Winter Is Coming

How about some tips and tricks for winter driving, winterizing your truck, things to have in case of being stuck in a truck stop or rest area due to weather or road closure.

Gulp! Stop reminding me, LOL! Sometimes I think I was crazy to start this career in the winter but better to learn in the worst of conditions than the best. I'm starting school on the 24th of Nov. Hopefully Richmond, VA will be snow or ice free.

After getting snowed in last winter I learned pretty quick to keep several days of food in the truck, extra anti gel for tge fuel, and to never let my fuel level drop below 1/2 tank.

Thanks PJ, anymore tips ? At least thought I might get some Ned Stark fans to comment.

In Colorado, a blizzard one day can be followed by a sunny day at 50-60'F. That means that the snow from the day before will melt but then freeze again, once the sun goes down. This causes dangerous, icy conditions in the days that follow. Yeah, you need to take the obvious precautions like chains and driving slowly but often people forget about their footing once they step out of their vehicle. There might be a layer of snow on top of ice too, which is deceiving. A couple of years ago, I bought a pair of "cramp ons" from REI for $30. I keep them in the door of my vehicle and once I'm driving a tractor-trailer again, I'll have them with me. They're made of rubber strapping with spikes on them so you just pull them on to the bottoms of your shoes or boots. I absolutely hate stepping out of a vehicle and ending up on my back the second my feet touch the ground, which has happened many times here. I have actually tried to slip wearing these things by taking a running start and trying to slide across the ice. Impossible. They cut into the ice and provide great traction. I will caution that they're terrible on dry, coated concrete and metal surfaces so I'll have to see how practical they are loading on and off docks, but when on the ice- and snow-covered ground they are well worth the money and effort. No more slipping and falling in icy parking lots.

Also, because the highways are cleared so quickly in Colorado, the warm, sunny days that follow cause a lot of wet road dirt to splash up on windshields. Extra windshield-wiper fluid is essential here.

-mountain girl

If you don't already, spend some time driving without your jake break before snow gets here. May sound silly but if your like a lot of drivers that use the engine break all the time you will be surprised at how different it feels if you need to drive without it.

Watch the tires of the vehicles around you and look for the rooster tail in wet and snowy conditions. When it is wet the road shines and looks like ice but if you see the rooster tail off other tires you know the water is not frozen. If on the other hand you don't see that water flipping up behind their tires you know your on ice. Be careful in both cases but by all means if your on shiny or snowy roads and there is nothing coming up behind peoples tires it may be time to pull off the road. Keep in mind the conditions can change in an instant. I was amazed last year to see how many people came off of snow to a clear area in the road so they quickly went back to full speed just to find themselves back in bad conditions around the next corner.

Increase your following distance!!! Learn to look at your trailer when you apply your breaks. Your watching to see if the trailer starts to move out and try to jack knife on you. If it does and you have the extra space ahead you can release your breaks to get the trailer back in line before it is too late. In some cases you may even need to accelerate a little to get it back in line so when I say leave extra space I mean leave EXTRA space!

We all try to get every load delivered on time but if the conditions are too bad to be driving find a safe haven and stop. When this is necessary can depend on your experience level, so just because others are still on the road doesn't mean you have to be. Some of them could either be more experienced, stubborn, or just plain stupid. No load is worth your life so a late delivery is better than no delivery.

Woody

Make sure you have a way to remove snow from your trailer and roof. I have heard of people getting ticketed for having snow and ice falling off. Some brake line dryer fluid is also good to have, as is some extra rubbing alcohol for the washer fluid.

Thanks PJ, anymore tips ? At least thought I might get some Ned Stark fans to comment.

Ha! Not gonna lie, I opened this thread half-hoping it would be a Game of Thrones discussion.

Not trucking specific, but when I lived in Montana I always kept some kind of emergency heat source in my pickup. 100-hour candles, sterno, even hand warmers can save you from severe frostbite or death should it come to that. Just use with caution and open the door/window once in a while to let in fresh air.

Valar dohaeris!

Put Anti Gel in your Tanks before you hit cold weather, not when you hit it or it does you no good to even do it at all.