Bad Weather Driving

MikeJ

TB Veteran
Credits
188
Okay so today's all done, well it's been done had a little bit of a day, although not like yesterday 15,000lbs and 655 cases 14 stops 125 miles though, not a bad run worked out well, but it was in eastern Ohio where they had some big snow squalls and not far from where that big 15 semi truck pile up happened it was on the national news tonight. That pile up was on I-90 and I was out on Route 2 north of there heading away from it around the time it happened thank goodness. Anyhow do you guys have any bad weather driving tips? Usually I just go slow especially when the snow squalls and visibility gets bad.
 
You got it. If you can't see, slow down. Don't be one of those fifteen trucks in the pileup. And if you're in an accident, for your sake stay in your truck. Unless it's on fire. Then get out. Way off the road if possible.

I'm sure you know all about lake effect squalls. Sunshine to zero visibility and back to sunshine in about a mile and a half. I watched a pileup happening right here where I live, about fifty vehicles. I saw the wreck that started it, which was minor. Traffic was stopping safely, but a half mile up the road visibility dropped to barely being able to see across the median and it got ugly. Went from clear and almost sunny to whiteout in a couple hundred feet. I'm a long way from Lake Michigan. We don't get lake effect very often this far over.

I just saw a list of the worst winter driving hotspots in the state, and they were almost all on I94 and I96 in the western part of the state. The only one that wasn't was a stretch of US31, which runs N-S a few miles off Lake Michigan.

If it is cold and snowy, and the roads aren't all salty, keep the heat on the floor and off the windshield, and open your passenger window a bit. The snow will blow right off the cold windshield instead of piling up on the wipers. Yesterday I drove about 125 miles in lake effect with temperatures in the low teens, and only turned the wipers on in my hotel parking lot.
 
Keeping the windshield cool is definitely key, and I always liked to be comfortable but cool in the truck, its better than jumping from a overly toasty truck and having to start delivering if it's really cold, following distance is obvious really important, so is knowing what and who's out ahead of you, there would be times I would be running with a good group and feel comfortable with everyone's driving and following distances and just keep running with them, and other times it seemed like we were bunching up too much and I would jump off at a clear ramp do a walk around,cut a whiz or whatever and let them go on, get back on and resume my own pace. Another thing is I had the same routes for years so you knew the spots that got bad and adjusted accordingly and also got so you pretty well gauge how other areas would be relative to what you just encountered, so it helps to remember,and if you have to pass someone bide your time and wait for a good spot on a straight away, usually out in the open where the snow has been more apt to be able to blow off the roadway, and drive for the conditions, but realize the conditions can be ever changing and vary wildly in a few short miles.
 
Anyhow do you guys have any bad weather driving tips?
I don't know how you all deal with it. I freaking hate snow, and we haven't even really gotten any in KC this year (4in total maybe?), none last year either really.
Course no one here knows how to drive in it, about a month back we had a tiny bit of freezing mist and maybe 1/4 to 1/2in of snow on top of it during the day. Roads were treated and ok but there were still so many accidents on the highways traffic was so bad it took me over 2hrs to drive the 40 miles home after work.
 
I don't know how you all deal with it. I freaking hate snow, and we haven't even really gotten any in KC this year (4in total maybe?), none last year either really.
Course no one here knows how to drive in it, about a month back we had a tiny bit of freezing mist and maybe 1/4 to 1/2in of snow on top of it during the day. Roads were treated and ok but there were still so many accidents on the highways traffic was so bad it took me over 2hrs to drive the 40 miles home after work.

Well we usually get accidents to Tuesday coming home from work I had to sit in traffic because of an accident on I-90, but that's how it goes. We just take our time my pick up truck is 4x4 and I bought it like that because of the weather especially the winter time.
 
I don't know how you all deal with it. I freaking hate snow, and we haven't even really gotten any in KC this year (4in total maybe?), none last year either really.
Course no one here knows how to drive in it, about a month back we had a tiny bit of freezing mist and maybe 1/4 to 1/2in of snow on top of it during the day. Roads were treated and ok but there were still so many accidents on the highways traffic was so bad it took me over 2hrs to drive the 40 miles home after work.
It's something you get used to, and it's something you get used every winter, and it's like there's a "relearning" curve every year that starts at the first snow, and by January you have the feel back and just roll with it the best you can.That's Hwy 13 (2 lane) in North Dakota which is somewhat of a main east/west artery in the center of state about 50 miles south of interstate 94 eastbound had been touched yet and westbound shoulder wasn't plowed yet, I'm sure I was going about 40 or 45 mph , knowing it was most likely going to be that way the 30 mile, it's from about 5 years ago.
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Just out the hammer down and go! I had a driver riding with me a few weeks ago. He's only been driving semi maybe a couple years off and on. I was driving on snow covered roads doing 55 mph passing cars and he was concerned like why you going so fast? If I was driving I'd be doing 30. I told him I drive what I'm comfortable driving. You do what you're comfortable with.
 
Cold snow is way better than somewhere-around-freezing snow. I'm the a-hole in the left lane blowing up the gigantic cloud.

It was kinda cold yesterday morning, and the road commission had put some salt down, which promptly turned the right lane to a sheet of ice.
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Left lane had an inch or two of powder on it and was wide open driving.
 
That looks like the dashboard of a Volvo there. Takes one to know one. Looks like your in line for a fuel bonus as well.
 
The truck had been running since about 10:30 Friday morning. If there ever was a fuel bonus, it wasn't going to be on that route.
 
Haha I just saw the double $$ signs and wen good fuel millage fuel bonus ha-ha! I had to idle my truck all day Thursday ha-ha so I've been there too.
 
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