Winter Driving Stories

Finished driving down Cabbage Hill today with my trainee at the wheel. The only reason she's a trainee is because she let her CDL lapse and is getting back into the industry, so it feels more like coaching a good athlete. She's a pro.

We had our CB on and knew there was a "choo-choo" train of trucks at the bottom of Cabbage a good thirty minutes before we got there. Chains required from La Grande, temperatures dropping to 20ºF and snowing hard. The plows were starting to have issues keeping up.

Things were smooth coming down, staying at about 20-25 mph with 25K in the box. Very little traffic.

Just when we though the CB chatter about the "choo-choo" train was a gross exaggeration, there it was. The right lane was bumper to bumper trucks traveling less than 5 mph and the hammer lane was cars and trucks doing about 10 mph. We slowed enough to create following distance in the hammer lane and cruised down at 10 mph for the last two miles.

After finishing the hill we headed to the Travel Plaza to park it for the night, but it took 30 minutes to get out of the filled up lot before heading to the casino parking lot. As we finished parking another driver came in and parked next to us, then we got to talking with him. He just finished Cabbage and avoided the travel plaza and came directly to the casino lot.

He had narrowly avoided three potato haulers that jackknifed in front of him when they came in way too fast to slow safely for the choo-choo train.

That was the third incident coming down Cabbage TODAY that I know of, all involving "professional" drivers that were going too fast to be able to safely slow down in time for slow traffic near the bottom.

 

I always plan my jackknifed ahead of time so my dash cam is running and I can post it on you tube! Trip planning Joseph! Learn it, live it!

 

You're good.... Usually I can't plan them but 2 seconds in advance!

 

I've been thinking about our experience coming down Cabbage hill a couple of nights ago. I consider myself a cautious driver and my experienced trainee falls real close to my philosophy of driving. However, we both felt that the entire passage from La Grande to Pendleton was filled with drivers going overly slow for the conditions.

Certainly it was a challenge, with driving snow and snowplows trying to keep up. But even on the flatter parts leading along the gentle grades getting to the top of Cabbage had driver after driver after driver limping along at 15-20 mph.

Going down Cabbage...

... well I'm still baffled by the ultra slow choo-choo train of trucks going 3 mph on the last two miles.

First or second gear? With chains? Really?

There were easily over a hundred trucks in that train. If they all took it at that speed all the way down the six miles of the grade it would have taken them two hours from top to bottom. The analogy that came to mind today would be like beginners clogging up an expert snow skiing trail, all snowplowing a course that a grade school kid could zip down with ease.

Even if the passing lane was wide open, which it wasn't, it makes sense to pass all the white knuckles at a safe passing speed. Hence the passing lane had to slow to about 10 mph. Approaching the train we were quite comfortable at 20-25 mph with absolutely no issues with traction or safe handling characteristics.

IMHO there were hundreds of folks running Cabbage that day and night that were likely in over their head. I can't find any other way to explain it.

 

wow....with your whole one year of experience. You are gonna learn the hard way, driver. I just hope you dont kill anyone else in the process.

 

Whose one year experience are you referencing, and who died?

 

Drivers with this attitude are what our industry has been reduced to! Then people wonder why we are being over regulated. That attitude will make you a former driver soon enough.

 

Well I learned my lesson. I saw a snowflake and drove straight home to see family in the sf bay area and quit my trucking job. You guys should all quit until summer to. It's too dangerous!!!!!

 

Don't waste your time on him. Eventually his attitude will catch up to him.

 

Clueless! I've dorve in reverse in the snow more then you'll ever go forward in it. anyone who brags about "blowing people's doores off" in bad weather speaks volumes to my point.