Just watched the long range forcast and they reckon on snow early next week. I have only been driving for a year now and haven’t actually come in contact whilst driving my wagon, so i would be grateful of any tip’s on driving in the snow… thank’s Al[/b]
The safest thing to do when there’s snow about is ring in sick…!
do not use the exhaust brake if it is snowing!!
why not the exhaust brake?
Hi Alan,
Click onto this thread from last year:
trucknetuk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7632
It has many useful tips on it for winter driving conditions. 
TheBear:
do not use the exhaust brake if it is snowing!!
Who ever taught you that doesn’t know much 
speaking from REAL snow experience i can tell you that the exhaust brake is a far safer way of slowing in snow that foot brakes which will almost certainly lock the wheels
If the truck looses grip with the exhaust brake engaged it sure as hell won’t grip with the foot brake … I speak from pleanty of first hand experiences throughout my life, 30 years driving trucks, 5 years driving in snow storms 5 months long with up to a foot deep.
Use the exhaust brake first
It’s not so much just snow as ice…and, no, if you use the exhauster first you probably won’t be able to save yourself with the footbrake afterwards if it all goes pear-shaped… 
Bear in mind also that a) American tractors are double drive, so the exhaust brake is acting on 2 axles rather than one and b) European braking efficiencies have vastly improved since you left, and are now vastly superior to those fitted on US trucks - which is why the first thing you have to do if you want to import one into this country is overhaul the braking system!!! ABS/EBS makes a big difference to the whole equation, too…as do disc brakes.
No disrespect to your experience, Pat, but I can happily point you in the direction of at least 3 people who have learnt this one the hard way. 
I’d be genuinely interested to know how the above advice works in physical terms (bearing in mind the “all the braking from the unit=serious jacknife potential” scenario detailed in the link above.).
Pat Hasler:
Use the exhaust brake first
Whilst I’ve no doubt you’re right, I don’t understand why this should be the case. I would have thought that braking gently on all axles would be more likely to bring you to a controlled halt than braking on only one axle using the exhaust brake. Any idea why this isn’t the case?
Paul
Snow = highest gear possible with the lowest amount of revs.
(It’s a ‘traction v torque’ thing!)
Hold on to something very tight and say a prayer .
Last time I drove in snow I didn’t touch the exhaust brake on the iveco 18T I had at the time. Don’t know if I got it right or wrong, but, using the exhaust brake was the way you stopped the engine, you couldn’t turn the ignition off til the engine was dead. Anyway, my reasoning was thus…If I used exhaust brake and wheels locked up, then engine stops, no power steering etc.Situation worse than ever, new undies time 
We all have our own opinions and ways with which to drive in snow/icy conditions…personally it depends on the road surface…if driving on packed ice or snow.or whether its just snow covered roads…or if going down or up a hill…i would use the exhaust brake under all these conditions…in the lowest gear possible…or maybe second gear…even on normal roads but down a steep incline…with many modern trucks some of them dont allow you to stop the engine with the exhaust brake anymore…and this is the best exhauster…but…there is always the possibility that the engine will stall anyway but providing you have momentum through the rear wheels…shouldnt cause a problem…slow speeds and a good brain will always get you out of trouble…
take care out there…
Your HGV is an advanced driving test, you can already drive before you take it. Don’t panic and take your time just drive to your capabilities. I personaly turn off the exhaust brake as said above highest gear and lowest revs.
If you use the exhaust brake on an artic it slows the unit only.If you use the brakes gently it slows the trailer and unit at the same time
Avoiding a good old jacknife !!!
Mr Reliable:
If you use the exhaust brake on an artic it slows the unit only.If you use the brakes gently it slows the trailer and unit at the same timeAvoiding a good old jacknife !!!
Precisely Mr R., but more importantly it slows the drive axle alone, the very thing guaranteed to produce a jacknife. I’ll admit that alot depends on the efficiency of the brake, definitely don’t use those that can stop the engine!
With my old F89 the previous driver had connected the exhaust brake to a switch on the dash, so I could leave it on. I found that, with anticipation of a descent, I could switch it on and it would lower me gently on snow or ice with a bit of feathering from the footbrake. Wouldn’t have tried it with the old foot button though, they were hard to maintain in the ‘on’ position and a bit of nervous knee tremble would spell disaster.
I did hear that some people had fitted a retarder to a trailer axle. If true, that would seem to be the safest solution. Never did understand why the old ‘deadman’ brakes were outlawed years ago. Kept you in a nice straight line.
Salut, David.
Best advice I can give you is: “Park up until the spring”
Steve
rexyu:
Best advice I can give you is: “Park up until the spring”Steve
That is similar to advice given to me by an old hand when I wasn’t. ‘If it’s time to put on chains it’s time to go to bed.’ I’ve travelled the Alps, the Pyrenees, snowy passes in Turkey and the Blue mountains in Oz, and in 40 years have yet to touch a chain!
Didn’t spend a lot of time in bed though, just took it nice and easy, best advice I can give, ‘doucement’ as the French have it.
Salut David
A retarder cannot be fitted to a trailer…they are normally fitted to the prop shaft and are the best thing since sliced bread…since they grip the prop and slow everything down…if it was my choice i would fit one to every vehicle…
years ago we used to have a 3 air line system…and one of these lines worked in conjunction with the deadman…so if you jacknifed…just pull on the deadman and you would straighten out…no problem…as it was an independant braking system that only worked the trailer brakes…but thanks to the meddling eurocrats…they decided we should use the european 2 air line system…what do they know…so dont vote for this constitution…or blair for that matter…vote for truckyboy…yes truckyboy for p.m…drinks are on me if i get in…
truckboy. sorry mate but that statement is not true ,there is a retarder
built for the axle of trailers, I will try to look up the name of the firm
who make it I do belive that it comes from Spain, and I have somewhere
in the heap of truck mags a short 2-3 page report about it , IF i am
correct the system was based on the magnet brakeing instead of
oil or the newsystem water, AS soon as I find the name out I will
post it…
Snow is a bit like high winds…
If you’re bricking it before it gets here then you’re in the wrong job.