Winters are not fun when you are a trucker

[hkloss1]

Just found these videos on YT, pretty shocking to be honest, filmed as it it happened.
People have to drive as if the wheels are not turning they are not earning, so they take chances, especialy when their dispatchers are breathing down their necks telling them to get moving, to deliver that load.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00-Id-mXtUM#t=22.071333

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8RwzqIzFeQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iEX9Kx2-jE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iEX9Kx2-jE

[nick2008]

Nothing to do with taking chances .
Take it slow you'll get through , just uneducated fools driving beyond their means .

[hkloss1]

If I'm not mistaken, someone posted here, not long ago, that Bison push drivers to keep driving , not matter what road conditions, and that dispatchers at Bison get very upset when you tell them, road conditions are bad, and you need to wait for some improvement.

[blue estate]

If I'm not mistaken, someone posted here, not long ago, that Bison push drivers to keep driving , not matter what road conditions, and that dispatchers at Bison get very upset when you tell them, road conditions are bad, and you need to wait for some improvement.

So Traffic clerks are the same over the pond then

[JIMBO47]

If I'm not mistaken, someone posted here, not long ago, that Bison push drivers to keep driving , not matter what road conditions, and that dispatchers at Bison get very upset when you tell them, road conditions are bad, and you need to wait for some improvement.

the trick wae Bison is to play them at there own game ..ie safety is #1 .....and safety is #1. if dispatch is bitching just .stop use your phone to photograph conditions and send to "Adolph" in the safety office and say you are shuting down due to weather/road conditions.then qualcom dispatch and tell them. NOw don't be doing this every time it snows use your head and watch other companies pulling over.(forget about watching the wraparound Stetson users ). info from a friend.

[Albert1]

That huge pile up ,not one death

[hkloss1]

That huge pile up ,not one death

Apparently there were 2 dead

[Pat Hasler]

My company have a rule, if you feel like stopping do so, they would rather the load got there late than not at all. I have only stopped once due to a blizzard and when I phoned them they were fine with it. Vermont roads are terrible in winter, they do not spread road salt until there are serious accidents or delays.

[flat to the mat]

Winter can be nasty for sure , it's knowing when to push on or pull the curtains . My lot would rather we get there than not and pay us to park if we feel it's warranted , dispatch will never hassle us to move the load . I parked once last year running empty between Portage and Winnipeg because the truck was steering itself and my attempts were futile(worst piece of road in Canada IMHO) . Down to common sense , if you're not comfortable park up before you become a hazard to yourself and others . Winter certainly has its moments from hell but it's not bad all the way through , day after day .

[newmercman]

Winter can be nasty for sure , it's knowing when to push on or pull the curtains . My lot would rather we get there than not and pay us to park if we feel it's warranted , dispatch will never hassle us to move the load . I parked once last year running empty between Portage and Winnipeg because the truck was steering itself and my attempts were futile(worst piece of road in Canada IMHO) . Down to common sense , if you're not comfortable park up before you become a hazard to yourself and others . Winter certainly has its moments from hell but it's not bad all the way through , day after day .

^^^this^^^
On the turnpike job we have to stop by law as soon as a travel not recommended advisory is issued.

Not all do though, the drivers are usually very easy to spot in the snow, if you get my drift...

[neilg14]

Winter can be nasty for sure , it's knowing when to push on or pull the curtains . My lot would rather we get there than not and pay us to park if we feel it's warranted , dispatch will never hassle us to move the load . I parked once last year running empty between Portage and Winnipeg because the truck was steering itself and my attempts were futile(worst piece of road in Canada IMHO) . Down to common sense , if you're not comfortable park up before you become a hazard to yourself and others . Winter certainly has its moments from hell but it's not bad all the way through , day after day .

This is spot on, I'm just starting my 10th winter here now and prob parked up for 5 or 6 days total in that time.
I've never chained up and never will, I was told by 2 old Canadian drivers with about 80 yrs exp between them, that if it's bad enough to chain up, then park up, [zb] the company and load, it's better to lose money than your truck and load and maybe your life.
That prairie in MB & SK is brutal for ice.
I've never gone over the Coquihalla in the winter, always went through the Fraser Valley and never got held up that way.

[flat to the mat]

https://youtu.be/hvhRHiskRIc , when the sh*t hits the fan . I was first on the scene last Feb in MB to something similar , first guy I found had no nose , a broken neck and eleven broken ribs , and so it went on . Tends to focus the mind on safety ,and yes it still haunts me .

[hkloss1]

Where are you based FTTM, are you in Manitoba?

The worst thing about winter driving is that not matter how careful and safety conscious driver you are, someone else might not be, and you can be wiped off the road because some other drive thought it was OK to overtake where he shouldn't, lose control of his vehicle when speeding, etc:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpIimImniuc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg8Iec-uG_c

[flat to the mat]

Manitoba , no way Jose . Saskatchewan , aka Gods country the land of the living skies . (dons tin hat )

[ChrisArbon]

I don't mind throwing on some chains if it's just for one hill and I can take them off and keep going when I get over the top. But I'm never going to be chomping about with them on all day at 15 mph. The thing that gets me parking-up in bad weather is the windscreen wipers. With certain types of snow, they soon turn into swishing blocks of ice with about an inch of scree getting cleaned off. I soon get fed-up with stopping and cleaning them.

[flat to the mat]

^^^ Heated wiper blades , available from CTS Winnipeg .

[hutpik]

I don't know if you have them over there but up here the Volvo's and Scania's have heated windsreens.Ok,they are expensive but they help a hell of a lot.
We drive about at between 60-70 kph with chains on without any problems as long as the ice\snow is thick enough.

[newmercman]

Not just the windscreen, on these Volvos as soon as it gets a bit wet out the mirrors and side windows become opaque within minutes and with no headlight washers it soon becomes very hard to see when it's dark outside, which it is for a lot of a shift in winter. Not so bad in the prairies as they don't really treat the roads, but in ON and BC it's a right PITA. You use more screenwash than diesel some days!

[ChrisArbon]

Thanks for the tips; but I don't think my boss will go for any of that stuff. I haven't enough faith in snow chains to take them over 20 kph. To many times they have thrown themselves into the scenery and I've had to mend them with the padlocks from the trailer boxes.
Headlights are a problem but I also worry about the rear lights when driving in falling or blowing snow. All to often they will get covered with snow; especially LEDs that don't have heat to melt it. If I stop to clean the screen, I always clean the trailer lights first and hope that anybody who is following my tracks doesn't plough into the back of the trailer.

T


.
.

[flat to the mat]

Got pulled over by DOT in a storm last year because my rear hazmat placard was covered in snow , oh really , full level one inspection and sent on my way . Jobsworth ginger tosser .

[newmercman]

Running on chains I just settle into a speed where the bouncing stops, depending on the depth and consistency of the snow that can be anywhere between 20 and 50km/h.

I also use the purpose made spider bungees to keep them as tight as possible to avoid spitting them off, a lesson I learned the hard way after repeatedly losing a chain and having to stop and go back, drag them up the hill and refit them, during this process I went down the hill on my arse a few times too and that is a completely overrated experience.

[bullitt]

I have used the single wheel snow chains before but never the twin wheel type. Apart from being heavier, are they quite difficult to fit? I guess that if you have open wheel access, IE no wheel arch or raised wheel arch then things are easier, but they do look fun! Especially when its pitch dark and minus something stupid!!

[newmercman]

They're harder to fit than a single, that's for sure, but the difference they make is night and day, especially on icy snow. You just have to be prepared to lie in the snow and get stuck in.

They're a bloody nightmare if they come off though as they tend to wrap themselves around the gap between the two tyres, then you need bolt cutters to get them out.

[bullitt]

Cheers Mark, hows things going over there? Getting a bit chilly now?

[hkloss1]

Thanks for the tips; but I don't think my boss will go for any of that stuff. I haven't enough faith in snow chains to take them over 20 kph. To many times they have thrown themselves into the scenery and I've had to mend them with the padlocks from the trailer boxes.
Headlights are a problem but I also worry about the rear lights when driving in falling or blowing snow. All to often they will get covered with snow; especially LEDs that don't have heat to melt it. If I stop to clean the screen, I always clean the trailer lights first and hope that anybody who is following my tracks doesn't plough into the back of the trailer.

T


.
.

That's what I was thinking when I saw these accidents, I thought why aren't they switching hazard lights on to warn drivers behind them to slow down, until I realised, these hazard lights are actually on, it's only that they are covered in snow and ice, so drivers behind can't see them no matter if they are on or off.

[newmercman]

Cheers Mark, hows things going over there? Getting a bit chilly now?

Second snowfall I've seen this season, that came down in 5mins and 5mins down the road the sun was out. The first snow this season was a record breaker and I had to park as they issued a no travel advisory and with the turnpikes that means I'm not allowed to run, which was fine by me as it was proper snotty out there.

The first and last snows are the worst, the temperature is around the freezing mark and it's the same as the stuff that brings Britain to a halt, it has much the same effect here, but when the temperature drops down below minus 10c it's nice dusty snow and you can giddy up on it, although you still have to show it respect. For every mile of highway, there are two miles of ditch!

[russjp]

Got pulled over by DOT in a storm last year because my rear hazmat placard was covered in snow , oh really , full level one inspection and sent on my way . Jobsworth ginger tosser .

Who you haulin` for FTTM ?

[flat to the mat]

Got pulled over by DOT in a storm last year because my rear hazmat placard was covered in snow , oh really , full level one inspection and sent on my way . Jobsworth ginger tosser .

Who you haulin` for FTTM ?

Check your messages Russ .Edit and totally off topic (whilst I wait for the Doris to get ready) , get yourself down to Chef Malcolms Homemade Pies on Sask Drive , Cornish Pasties Pork Pies Steak and Guiness etc etc all made to order , they're fantastic . He's English and knows what proper pies should be

[russjp]

Got pulled over by DOT in a storm last year because my rear hazmat placard was covered in snow , oh really , full level one inspection and sent on my way . Jobsworth ginger tosser .

Who you haulin` for FTTM ?

Check your messages Russ .Edit and totally off topic (whilst I wait for the Doris to get ready) , get yourself down to Chef Malcolms Homemade Pies on Sask Drive , Cornish Pasties Pork Pies Steak and Guiness etc etc all made to order , they're fantastic . He's English and knows what proper pies should be

Yeah it's on my to do list for sure, I'll check my pms once I'm sat in front of my laptop


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Spardo]

Thanks for the tips; but I don't think my boss will go for any of that stuff. I haven't enough faith in snow chains to take them over 20 kph. To many times they have thrown themselves into the scenery and I've had to mend them with the padlocks from the trailer boxes.
Headlights are a problem but I also worry about the rear lights when driving in falling or blowing snow. All to often they will get covered with snow; especially LEDs that don't have heat to melt it. If I stop to clean the screen, I always clean the trailer lights first and hope that anybody who is following my tracks doesn't plough into the back of the trailer.

T


.
.

Have you tried spraying the LED lenses with WD40, Chris. I have heard it stops the snow sticking?