Blown-over Trucks...gale-force-winds Safety Question

So you monitor the weather and feel it out. Common sense is going to save your ass out here more than anything else. I drove all around NC and SC before hurricane florence hit, I tracked the storm and made sure I wouldn't be effected by it. You either do your due diligence or you make a bad decision and succumb to it. Goodluck out there driver

Will CDL training schools teach students about how to be alert and prepare ahead of time for inclement weather? Will students learn how to stay informed: get weather advisories? For example, captains on ships and boats can tune in their VHF marine radios for weather reports: small craft advisory.

For the OTR truck driver, WHO is his "tall vehicle advisory" service that's the road vehicle analogy to "small craft advisory"?

What technology keeps the truck driver up to date in the cab on possible bad weather conditions ahead? JuiceBox, how did you track the hurricane before she hit? Is there a radio station? Adverse weather kills. I personally feel it prudent to stay abreast of it even in a car.

My trainer taught me how to stay informed. Wyoming has a website that you can use to see how their highways are faring in the winter. I have tons of 511 apps to monitor each state’s road advisory.

I too was roaming around the Carolinas before Florence but my anxiety level was apparently higher due to 2 things. I went through Sandy in NYC & I saw the worst in people in the days after. 19 hours to get $40 of gas. Multiple threats to my body & life cause I wouldn’t let people cut the line in front of me. Some were killed & others fought.

The other reason for my anxiety is the simple fact that once you’re at a shipper or receiver, you’re at their mercy. Like Monday, I arrived at a shipper at 1317 for a supposed drop & hook. Was told it wasn’t ready & given the option to drop the empty, bobtail out & return later. Or just get live loaded. I took the live load option. I sat there till 0900 the next day & only left at that time cause my FM changed my load assignment.

So you said this:

I personally feel it prudent to stay abreast of it (weather), even in a car.

So how do you “stay abreast of the weather” even in your car? Not that much different with us.

Todd I am almost certain you have some sort of Smart Phone. At the very least, there are numerous weather related feeds available through cellular service.

Most of the Interstates have real-time signage that will post any advisories 24hrs in advance.

Todd you seem highly preoccupied on many secondary aspects of this job/career. That said; how much time have you invested in these links?

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

The information found in the above is far more important to advancing your career than worrying about blow-overs, different truck classes and tarping tricks. Focus on what really matters in the HERE and NOW...otherwise all the other stuff you seem to be concerned with you’ll never experience.

Shift your focus...get your permit, get trained, get your CDL A, and get hired.

There are a lot of things your trainer will help with. The weather aspect is one of them. Focus on getting your CDL first. This is a process with many steps. Don't try to skip over any! Don't get me wrong here, wind is a serious issue and shouldn't be glossed over.

This is a process with many steps. Don't try to skip over any! Don't get me wrong here, wind is a serious issue and shouldn't be glossed over.

\

Todd, The Process will get you there. Your concerns about weather / wind / vehicle construction / crash survivability are all valid concerns in making the decision to enter the field. So, that said, here comes the curmudgeonliness - electricity is horribly complex, mostly predictable, and yet still brutally lethal when not respected. So, you, like most, don't take a bath with a plugged in hair dryer in the tub. Same with trucking - there are hazards, but the PROCESS will help you learn how to mitigate them.

The resources here will guide you through the early phases of the process (leading up to schooling, maneuvering through your hiring and orientation and getting your permit and your CDL , as well as career survival for your first months as well as long term. CDL schools may or may not train you on weather driving - they can't give you hands on if the weather doesn't present. Maybe Prime and their simtrux can, but in the real world you learn by doing. Tell them, show them, let them perform. It's how most great coaches teach - and I'm sure the trainers on here will jump in if i'm off base.

Breath. You will get to winter and wind driving. It's scary as all get out. And then when you've done it, you think "Well, that really sucked, but I did it. Not a fan, but I CAN AND WILL do it again!"

Good luck you on your journey, it's a blast!

Giving this a bump because there was a wind advisory in central OH today and because after I parked, I saw a video on The Weather Channel app where a truck got flipped over on an East TX highway. The video reports that wind gusts in E. TX were up to 70 mph.

This driver was able to walk away from the wreck unharmed, but that's not always the way it turns out.

There is a chart on the site showing at what wind speeds it is advisable that a high profile vehicle be parked according to the combination of wind speed and vehicle weight.

For drivers just starting out especially, always air on the side of caution. If you think it might be ok to drive because you don't feel much wind where you are parked, look along your route for wind advisories. Any GPS unit or GPS app that has weather information alerts will show such advisories. If you decide to drive because the weather reports show the wind gusts are under the advised max for your weight, keep note of lateral movement of your vehicle. Slow down and find a place to park safely when you feel your vehicle being pushed. Don't allow yourself to become a roadside incident from a vehicle being flipped, or worse a multiple vehicle incident from your vehicle being pushed into another lane.

Be safe out there everyone.

I was in Columbus and it was windy with heavy rains, the latter for most of the day. Recently in Missouri I was determining if I should roll or sit, so I walked to an area of the rest area I stayed at where I was safe to stand but could also see how many trucks were on the highway and if I could see any wind-related movement on them. Granted, not a fool-proof method for many factors, but using that and other tools including that chart you mentioned I decided to roll and was happy with my decision.