Bad Weather

Hey everyone looking for advise on if you stuck in terrible weather or breakdown for hours, what are some things to do? To stay warm since the winter is coming. Also if it snows do you have to shovel the snow off the top of the trailer? I heard it could be a ticket if you don't. Thank you very much on truthful responses! Make it a safe day out there

Best regards, Timothy

Not pushing through inclement weather will not make them think any differently of you. Its not worth it for the company to risk losing hundreds of thousands of dollars just to get a load in on time. They can always reschedule. Pushing through inclement weather is just about the worst thing you can do on the road in my opinion. Driving in conditions that are dangerous will eventually end your career and maybe even your life. Would you really risk your life for boxes of macaroni and cheese?

I sure as heck wouldn't. Those boxes can wait a day. At the end of the day my goal is to be alive to be able to support my family. And I won't risk my family losing me just to prove to some guy at a desk that I'm reliable. The company also doesn't want you to push through inclement weather. They have enough accidents each year and they want to avoid as much as possible. So please, everyone reading this. Do not think that you're any less of a driver for stopping when conditions get ugly. If anything, you're a better driver than the guy going 60 mph who will get his load in on time but risk everything in exchange. The good drivers are the ones who use their head.

I will drive through rain. I will drive through snow. I won't drive through a blizzard and I won't be driving if I'm required to put on chains. In all honesty, I don't think we get paid enough to put on chains and drive down a steep grade with 79,000 pounds behind our backs. I won't drive if I feel like I'm risking my life. I'm 22 and have a bright future with a wonderful wife, no way I'm going to risk losing what I am blessed with just so walmart can have their product. The more strict you are when it comes to safety then the safer you'll be.

In the end the person who makes the decision is you. You're the captain of the ship and what you say goes. Your DM has absolutely no say in whether or not you should or shouldn't drive. Drive when you feel comfortable. Go ahead and drive 15 mph with those chains on while they tear apart your tires. You'll be wasting your 70 driving and making no money in return. Ill be in the truck stop sipping my hot tea talking with my family and watching TV. Meanwhile you'll be holding onto the steering wheel with your life.

I want to go the extra mile here. I want you to know what you'll be getting paid with those chains on. Lets say my trucks maximum speed is 60mph and I get .30cpm. If you do the math, they means if I drive exactly 60mph nonstop for a full hour I will make 18$ per hour. Now lets say you decided to drive with chains on. A safe speed is about 20 mph so lets use that with the same pay. So if you drive with chains on going exactly 20mph for a full hour nonstop. You will have made 6$ for that hour. Lets no forget those hours spent wrestling with those chains. You also wasted time off your 70 hour clock. You risked your life, wrestled with heavy chains, just so you can make 6$ per hour.

So I ask. Who is the fool and who is the wise one? The one who sat comfortably at the truck stop or the one who is so determined to get his load in on time so he can be viewed as dependable meanwhile risking his entire life and career. Like Brett always says. If the weathers terrible today, chances are tomorrow morning it'll be clear and perfect for driving. So why not wait?

I hope I made my point. If you don't feel safe driving, then don't drive.

Ah winter driving....the pinnacle of fun for a truck driver......

The best advice I can give is, in winter, ALWAYS carry extra food and water/ drinks with you. Enough to sustain you a couple days if necessary. And have heavy duty winter clothes (car-hearts, heavy jacket, thermal underwear, stocking cap, gloves) that will keep you warm if the truck dies, or heater goes out. You'll be out of the truck for fueling, chaining (west coast) or God forbid you drive flatbed and will be tarping loads as well.

When I got my cdl in 94 I worked for a company for a few years that gave me a couple overnight runs a week. One was Sacramento to Reno. And another Sacramento to mammoth lakes/bishop. I got my share of winter/mountain driving. And spent many hours waiting for plows to open a roadway, pull a 4 wheeler out of a ditch or wait for heavy snow to subside because the plows couldn't keep up with conditions.

Time slows way down in winter driving. Everything you do must be at half speed at least. Whether it be driving speed, accelerating, breaking, turning. The pucker factor goes way up.

As far as shoveling trailers, I'm afraid I don't know of that. I never did in the 90s but that's not to say you can't be ticketed if a huge chunk of snow blows off your trailer and lands on a 4 wheelers windshield and blinds em.

Things to do? I would read books or take naps. Almost all of my winter driving was in day cabs. So my phone was my best friend if I happen to have a good signal, which driving 80, 50, 89 and 395 in the 90's wasnt all too often. Now I have my kindle, desktop and phone.

Take a look of what's happening on I90 near Buffalo right now. Drivers been stranded due to extreme snow.

Winter Driving Tips & Items To Bring

Ah winter driving....the pinnacle of fun for a truck driver......

The best advice I can give is, in winter, ALWAYS carry extra food and water/ drinks with you. Enough to sustain you a couple days if necessary. And have heavy duty winter clothes (car-hearts, heavy jacket, thermal underwear, stocking cap, gloves) that will keep you warm if the truck dies, or heater goes out. You'll be out of the truck for fueling, chaining (west coast) or God forbid you drive flatbed and will be tarping loads as well.

When I got my cdl in 94 I worked for a company for a few years that gave me a couple overnight runs a week. One was Sacramento to Reno. And another Sacramento to mammoth lakes/bishop. I got my share of winter/mountain driving. And spent many hours waiting for plows to open a roadway, pull a 4 wheeler out of a ditch or wait for heavy snow to subside because the plows couldn't keep up with conditions.

Time slows way down in winter driving. Everything you do must be at half speed at least. Whether it be driving speed, accelerating, breaking, turning. The pucker factor goes way up.

As far as shoveling trailers, I'm afraid I don't know of that. I never did in the 90s but that's not to say you can't be ticketed if a huge chunk of snow blows off your trailer and lands on a 4 wheelers windshield and blinds em.

Things to do? I would read books or take naps. Almost all of my winter driving was in day cabs. So my phone was my best friend if I happen to have a good signal, which driving 80, 50, 89 and 395 in the 90's wasnt all too often. Now I have my kindle, desktop and phone.

Take a look of what's happening on I90 near Buffalo right now. Drivers been stranded due to extreme snow.

Winter Driving Tips & Items To Bring

Not pushing through inclement weather will not make them think any differently of you. Its not worth it for the company to risk losing hundreds of thousands of dollars just to get a load in on time. They can always reschedule. Pushing through inclement weather is just about the worst thing you can do on the road in my opinion. Driving in conditions that are dangerous will eventually end your career and maybe even your life. Would you really risk your life for boxes of macaroni and cheese?

I sure as heck wouldn't. Those boxes can wait a day. At the end of the day my goal is to be alive to be able to support my family. And I won't risk my family losing me just to prove to some guy at a desk that I'm reliable. The company also doesn't want you to push through inclement weather. They have enough accidents each year and they want to avoid as much as possible. So please, everyone reading this. Do not think that you're any less of a driver for stopping when conditions get ugly. If anything, you're a better driver than the guy going 60 mph who will get his load in on time but risk everything in exchange. The good drivers are the ones who use their head.

I will drive through rain. I will drive through snow. I won't drive through a blizzard and I won't be driving if I'm required to put on chains. In all honesty, I don't think we get paid enough to put on chains and drive down a steep grade with 79,000 pounds behind our backs. I won't drive if I feel like I'm risking my life. I'm 22 and have a bright future with a wonderful wife, no way I'm going to risk losing what I am blessed with just so walmart can have their product. The more strict you are when it comes to safety then the safer you'll be.

In the end the person who makes the decision is you. You're the captain of the ship and what you say goes. Your DM has absolutely no say in whether or not you should or shouldn't drive. Drive when you feel comfortable. Go ahead and drive 15 mph with those chains on while they tear apart your tires. You'll be wasting your 70 driving and making no money in return. Ill be in the truck stop sipping my hot tea talking with my family and watching TV. Meanwhile you'll be holding onto the steering wheel with your life.

I want to go the extra mile here. I want you to know what you'll be getting paid with those chains on. Lets say my trucks maximum speed is 60mph and I get .30cpm. If you do the math, they means if I drive exactly 60mph nonstop for a full hour I will make 18$ per hour. Now lets say you decided to drive with chains on. A safe speed is about 20 mph so lets use that with the same pay. So if you drive with chains on going exactly 20mph for a full hour nonstop. You will have made 6$ for that hour. Lets no forget those hours spent wrestling with those chains. You also wasted time off your 70 hour clock. You risked your life, wrestled with heavy chains, just so you can make 6$ per hour.

So I ask. Who is the fool and who is the wise one? The one who sat comfortably at the truck stop or the one who is so determined to get his load in on time so he can be viewed as dependable meanwhile risking his entire life and career. Like Brett always says. If the weathers terrible today, chances are tomorrow morning it'll be clear and perfect for driving. So why not wait?

I hope I made my point. If you don't feel safe driving, then don't drive.

Well the one thing I do is keep the tank full so that if the breakdown is something not effect the engine I can idle. Secondly, I have a Mr Buddy heater and 6 bottles of propane. Each bottle on full will last 6-8 hours. If you bundle up you can make it last much longer. Don't drive a white truck in snow.. Just kidding. Another thing you can use is a sterno can and a brick to set it on. Even candles will give some heat. Once those curtains are closed and even closing off the bottom bunk if you have a top one with a blanket will warm just from your body heat and breathing. The smaller the space the less you need to heat it. Now don't think you are going to be 80° in the truck but it will be 40-50 in really cold weather.

Thank you for all of the feedback.