winter driving, little nervous

My only friend

He listens good!

 

States requiring chains be carried:

Colorado: Sep 1 through ...April 30?

California: (don't know specific dates)

Oregon: law does not say specific dates. Rather, it says "Carry chains at any time you may encounter winter weather"...which could be August on some roads.

Washington: November 1 through (I believe)April 1.


Minimum number of chains to carry: You must have enough for seven tires. They can be singles. Last I check, two are required to be link chains, the rest may be cable. In the case of super singles, one tire counts as two.

 

Yeah and kind of like I tell 'em in the gorge "If 35 is all he can do it at at least he is upright!"



GD listen to your butt not someone elses. If 30 is comfortable to get you clear great, same goes for 20,40,15.........


Alot of times both dispatchers and other drivers will push to move you from your comfort zone into theirs. Drive where you feel smooth and comfortable.


One thing from experience when approaching a state line beware drastic road condition changes!!!! I about crapped myself one night in Rock Island on 80. ^llinois side clean and green, Iowa not so much. Watch for trucks coming the other way. When they stop trouble is probably dead ahead.

 

Another factor about 80 especially in Wyo. is that it can be blue skys and you can still be in a blizzard! The wind just picks up miles of snow and if you are in its path when it rolls through you will never know its not a real blizzard! The plows can drive by and behind them be a 3' snow drift in the road. One thing that is really handy are the numbers in your Road Carrier Atlas that give the road conditions by mile marker. Maybe clear 2/3 of the way through the state and you hit one of those spots where the wind cuts through and bam! You are in a blinding blizzard! Not that it happens a lot but you can spend some time out on the roadway shut down. Make sure you are prepared and don't go driving across states like Wyo. with little to no fuel. 50 miles from your fuel spot you could be shut down for a day. I know its hard for company drivers to just fuel anywhere but if you think there are going to be bad conditions check with your DM about getting a little extra fuel.

 

Keep water and easy food as well. Not beyond the possibility of sitting in the same spot 48+ hours out west.

 

Good post. It is possible to get trapped up to 3 days. Always carry enough supplies on your truck to eat and stay warm in the winter. I think it was 2006 I got stuck outside Buffalo for 3 days. Snow was over 3 foot deep and wouldn't let up. I stayed comfortable though. Once I got out, my company dead headed me all the way back to IL. Not fun when you are empty. But then I seen a guy bobtailing and it made me feel better.

There's several other large threads on this very topic. Use the search feature and you can find them.

 

Some drivers even carry little butane candles to cook with. Can be used to keep warm in an emergency. Course if it ever gets that bad start burning tires!

You can also put on some Jimmy Buffett and just think warm thoughts!

Tazz isn't pulling your leg either! I spent just short of 48hrs on the side of the highway bout 100yds from the rest stop one time. Good thing was I wasn't alone. I would hate to eat truckers though if it came down to starving!

 

That's what them slow elk over behind the drift fence are for

 

Little white rabbits too!

 

That side of Lake Erie can get hit pretty hard sometimes. Few years back they got hit with 10ft in less then 3 days all lake effect. We dont get that kind of snow fall here in Rochester to often but Buffalo gets walloped some years.