:lol: :lol: x2

 

Wait a sec - they might also nail you for Impeding as well - we just can't win :wink:

 

Okay, this has been a humorous thread with lots of funnies.... but now for a serious answer.... sort of.

It's no secret that I am NOT a fan of shutting down on ANY ramp, but if you MUST....

If heading Westbound, stop on the get OFF ramp if possible. Prevailing winds in this hemisphere come from the WEST and usually the Southwest. The DOWN ramp (get on) will be totally EXPOSED to these winds. The get OFF ramp will be shielded by the bridge/overpass/hill itself from these winds. Obviously, if going East, the ON RAMP will be the one "over the hill" and shielded.

Of course, I'm not a proponent of shutting down on ANY ramp, but if you MUST, take into consideration the oncoming weather conditions. Shield yourself from the winds at all costs. Remember, most "ramps" will have you leaning heavily to the right. If heading West, against the wind, and totally exposed, AND leaning to the right.... you are an easy target for a stationary "rollover." Your company will probably NOT understand why you didn't shut down in a truckstop or rest area, or somewhere more "sheltered" from the wind.

If possible, find a ramp situation that goes DOWN to a road that goes UNDER the freeway. That way you are below the hill, and under the wind. I see MANY "experienced" drivers shutting down on these LOW ramps.

If you're gonna shutdown on a ramp to an OVERpass..... make sure you are sheltered from the winds that come from the WEST. Not just the ones you feel right NOW.... but those that could come up overnight!

Watch any old "Cowboy movies" lately? Ever see them set up camp on a HILL??? NOPE!! Always in a gulley or somewhere sheltered by a rock formation from the winds that howl from the WEST! This is not just theatrics..... it is/was REALITY!!

To them, it was important to NOT have their "shelters" blown over by the wind, or to have their FIRES blown out by them. You will NEVER see them setup camp, or build a fire on the WESTERN side of a rock formation. Always on the "leeward" side!

There is much more to driving a truck than just "holding the wheel!"

You are being paid to protect the LOAD and the EQUIPMENT. Believe it or not, and maybe for the first time in your lives, you are being paid to THINK!!

I apologize if this is just TOO obvious for some of you. But, there ARE newbies reading this, and SOME of them have never experienced the howling winds of the West! 60-80 mph wind "gusts" are not uncommon, and that empty trailer is like a big sail on a sailboat!

Also remember that, IF you are driving in these conditions, your speed ADDS to the resistance/wind against your trailer. You can slow down to lessen the effect until you can get OFF the road!

And.... IF you ever feel your trailer "going over"...... don't try to turn INTO the wind. Turn DOWNWIND!! This MAY help you put your wheels back on the ground as you "run with the wind" so to speak. And, stay OUT of the left lane to avoid being "blown" into a 4wheeler, unless the road is empty, in which case stay IN the left lane to give yourself more "lattitude" than the sloped shoulder will provide!

[note: ALL or most of this assumes you are heading westbound. Eastbound rarely presents such problems.]

 

Hey thanks Golfhobo , great advice.

 

It's too hard to call without knowing the specifics of a given situation, but I used to deal with this threat all the time, going up and down Fancy Gap 2-3 times a week. There was almost always a high wind warning from late fall to late spring, but the sign often cried wolf, and sometimes there were high winds with no warning at all.

I guess I felt it out OK, since I never lost one, but I planned for this contingency, with things like keeping my cooler water drained off, so that if I went over, I wouldn't take a bath in ice cold water in the dead of winter.

I did see trucks go over one night. It was windy as hell, and I was going off the mountain about 45 mph. I was following a JB Hunt truck at a very safe distance. He went over in slow motion, listed to the left a little, then the wheels on the right side of his truck started to lift off the pavement, and then he gently pivoted right over to lean up against the bank in the median, pretty as you please. It was a very gradual thing, and it seemed like he had bled off most of his road speed in the process, so he didn't plow a furrow in the dirt or anything. They probably just knocked him back onto his wheels, and sent him on his way, after letting him change his shorts. Might not even have busted his driver side mirror. It was a truly bizarre thing to witness.

When I got past him, I started looking for a sheltered spot to park to go back and see if he was OK, but a cop was already there, just down the hill, with another rolled over truck. They had four go that night. I wasn't one of them, but I almost was, by about 200' or something.

Knock on wood.

Dealing with that situation for so long, I don't feel like there's a whole hell of a lot a driver can do but go off the mountain slowly, and be mentally prepared to roll.

No idea how that compares to the road you're talking about, but I expect known windy spots are probably similar everywhere. This spot is bad because the mountains back up the winter winds, but there's this one spot right around the 2 yardline where there's a gap in the hills, and a gap in the median, and all that built up air pressure can release through there very violently.

The wind always blows from the west, just like the other guy said.

 

As a general rule, I always carry a small folding shovel in my truck.
Whenever I am shutting down and I am forced to spend the night on a ramp that may be exposed to HIGH WINDS, I will take the extra 15 to 20 minutes to get out of my truck and dig a small 20 to 25 foot trench the length and width of my truck.
After I have completed digging the trench to the required depth, width, and length, I will then very carefully drive my truck and trailer,(loaded or unloaded, it makes no difference), into the trench.
As I go to sleep, I can usually hear the winds as they howl outside above me, but I just close my eyes and sleep like a baby, knowing that MY TRUCK will not be flipped over.
Now I realize very few drivers will actually take the time to bury their trucks in the dirt, but when you think about it, it only takes a short time and a small amount of work to keep from having to make that awkward call to safety the next morning as you are laying on your side.
Good Luck out there!!!

 

you are doing a lot of unnecessary work, simply go to walmart and get a stake down kit for a tent, drive the stakes in the ground, tie the ropes to your truck and you will be safe and secure.

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

BOTH you guys are working too hard! Just get a 53' airhose that attaches to your gladhands, then let all the air out of the tires on the windward side!! Get up in the morning and air 'em up again!! This way, you'll be leaning INTO the wind! :wink:

 

How about finding a building to park next to or several other trucks to park next to. Even a street with a bunch of trees on the windward side will work too.

 

Thanks some pretty good advice , not sure about the Tent pegs though. Are you related to Useless ?