and radar and also road conditions for where you are going. Talk to some drivers that have come from where you are going. If the weather is ok to proceed, then roll on. If it isn't and is going to worsen then you just got the best parking spot, now go get some coffee, kick back in the drivers seat with the CB on and your feet up and prepare for a really entertaining show! Make sure to get some food and cash cause it aint going to last long! If the power goes out you won't be buying beef jerky with a debit card!

Another tip I read off this thread was to not travel in packs. Really good idea, not only to avoid crashing or rear ending or coming together but usually huge chunks of ice fall off the backs of trailers either from the roofs or under the trailer. This can cause some serious harm at 65mph! So definitely give yourself ample space.

 

Really?!?
In my part of the world we might work 4 days a week in trashy weather. Shutting down because it's snowing isn't an option. Maybe someday I'll grow up and be a professional, and be late because of weather, all winter long!
I've driven from Sioux City to Seattle and back, and not seen pavement except for a few hours in Seattle. Blizzard? Yeah, we work as long as we can, then hide out. But anything else? You deal with it.

 

Sometimes when you get those people that are in a big hurry that insist on unsafely passing you in bad driving conditions and it kicks up blowing snow so much you cant even see the road. I take a mental picture of the road in front of me before that cloud of snow blocks my vision and back off the throttle until it passes.

Also when you are out on the road pretty much by yourself in a blizzard and you cant see the road at all pull off and park till you see a plow go by.

I personally prefer to drive on fresh snow rather than packed down or just plowed because of the ice.

Deep slush is the worst! I always wait for the plow if that stuff is on the road. Nobody has any consideration or care of their lanes when it gets deep no matter what it is so be cautious of other drivers that drift in and out of their lanes.

 

This is all excellent advice for a rookie in the snow but nobody has mentioned the MOST IMPORTANT thing you need to learn!

Are you ready for it?

Here it comes..............


STAY AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM THE FED EX WIGGLE WAGONS!

Those dudes drive like maniacs in the snow and you will usually see the median littered with their carcasses!

 

Gravdigr:
There is a wealth of excellent information, advice, tips and experience in this very short thread. I think this thread is a great candidate for being sticky'd in this forum. Mod's? I recommend editing the advice down to a reference list, printing off, putting in one of those plastic sleeves, stick it inside the front cover of your atlas and referring to it on a regular basis. Learning and reinforcing this information is invaluable.

I think you're going do just fine driving this winter. I base that on two things: 1) you've plenty of car/winter driving 2) you've asked for input on how to drive in winter!

Number 2 above seems a no brainer, however, based on the experience I just had, it isn't. I just finished up taking a 120 hour refresher class at a local driving school. I've been in and out of trucking since 1981 and as it's been 2 years since I drove last, I needed to attend a driving school. I now live in Phoenix, though I've lived in the upper midwest and NE up until 2 years ago. I was in a class of 16 students and "teaching" students about winter driving was addressed as part of a 7 minute video covering all variations of "Severe weather driving" (fog, rain, wind, snow, ice, tornado's, etc.) with each getting less than 1 minute of video time. Each example included lots of crashes, which seemed the message, as there was little to no commentary in the video. Value to the students, none. Additional teaching on winter driving, none. Questions about winter driving from any of the 16 students, none. Some will learn a very difficult lesson in the coming months...good luck to them.

Gravdigr, you're here seeking and getting sound advice from very experienced drivers. If the class I just took is remotely representative of what is generally being taught for winter driving, this thread alone makes you miles ahead of those new to the industry and without winter experience (IMHO).
:smt023

 

Gravdgr, since you and I are both Pennsylvania-ites, we already know this, but the rookies from some of them other weirdo states may not...DEPTH OF SNOW IS NOT A FACTOR!! A half-inch of snow on top of ice is just as dangerous as trying to muscle through an 18" deep drift. Sometimes more so. If the road is completely covered with snow, you can't see the possible ice underneath, so always be aware of what your tires are doing underneath you. If you start spinning repeatedly, park it. As has already been said in this thread, and always bears repeating, your load ain't worth your life.

And NEVER let some office monkey tell you whether or not it's safe to drive. Office monkeys don't drive big trucks. They stay safe and warm in their offices. Which may be a thousand miles or more from where you are.

True story. Many moons ago, when I was young and dumb...watch the comments there, guys!...I had an office monkey tell me I wasn't allowed to park because he could see the sun shining outside his window...in Oklahoma. I was in Buffalo at the time!

Office monkeys are dumb, and should be forced to wear signs stating the fact. Never believe them, and never trust your life to them...

 

This is an excellent thread. Lots of good advice. Just dont get past your comfort zone and keep lots of following distance, that way the guy/gal thats in front of you or passes you and ends up in the ditch will go alone and you can just be an eyewitness. Just because there is a bad snow storm is not a reason to shut it down, if that was the case half the country would be shut down for 3 or 4 months of the year