Snowing....and Now Scared

6 string suggests:

You didn't mention it, not sure if you did this or not, but just a suggestion for the future. Anytime I see traffic abruptly slowing down or coming to a stop ahead of me (especially on a highway), to the extent that I will have to dramatically reduce speed, I will always throw on my hazards (4 way flasher lights). Most people understand when they see a truck flip on their hazards that they will need to get ready for a stop or to slow down

Day or night, if you and/or traffic begins to slow, on with the flashers. Just last night, on a straight stretch of interstate between towns, the traffic began stopping. (accident way ahead) In the dark, and probably in the snow, it's dang hard to see the stopped traffic approaching. Going slow is always better than maintaining speed if you can't see what's going on. I almost started flashing my running lights, too. Maybe next time.

Now, back to our thread topic: I echo the go slow stuff. If you have a hill to go down (not a long grade), start out at the slowest speed you dare, then low gear and drag the brakes a bit. Allow your truck to speed up a bit, but it's better to stay slow than to get too fast. It's way safer to avoid applying brakes to slow than it is to just stay slow in the first place. Look up another thread I wrote Sleigh Ride in.

Kat a few things I did not see listed, I would drive this road in the day light, you will most likely find the ice between Rawlins and the other side of elk Mt, east bond, I think it's about 50 miles long, and then from Laramie up the Mt pass and down the other side for a was on your way to Cheyenne. Rember to look for ice and unmelted snow in the shadow area of the road on the north side of mt. If your driving in the snow always try to find the fresh stuff better traction. And if everyone is sitting in a truck stop and you don't see anyone leave stay in the truck stop don't be the ginnie pig to see what the road is like.

A grate job on maintaining your fallowing distense, keep it up you will do fine.

... I was eastbound, and saw traffic slowing due to a semi accident in front of me, so I got stopped well behind the truck in front of me. The person coming behind me wasn't paying attention I guess ...

You didn't mention it, not sure if you did this or not, but just a suggestion for the future. Anytime I see traffic abruptly slowing down or coming to a stop ahead of me (especially on a highway), to the extent that I will have to dramatically reduce speed, I will always throw on my hazards (4 way flasher lights). Most people understand when they see a truck flip on their hazards that they will need to get ready for a stop or to slow down.

Hazards were on well before I saw the accident because of my slow speed.

All the westbound truckers were on their CBs begging the eastbound guys to slow down well before I even got to the accident site too. Don't know why people think they can run like demons on ice and snow.

Glad you are ok Kat. My company began sending out shut down demands for that area last night. We need to get to Cedar Rapids for service. . In Ohio now. Just hoping we can make ut there before they shut us down. It's ,sunny and clear here but we got warnings for Milwaukee, Chicago, Iowa, and MN this morning since its headed this direction. Got to grab a load nearby then drop it in Chicago.

All the westbound truckers were on their CBs begging the eastbound guys to slow down well before I even got to the accident site too. Don't know why people think they can run like demons on ice and snow.

What? You mean that technology from the olden days actually worked for you?

This situation is exactly why you need to have a chance in the truck.

That is a CB in the truck

Glad you are ok Kat. My company began sending out shut down demands for that area last night. We need to get to Cedar Rapids for service. . In Ohio now. Just hoping we can make ut there before they shut us down. It's ,sunny and clear here but we got warnings for Milwaukee, Chicago, Iowa, and MN this morning since its headed this direction. Got to grab a load nearby then drop it in Chicago.

Oh really yay I've been wanting to drive in the snow since it all left last year I'm in Springfield now picking up at the caves tomorrow morning and then heading back North I can't wait now.

I drive for crst and they disable the manual mode and the power mode. Leaving us with only the economy mode

Reminds me of driving a Dodge stratus through the WY mountains West bound on 80 a few years ago. It was snowing so hard visibility was barely past the end of our own hood. I've been driving in snow my whole life but that night scared the **** out of me. What I remember most about it was a tractor trailer flying by me in the left lane doing 2-3 times whatever slow speed I was doing. I tried pulling off the shoulder at that point just to catch my breath (Yes I know that was a bad idea) till my passenger said Umm no don't, it's a bottomless drop off with no guard rail. Luckily we found an exit shortly after that and spent the night in a teeny motel. The next morning we must have seen 30 cars in the ditch in the first 5 miles.