Fear of winter driving

[just_froggy]

Am I paranoid?? I love to drive trucks, but I am not doing it right now. I want to go back on the road and team again with my fiance', but there are so many pros and cons. One of the cons is that he wants to lease with Prime and I am dead set against it.

Anyhoo, back to my question. I am a good driver, but the thought of driving in the snow scares the hell out of me, and I have never even driven in snow (in a T/T that is). I'm fine driving in snowy weather in my car. I don't know if I am afraid just because of the size of the truck or the thought that how easily I can lose control if I am not careful or what. Has anyone else had this problem, and, how do you get past it?

[homer]

why would you bang your head against the wall with a prime lease? drivers have been trying to get the word out that these lease purchases are the biggest rip off going. the fellow on the other thread just hit the wall with the england lease and you pop up over here.i see in the small print they will charge you a fee for putting so many miles on their truck while your running yourself to death to keep out of bankruptcy. you have driven in snow and you know what not to do.if you go slow enough down the hill and the trailer starts coming around you can get on the gas and straighten it up.you go down the slippery slope with prime and you be a slave or have ruined credit.read the thread kick me when im down

[Useless]

If your fiance is hell bent upon leasing with Prime, then you may need to find a new fiance. Fleece Operator deals are a losers game for the drivers, and both CR England and Crime.......OOOOOPPPPSS!!!!......I meant PRIME.....are poster children for what to steer clear of!!!

Seriously, even though you may love this guy, there is no point in letting you this guy pull you down the drain with him, and that is where both of you will wind up.

If he is going to pout and be resentful toward you for standing your ground, then it's best that you find that out NOW!!!

[Triple.C]

Don't let people on this board or in real-life talk you out of owning your own truck, especially those who don't know you personally or the industry. That being said... I wouldn't do it with Prime.

I'm gonna buy my own truck with Crete even though people have told me over and over not to do it.

[merrick4]

you go slow enough down the hill and the trailer starts coming around you can get on the gas and straighten it up.

I have never driven a t/t in the snow either and really haven't even seen much rain. I wouldn't think to step on the gas if the trailer starts to come around me, I probably would have just stepped on the brakes. But I guess it does make more sense to accelerate. Someone told me once too that if I blew a front tire that the worse thing to do would to brake.

[Useless]

Don't let people on this board or in real-life talk you out of owning your own truck, especially those who don't know you personally or the industry. That being said... I wouldn't do it with Prime.

Triple C,

There is a vast world of difference between buying a truck, and leasing on with a company, and entering into a Fleece Purchase Agreement.. I don't know this person personally, but nothing could be less relevant; Fleece Purchase Agreements are a beggars crossroad; they lead to trouble in every direction.

[Mars]

you go slow enough down the hill and the trailer starts coming around you can get on the gas and straighten it up.

I have never driven a t/t in the snow either and really haven't even seen much rain. I wouldn't think to step on the gas if the trailer starts to come around me, I probably would have just stepped on the brakes. But I guess it does make more sense to accelerate. Someone told me once too that if I blew a front tire that the worse thing to do would to brake.

The trailer will straighten out, it's all due to physics. And yes stepping on the brakes hard with a front flat is a no-no, you will plant the front end into the ground and fold the rim up like a soda can.

[Triple.C]

I don't know this person personally, but nothing could be less relevant

I disagree, but have no interest in arguing.

[vavega]

the only way to get past that fear is to do it. go out and drive a big rig in the snow :wink: just go slow, ignore all the others passing you at 70, grip the steering wheel for all you're worth, and then piss yourself laughing when you're done.

[danj_otr]

Driving in the snow is really not that bad. Drive what you feel is safe. If someone wants to go around you, then let them. I have been in some interesting situations and understand why you have a fear.

Here is the way I look at it, if you are in snow, you have more control than you do on ice, and you have more control on ice than you do on slush. If you feel that you need to chain up, then find a safe place and chain up, and get your self to a safe haven. Your life is not worth driving in dangerous weather.

From my own experience, it is not smart to drive on a sheet of ice, doing 60 MPH in the middle of a windy valley with nothing in the box. I have seen my trailer start to jackknife, and all I could do is put my feet on the floor and hope that the trailer would tuck in behind me. It did, and I was really stupid and lucky at that.

Another rule of thumb for me is, if my company expects me to take my empty trailer down a pass (shall we say Cabbage which is outside of Pendleton Oregon), they can wait until conditions improve.

To me, snow is something you never get used to, and you have to learn how to deal with it in your own little way. Take your time, go slow, relax as much as possible, and you will get there in once piece!

[Useless]

I don't know this person personally, but nothing could be less relevant

I disagree, but have no interest in arguing.

Whatever, CCC!!

You are the one who came here shouting in bold print that my advice should be disgarded, but you don't seem to have much to offer!!!

I think it's called a "cheap shot"!!!

[Mr. Ford95]

My biggest fear is not driving in winter weather but driving in it with people around me who are freaked out about it or just plain idiots. I can control what my rig is doing but not what they are doing around me. I happened to be with my wife yesterday when we got hit by snow coming home from Wally World in her new AWD Fusion. I figured, great, we get to see what this thing can do now. Did great but I can't say the same for the 4WD SUV's that were in the woods from going way too fast for the conditions. What bothered me was the people blowing by us, I was afraid they would lose control and take us out with them, or the dummies who kept slapping on their brakes in front of us while running 25 mph.

If you feel uncomfortable, park it and tell your dispatch that it is unsafe to continue and will not move until the weather and roads clear up. If they don't like it, call your safety dept. and they will take care of dispatch. No load is worth wrecking a truck and your career if you hit bad weather.

[Shawnee]

Don't let people on this board or in real-life talk you out of owning your own truck, especially those who don't know you personally or the industry. That being said... I wouldn't do it with Prime.

I'm gonna buy my own truck with Crete even though people have told me over and over not to do it.

Leasing a truck from a company is not the same as owning a truck, If you lease a truck this way you will never own it. The only way that I buy my trucks is to go to the dealer and buy it.

As for driving in winter, just slow down, take your time. Leave yourself extra room, if something happens ahead of you and traffic is stopped you need more room to stop in bad weather. If something was to happen, such as your trailer starts to jackknife, the slower you are moving the more likely you will be able to correct it.

Ice is what you should be afraid of not snow, I always watch the tires of other cars or trucks that pass me, if you don't see any spray coming up from the tires and the road looks wet, it means you are probably on ice. You don't want to be braking or accelerating suddenly if the road is like that. If you see ice building up on your mirrors or your mirror arms, it means that there is ice on the road as well

[Useless]

Leasing a truck from a company is not the same as owning a truck, If you lease a truck this way you will never own it. The only way that I buy my trucks is to go to the dealer and buy it.

Ice is what you should be afraid of not snow, I always watch the tires of other cars or trucks that pass me, if you don't see any spray coming up from the tires and the road looks wet, it means you are probably on ice.

An excellent point made here, but my first encounter with black ice was a little different. I was team driving at the time and we were in Springfield, Illinois, where we were supposed to drop/hook. We had snow, and cars were kicking up spray, but there was ice underneath the snow. Fortunately, my team partner was very experienced, and guided me carefully so that we could get off of the highway safely and shut down for the night.

We grabbed our showers, and then walked over to Ruby Tuesday's had a nice dinner, and a couple of drinks. (no, we didn't get plastered or anything!!)...... Walked back to the truck, I climbed up into the bunk, we watched a movie, and then I slept like a log for the next eight hours or so..

After running non-stop for so long, as we had been doing for several weeks, the black ice actually offered us a welcome reprieve!!

[uglymutt]

I think you should follow your heart, I know alot of lease operators who gone through the system and now they own the damn truck and its all good, people telling you not to do it on here are most likely repeating what they here.. they might not ever tried to lease a truck and maybe if they did and their telling you not to, well its not your fault they are a failure.. maybe you are better than them and can lease a truck and be sucessful.. wwo really knows unless you follow your heart and try what you think is best for you, if you fail at the test then you failed and its okay you can start over again.... Don't listen to people who fail and think you are gonna fail, I think your smarter than that..

Driving in snow is okay, first if you are not sure park the truck and wait. Now if you try driving in snow just go slow and get the feel of the truck, don't pay attention to other drivers flying past you, just go as slow as you feel is safe, if not park the truck... all in time you will find a comfort zone for snow driving, I my self grew up in snow and find driving in snow is better than on ice... just go slow and you will learn how to drive in snow.

[Useless]

Don't listen to people who fail and think you are gonna fail, I think your smarter than that..

I didn't achieve financial success in life by failing too many times; I did achieve it by being able to look at business prospects and investment opportunities from a number of different perspectives, not the least of which was a clear mathematical perspective.

Financial success is not achieved by warm, fuzzy feelings in the heart, or allowing the feelings in your heart to override the facts; it is achieved by understanding the nature of a specific market, the impact that other markets can have on a specific market, the nature of the people who largely comprise that market, and formulating a sound mathematical model that will lay the groundwork for a road map that will lead an entrepreneur to a successful outcome.

Having said all of that, I did manage to play a few well placed hunches, but in each case, I was gambling upon what I knew about the people who were involved with the deals, and their demonstrated track records of success. Conversely, I steered away from a few deals because "something just didn't feel right" about them; couldn't always put my finger on what exactly it was, but my instincts just told me to steer clear.

The failure rate for Lease Purchase Operators is nothing short of abysmal; yes, there will be a few anecdotal cases where a L/P/O succeeds, but those cases are few and far between. The vast majority of those arrangements are due to fail from the beginning.

Hypothetically, a L/P/O can work as long as nothing goes too terribly wrong. In the world of trucking, there are always plenty of things that can and do go wrong, and the person who succeeds will be the person who has the knowledge and experience to work around those obstacles, and keep as many of the peripheral circumstances under his/her control.

The problem with a L/P arrangement is that you are at the mercy of the company that you lease from, and in the end, they make money when you fail as well as when you succeed, but they do not have to deal with all of the risks involved; those risks are passed on to the Fleece Operator, yet the F/O is limited in his/her ability to govern those risks. Regardless of the person involved with trying to function profitably as a Fleece Operator, the mathematical parameters are weighted very heavily against the F/O, and the abysmal failure rate of F/O's supports that premise quite clearly.

[Windwalker]

Am I paranoid?? I love to drive trucks, but I am not doing it right now. I want to go back on the road and team again with my fiance', but there are so many pros and cons. One of the cons is that he wants to lease with Prime and I am dead set against it.

Anyhoo, back to my question. I am a good driver, but the thought of driving in the snow scares the hell out of me, and I have never even driven in snow (in a T/T that is). I'm fine driving in snowy weather in my car. I don't know if I am afraid just because of the size of the truck or the thought that how easily I can lose control if I am not careful or what. Has anyone else had this problem, and, how do you get past it?

My wife grew up in South Florida. She never saw snow until she was 16 years old. Never drove in it, until she started to drive a truck. There is both, good news and bad news, when driving a truck in snow and on ice. First of all, you have far more traction with a loaded truck than with a car. Second, you NEED every bit of that traction in order to control that much weight in motion. Respect the weather conditions for what they are. And NO SUJDDEN MOVES WITH THE THROTTLE, WHEEL, OR THE BRAKE. The worse the roads get, the slower you go. But make sure you have some inertia go help you pull yourself up a hill. Not having enough speed at the bottom can mean you SPIN-OUT half way up.

Two years ago, my wife and I teamed a load from Portland, OR, leaving there at 5 AM on Tues, and arriving 50 miles north of Miami, FL by 9 PM that Thurs. She took her turn driving and went through some of the worst weather conditions you can imagine. Quite a number of trucks, and far more cars, were off the road, rolled and jack knifed. She has more faith in driving a truck in those conditions than a car.

Learn to READ THE ROAD and RESPECT the conditions, rather than fear them. You just might surprise yourself. And good luck to you.

[Shawnee]

I think you should follow your heart, I know alot of lease operators who gone through the system and now they own the damn truck and its all good, people telling you not to do it on here are most likely repeating what they here.. they might not ever tried to lease a truck and maybe if they did and their telling you not to, well its not your fault they are a failure.. maybe you are better than them and can lease a truck and be sucessful

I have never leased a truck and never will, Any trucks that I have owned I bought them on my own through a dealer. These deals are for people who don't have good enough credit to actually buy a truck on their own. If you don't have good credit and can't buy a truck on your own you really shouldn't be owning a truck. I don't really see any advantages to leasing a truck from a company. I think someone would be better off to just drive a company truck than to lease one of their trucks, you would probably end up making the same money anyway

I'm not saying that someone couldn't be successful doing it but if you really want to be an owner operator you are better off to save some money for a down payment on a truck and do it the right way, not do some company a favor by paying the lease for their truck that you will never really own anyway

There is a reason that these companies push these lease deals, and it is not becasue there is any advantage to the driver, the only one who gets any kind of advantages is the company themselves

[uglymutt]

All I am trying to get at is if you think your gonna fail then why do it, people on here are making it look like you will fail, how do you know if I or anybody will fail? all the LPO,s I know have suceeded in paying off the truck and are happy with the purchase...The only failures I heard of are on this board... that explains it all... All the FFE LPO,s I know are all happy, all the Swift LPO,s I know are all happy....and I know a few CR England LPO,s and hey are happy too....

Some people will fail, like before I read not all have a grasp of this industry, and if you don,t a good time to learn is to jump in and try.... I think if you really had your mind set on a Leased truck then go for it, do your best and try to suceed and chances are you will, don't let others bring you down because they are not you at all, we all are different in ow we do things, if your gonna run in a race and know you will loose then why run at all?

[homer]

I have never driven a t/t in the snow either and really haven't even seen much rain. I wouldn't think to step on the gas if the trailer starts to come around me, I probably would have just stepped on the brakes. But I guess it does make more sense to accelerate. Someone told me once too that if I blew a front tire that the worse thing to do would to brake.[/qu mars.usually dont get to that point.but once on 97nb passed goldendale wa at 10pm i topped hill at 25 mph and trucks were on the side so i touched the brakes and trailer was across the road ! black ice! throttled it straight,now im going into klickitat canyon. i felt the need to go slowly.and repeated the manuever several times.once i tried the trolley and same result.i finally got to the bottom and people on the cb were sure i blocked the road and were cursing me because they got chained up and the wsp that followed me down was laughing at me.i drive in snow every year and people razz me for going so slow down the hill