You do have the right NOT to drive in harsh weather!

Slow and steady wins the race.

I used to speak like that a few years ago when I first started trucking, but now having gone through four Canadian winters, including this last one, which nearly made me want to hang up the keys, I've learned my limit. Everyone's got one, but if you stop driving as soon as the snow starts to fly, you'll never make any money in the north.

Either way, freezing fog and rain are far more dangerous than snow anyways.

 

Snow does not mean the roads are impassable. Snow means you should use due diligence, increase following distance and reduce speed. I have driven in snow from the Western PA area into Iowa. When the fog and/or ice starts I'm looking for a place to park and get some hot coffee. This same concept applies to bad equipment and your overall health. If you feel sick or for some reason did not sleep don't push it. I once got very sick, had a hot load too. Finally just told operations to repower the load. Hated to do it, but as sick as I was I knew better. There are a lot of reasons a driver will make that judgment call to stop. Communicate with the company. If they try to force you then fire you later you are better off anyway.

 

I had the second axle on my tractor failing to activate. Shop said it was the seals. Didn't get fixed. Took a run over the rockies. First snow of fall. Drove 20mph over Vail Pass. Got it done. Then texted the boss: Got it done. But can't keep driving this over the rockies this winter. Got only one drive axle.
His response: Chains Work Wonders.
My response: To say that is completely irresponsible.
He called me voice and blew up. Asked me if I wanted to back that up?
I called Safety. Head of Safety response: We stand behind you 100%.

 

I am very strong against storms, I can do ice, snow whatever. However. If something is just too much of a danger, I'll sit somewhere toasty and wait. If the office drones don't like that and bite on me about it, they can fire me. I aint moving until I decide if it's safe. If they want the truck to MOVE? They fly to where I am and get the keys. Im going home. Savvy?

This is one of my tests of a company. If they support my decision not to move for example against a mountain pass receiving 10 feet drifts (Lookout Idaho on 90 comes to mind...) and need to clear the highway for us to go through in a day or two, I'll wait that long. If a company whines and #####es about it then I will find a new employer. And the load will need a new appt time.

I have been blessed to be trained in this way from the very beginning. My first winter consisted of West Virginia in the dead of winter with a trainer dedicated to GM Glass in Baltimore from Lexington Ky. Several times a week we plowed two plus feet, slid on ice and battled rain in between on every hill facing west up or down. Trainer tells me this truck will get there when it goes through. But if you cannot hold traction or see anything to stay safe (As in pure white outs...) you park it somewhere safe and wait for daylight or wait until state highways says you can go. For that kind of work we had a brand new Volvo, 89 model with a big cat and rockwell 9 on rears that just wont quit. And full airride and lockers and so on.

As the flip side, when a employer like Ronnie Dowdy sent me into icetown in NE Mississippi to get a load and it's completely and utterly a palace of ice hardly able to walk on without falling down or being blown a inch or two each wind gust etc. It's amazing how we got it done. But sometimes we can do it when you approach it with very caution and some courage. Not everyone should be sent into these ice palaces. It's essentially a meat load (Bacon) and it will be loaded and rolling that day sometime.

I actually had a slow motion accident with another car at the intersection above the factory dock on the hilltop. I stopped short and the car stopped his wheels locked up and slid and slid and slid and slid. Finally stopping due to physics about 5 feet from my left fuel tank. He waited for me to move out before he had the whole road to use as well.

It also depends on the truck. If it's a good truck with the right things it can do it. If it's a #### marshmellow company crap with a transmission or rears that don't know how to move in 2 inches of snow... then it's not going to happen.

 

I shut down a couple of times last winter for safety concerns, and drove a couple of times extra that I maybe shouldn't have. But past those evenings without issues. Never had an issue with management/dispatch. They only said OK, just let us know when you are rolling again.

Maybe the driver was shutting down too often? I remember when I was at the TA over Christmas in Montana. A driver approached me and asked if it was going to snow tonight? I said yes, it looks like a few inches. Then he asked me if he should drive tonight. I politely said, "I don't know." But in my head it was more like, "how the hell should I know. I don't know your abilities." He kind of came off as a guy afraid to drive in any adverse elements.

EDIT: there was one time I had a hunch not to drive, but did anyway, and that's when I had that minor jackknife. Was able to recover just fine, but my mistake there I guess was driving to begin with.

 

Most drivers whine the govt never helps them out yet never report the company's illegal behavior to the govt. If the behavior isn't reported it can't be corrected or punished. Bravo for this driver reporting the incident to the Feds.

 

Drivers shouldn't ask dispatchers to make driving decisions. The driver is on the scene. Tell dispatch what you are going to do because of the conditions you are experiencing. If they tell you other drivers are getting through. Thank them and hang up. The newbies are in the worst position because they feel like outsiders. They have about 45 minutes of real training. They only ever talk to some dispatcher or whatever the name for dispatcher is these days. Newbies have no confidence in their skill or their right to say "no".

You're the Captain of the ship. This may be your first ship, a tiny ship, your last ship, the worst ship. You are Captain of that ship. However it pays to get and use good reliable weather info, not just listen to the useless weather radio about "possible winter weather advisory 8 miles south southeast of a line from Toadflinch, MO to 18 miles northwest of Bullhonkey, AR for the next 3-6 hours." Look at the radar and look at the temperature. Are you headed into or away from the worst of the radar and are the temps going to get better as you drive or get worse. Forecasts are next to useless and always overly cautious. You will be parked 10 times more often than you need to. The weather radio and forecasts never say "it is now safe to drive" until about 24 hours after you can drive safely.

 

This past winter was the first time I’ve ever had a company try to pressure me into running in inclement weather. Everywhere else I been prior it was drivers discretion. Freezing rain and snowing sideways with wind and I left for St. Louis from KC. Took an hour to get to Independence and I decided “file tonight under #### this”. Turned around and had my boss and the owner calling me “oh well everyone here is running they said they’re making it fine”. I’m sure they are, they’re 250 miles away. Then tried the whole “we’re such a small company we really need that freight”. You’re gonna be an even smaller company when you’re down another truck, trailer, and a hellacious tow bill.
It was the first time I ever thought about getting ignorant with a boss and telling him if he feels so confident the roads are good, you got your cdl, you run it. Get pissed I really don’t care. Hell I was married for 8 years I’ve been yelled at before. And I’ve been called worse by better had he resorted to name calling.
Long story short I made it back to the terminal about 8:30 pm and I got home around 11. And I live 20 miles away. The St. Louis guys made Columbia and got hotels. Took everything I had the next evening to not call and ask “what happened? Thought everyone was making it just fine?”
I’ll echo everything everyone else has said. It is absolutely not worth your well being, someone else’s, or your record. Especially, in my case, for more likely than not damaged LTL freight that no one cares about. Found a better job and told em I got good news and bad news and they’re both the same, I quit.

 

you must remember different Strokes for different folks.
to somebody who lives in Minnesota 6 in to a foot of snow is a walk in the park.
immigrant who's never seen snow or somebody from Anon snow region 1 inch of snow can freak them out..
shouldn't matter how many times he shuts down the driver makes the call unless the company exonerates you and says if you wreck this truck don't worry about it if you end up in the hospital we will pay all of your medical bills..
30 years out here just about. I've always been the captain of the ship if I say the waters on the concrete sea aret rough to sail we stay in Port I don't care..
my life is worth more than a load and I never overdrive my confidence or drive pass what I call my comfort zone..and what CSA the last 10 years I lose the comfort zone very easily when I'm rolling along in about 30 mile an hour and a heavy snowstorm and some dmf comes fly and buy with some other DMF right behind them making me think there might be related hopefully they crash in the ditch and roll over at about 65 creating a white out.
just always remember if they wanted it today they will definitely want it tomorrow

 

The worse the weather gets in winter, the more trucks I send out into the storm.
Also more than likely to be out in it myself.
This is a snow belt area, chain up and drive, its just snow.
When its over my knees walking out to the truck I just smile, yeeha!