Winter driving

I could tolerate it. Just don't expect much out of me while I'm doing my job in it. It'll get done, eventually.

 

The colder it is the faster you work.

 

Quite opposite with me. Nothing like a good old, slip and slide on your face!! I've got work/combat boots with grip. But I'm not going to go all out and throw cramp-ons onto the soles.

On the other hand, work as quick as you can to ensure you get out of it. My SE Asian blood definitely wasn't meant for ice-box conditions, lol.

 

Work smarter not harder. How many people walk outside and down they go on icy ground. Making balanced movements and think about what you are doing. Good winter clothing is a must. After driving a logger in the Winter chaining 4-8 times a day in the mud or chaining an 8-9 axle hiway truck ya get a feel for it.

 

Combat boots, as in? Every single pair I own has horrible traction, if any, on snow/ice....

 

I've worked on it plenty of times while loading milk out here in eastern NM/west TX. No serious injuries or mishaps yet, knock-on-wood. But that's about the worst I'm willing to put up with. I've gotten crazy suggestions to move to places farther north. But I usually reply to that with the finger regardless of how "warm" the personalities are up past the 80 freeway line.
BTW, I've been mainly doing local/400mile a day runs where I'm home every night/day. Handled the winters in sleeper cabs and 53' trailers several years ago. I tend to stay away from those as well

 

I got a pair of Yak Trax from Dick's Sporting Goods, about $30. These are easy to put onto any shoe or boot, just stretch to fit. Essential for getting across icy parking lots. I've used them climbing onto complicated loads on my flatbed in the middle of ice storms to get frozen straps released.

 

Dairy routes and frozen tarps oh my. Sign me up.

 

Texas? No ice? Interesting. Ok...

It's hard to distill advice into a post about ice.

If you can walk to and from the truck to get a breakfast without falling on your butt, you will have enough traction to drive as long you take her slow on that ice. There is too much science to explain, but each truck tire of your 18 put down a certain amount of pressure, not too much greater than your human foot does per square inch... understand?

If you slip on that ice and drop on your butt, imagine that whole thing sliding on the slightest side slope towards the edge of the downgrade you are on or the southern US Bridge that has a foot of beach sand on it under ice that you are now sliding to crush a minivan down slope against the gaurd rail gently. Most southern USA drivers are smart eenough to never get between you and the bridge rail during ice storms on curves or sloped bridges. They will literally stop and wait for you to get across. Straight or sideways up to you.

Split ice is a interesting problem. You will be in interlock meaning all 8 of your drive tires pulling together, half on pavement and half on ice with the additional issue of thick enough ice shelf to ... make your ice wheels and tires a few inches HIGHER than your pavement Tires... do you understand? If you side climb one set of drives too high your rig will quit pulling. Then you slide. You need to also have a little trolley on your trailer to keep her stretched against the 5th wheel. YOu cannot have any slop on that 5th wheel on ice.

Mountain weather will kill you if you don't know enough to stop and wait a half a day or day for a storm to pass and snows and ice to be cleared for you. Even if you had a full suit of chains (And most don't.. and half of those who do.. especially doubles.... are too lazy to throw chain... until they get stuck, jack knife doubled across the highway closing it all. Then they will try to chain.

Chicago... is not mountain. But the ##### with chicago is that they throw down salt with the first flake or even better the first ice patch. Turn it all into a thin layer of liquid soup that makes you slide anyway. You actually pray for a foot of snow to bury chicago's salting crews so that you will have some tractiion you can work with.

If everyone is seeking refuge, YOU go also. Don't be stupid. People have died being stupid.

Carry food and water (Water saves people by providing a form of heat through your own metabolism, like a heat of a fire within your cells that need that water to make heat for you to live...) because if you are crossing wyoming, there WILL be at least ONE trucker on the side per 70 miles needing a warm cab to wait for help to arrive. You will lose some time but you will save lives out there.

I can type and type and type. But winter has to be your teacher. YOU, grasshopper will learn. And lord willing you will learn well. Your future (If any) depends on it.

 

I actually WANT frozen tarps and securement rope, rubber bungees etc. The cease less howling wind cannot rip that tarp away from the cowhide or wahtever it is that I have had to tarp in the dead of winter. Ive poured water sometimes on them to freeze em into place so they stay there even in 50Kt winds. Armarillo Im looking at you....