To everything there is a season

[dobry4u]

And the season at hand is winter!

Middle name is Murphy here. I am just beginning my solo career and have absolute no experience/perspective of driving in snow other than in a four wheeler. I have a pocket or two full of common sense, but any advice to drawn on while I am gaining experience would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[Snowman7]

OK I'll start. Don't run your defroster when its snowing. The hot air on the windshield melts the snow but the cold air outside refreezes it to your wipers which is why they get caked with ice and won't work. Run the heat thru the floor and your windows should stay clear and your wipers won't freeze.

[TomB985]

Well, when things get bad, i prefer to pull off if I have any doubts in my ability to keep things under control. Often, when things start to get slick, I feel comfortable slowing down and staying on the road. Other times, especially when wind is involved, I just don't think it's worth the risk.

Whatever you do, DON'T EVER let other drivers, be it 4-wheeler or otherwise, try and intimidate you into driving "their" speed. You drive ONLY as fast as YOU feel comfy doing; they'll just have to wait. Remember, THEY aren't going to be paying the bills if you pile your truck up. Furthermore, they won't pay the medical bills for you or anyone unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, nor will they likely employ you if you lose your job due to said accident.

Somewhere along this thread, I think someone will come on to try and tell you not to set your trailer brakes...

[Ridge Runner]

Not having much experience myself the only advice I can offer is to ask for runs going south.

[Colts Fan]

And the season at hand is winter!

Middle name is Murphy here. I am just beginning my solo career and have absolute no experience/perspective of driving in snow other than in a four wheeler. I have a pocket or two full of common sense, but any advice to drawn on while I am gaining experience would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

I learned to drive truck in the winter last year. Snow in and of itself isn't so bad. You are safer in a big truck when you have a full load than you are in any other vehicle. Just take it easy and don't worry about everyone passing you. You have to watch out for a combination of snow, wind, and if you have a light load you have to be very careful how you brake because you have an increased risk of jack-knifing.

Ice is the real problem. Black ice especially since you can't see it. You have no control of the truck on ice and you need to find a safe place to stop until the conditins improve. When the weather is ****ty I keep my CB on because Ch. 19 will keep you posted pretty well about road conditions.

Make sure you keep your windshield washer fluid full. You will need it when deicers take effect and turn everything into a mushy, filthy slurry! Also make sure your wipers are in top condition.

[TomB985]

You are safer in a big truck when you have a full load than you are in any other vehicle.

I disagree. Even heavily loaded, you can lose traction. The difference between a car and a tractor-trailer is size, and the fact that it's a combination vehicle. When you break traction, you can jackknife...and a jackknife can destroy the tractor, trailer, and kill you...all without hitting a thing.

I have a friend who went through orientation here at Con-way truckload back at the beginning of October. He was fired before the end of the month, due to a single vehicle jackknife...never hit a thing, but tore the trailer in half, and heavily damaged his tractor. He did this with a 44,000 lb load.

[Malaki86]

I know that'd I'd rather come across I-68 with a heavy load than I would empty. If you lose traction when pulling a hill, you can get screwed really quick. If the weather is too bad (aka you don't feel comfortable driving in it), find a place to park.

[Windwalker]

When the roads get bad, you may have to use the diff. lock to get going. Once your speed is up to between 5 and 10 mph, UNLOCK THEM. The "4-WHEEL-DRIVE" theory is fine for a 4-wheeler, but doesn't work as well with a combination vehicle. If you break traction with your drives, you have a much better chance of spinning all drives if you have them locked in. That will make the back of your tractor slide sideways and risk a jackknife. With them unlocked, you have a much better chance of spinning only one, and the rest just roll and keep you in line. Back off on the throttle, and then feather it enough to maintain your momentum. Absolutely, do not try to use an engine brake. But, when you approach a hill, try to have enough momentum at the bottom to be able to make it over the top. Many drivers spin out because they approach the hill too slow, then try to "power" it over the top. You want to incorporate "COAST" along with a feathered throttle to get over the top. If you apporach a hill at 35 mph, and slow down to 10 by the time you reach the top, that's fine. YOU MADE IT!!!

Ask Golfhobo about his run across I-40 to Amarillo, in December, a few years ago. I don't know what he was carrying, but I had a very light load, and there were drivers chaining up to run flat land. (I didn't have any trouble at all.)

No sudden moves with the throttle, wheel, or the brakes. Drive like you have no brakes. That means a much greater stopping distance... And far more "SAFETY ZONE" in front of you.

There's always a lot of talk about "BLACK ICE". I was once told that what makes black ice so bad is the fact that you can not tell if it's road surface or ice on top. I was also told that it does not include "WET ICE". Being from MN, I'm sure you've had the chance to step out of a car in the rain, and promptly slide under it. If you have to run through freezing rain, and a layer of water on top of the ice, feathering that throttle is far more important than any other time. And, choose a higher gear to reduce the torque of the engine and reduce your chances of breaking the drives loose. You'll also want to keep a check on your airlines under the trailer. A small hammer comes in handy to knock the ice off of them so that the weight does not drag them to the ground. You can rub a hole in them and be stuck with no way to release the trailer brakes. It requires a service truck to come and repair the lines.

And, being from MN, I'm sure you are also aware (and many other drivers are not) that the closer to freezing the temp is, the more slick the snow cover can be. If you can pack a snowball, expect the snow covered road to be very slick. Also, under trees and overpasses, look for ice. Any area where the sunlight is blocked.

The theory of keeping your windshield cold works only if the temp is below about 27 F. If it's snowing at 30 F, and it's a heavy, wet snow, it won't matter if you have your defroster on or not.

[dobry4u]

This kind of info is what makes CAD.

You know I am printing all this great advice off and keeping it in my binder!

[tinytim]

Keep your lights clean, not your head lights but your tail lights. Snow will build up and the entire back of your trailer will get covered making you virtually invisible to the guy behind you in a storm.

Those flexible air lines going to your trailer tandems can pick up a lot of snow, I check those everytime I stop.

I try to kick off any snow I can actually, if I can kick off a big chunk then it can just as easily come off when I hit a bump which could be bad news for the guy behind.

A couple of really good threads
newbie winter driving - tips...need some
Rookie on winter driving

[Colts Fan]

I disagree. Even heavily loaded, you can lose traction. The difference between a car and a tractor-trailer is size, and the fact that it's a combination vehicle. When you break traction, you can jackknife...and a jackknife can destroy the tractor, trailer, and kill you...all without hitting a thing.

I have a friend who went through orientation here at Con-way truckload back at the beginning of October. He was fired before the end of the month, due to a single vehicle jackknife...never hit a thing, but tore the trailer in half, and heavily damaged his tractor. He did this with a 44,000 lb load.

Agree to disagree. I saw a lot more cars in the ditch last winter than I did trucks. Undoubtedly most of the trucks that were there were probably avoiding 4-wheelers that lost control in front of them. And where is the winter weather in those pics. Looks like your buddy just lost control on a nice dry sunny day.

Of course any vehicle can lose traction but logic and the laws of physics tell me that a heavier vehicle will be more affixed to the ground than a much lighter one.

[Double R]

and the season at hand is winter!

Middle name is murphy here. I am just beginning my solo career and have absolute no experience/perspective of driving in snow other than in a four wheeler. I have a pocket or two full of common sense, but any advice to drawn on while i am gaining experience would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

no load is worth your life, regardless of what your company thinks! If you do not feel safe driving in bad weather, pull over in a safe place! better that the load gets there late andyou get there safe then never!

[Windwalker]

no load is worth your life, regardless of what your company thinks! If you do not feel safe driving in bad weather, pull over in a safe place! better that the load gets there late andyou get there safe then never!

What you say is very true, however, there is often a little distance between where you decide that it is not safe, and a safe place to pull it off. For this distance, that "KNOW-HOW" still comes into play.

A major part of being a professional driver is KNOWING HOW YOUR EQUIPMENT WILL REACT TO VARYING CONDITIONS, and KNOWING THE LIMITS OF YOUR OWN ABILITY.

One day in TX, on I-40, I counted more than 30 trucks off the road in a 36 mile stretch of hiway. That was from the NM line to Vega. And, there is one more thing about getting off the road. Before you start down a ramp (or up), make sure the way is clear. More than once, I've seen ramps blocked by rigs that jackknifed near the end, at the stop sign. If the way is blocked, and the ramp is that bad, you could join the other rig at the end. I've also seen one spun out on a ramp, and a second one tried to go around... And their trailers met.

More than once, I've had to stay on the road because it was actually safer than taking an exit ramp. PA, some years ago, had a guy stationed at the enterance to the rest areas waving all traffic away, and someone on the CB saying that everything in the rest area was jackknifed.

It's fine to say you're going to get off the hiway, but can you do so safely? If not, you're destined to keep going until you can.

[Blind Driver]

Keep a bunch of cans of de-icer in your truck. Try to keep 1 in the warmth of the driver compartment so the cold doesn't make the can lose pressure. This is the best stuff for de-icing glass, mirrors, and light. I don't climb up to remove ice from my windshield...ever

[Fourcats]

And the season at hand is winter!

Middle name is Murphy here. I am just beginning my solo career and have absolute no experience/perspective of driving in snow other than in a four wheeler. I have a pocket or two full of common sense, but any advice to drawn on while I am gaining experience would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Keep your following distance. There is no saftey in numbers, drive your truck.
Find an empty, snow covered paking lot and "try some stuff" to see what to expect when you get out of your "normal driving envelope". I have found it would take a LOT of stupidity on my part for things to get "out of hand".
...The same things that keep you safe in everyday driving {speed, distance, relative speed, ect} keep you safe in bad weather.

Keep your 5th wheel well greased, so the trailer does not "steer the tractor".

[classicxl]

drive safe talk to drivers going the other way and no load is worth your life

[Syncrosonix]

when you see yellow snow, it's best to go around it.

[Windwalker]

when you see yellow snow, it's best to go around it.

Unless it's very, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY FRESH... Then you might want to go through it and see if you'll have meat for lunch...

[Jumbo]

Unless it's very, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY FRESH... Then you might want to go through it and see if you'll have meat for lunch...

I love lemon snow cones.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

I disagree. Even heavily loaded, you can lose traction. The difference between a car and a tractor-trailer is size, and the fact that it's a combination vehicle. When you break traction, you can jackknife...and a jackknife can destroy the tractor, trailer, and kill you...all without hitting a thing.

I have a friend who went through orientation here at Con-way truckload back at the beginning of October. He was fired before the end of the month, due to a single vehicle jackknife...never hit a thing, but tore the trailer in half, and heavily damaged his tractor. He did this with a 44,000 lb load.

Never hit a thing...but his trailer,and destroyed over 100k in equipment .