Winter Driving Tips For New Drivers?

Make sure you have everything you need to survive, SLOW DOWN, watch your following distance, double it from normal, and most importantly, if you don't feel SAFE, SHUT DOWN. Remember you are the captain of that truck and that decision is yours and yours alone. Stay safe out there, good luck to y'all and have a very Merry Christmas. 😁

It’s that dark curved non salted bridge that is at the bottom of a decline/mountain guardrail that keeps me up at night

This comment.......

stressing out so much that I’m losing sleep in my bunk thinking about quitting.

Come on now. All you have gone through to get where you are today???? Did you not think you would drive slick when prepping and doing all that training?

You've made it this far. Piece of cake. This is exactly why I chose winter for academy training here in the northwest.

It’s that dark curved non salted bridge that is at the bottom of a decline/mountain guardrail that keeps me up at night

This comment.......

stressing out so much that I’m losing sleep in my bunk thinking about quitting.

Come on now. All you have gone through to get where you are today???? Did you not think you would drive slick when prepping and doing all that training?

You've made it this far. Piece of cake. This is exactly why I chose winter for academy training here in the northwest.

If you focus on doing the things mentioned here, being confident in your ability, and just being as careful as you can, you will not need to worry about the unsalted dark curve.

A big factor not always considered in conjunction with the "slow down" mantra is that we must slow down BEFORE we get in trouble, not after. Look as far ahead as you possibly can, and be sure you're geared down and slowed down before you get going down that hill. At night, I switch my nav unit to display grade as an added help...the view at night in the mountains plays tricks on my eyes.

It’s that dark curved non salted bridge that is at the bottom of a decline/mountain guardrail that keeps me up at night

This comment.......

stressing out so much that I’m losing sleep in my bunk thinking about quitting.

Come on now. All you have gone through to get where you are today???? Did you not think you would drive slick when prepping and doing all that training?

You've made it this far. Piece of cake. This is exactly why I chose winter for academy training here in the northwest.

If you focus on doing the things mentioned here, being confident in your ability, and just being as careful as you can, you will not need to worry about the unsalted dark curve.

Hi Brett, about chains I never go past the Mississippi River and werner does not have any chain banks on the east coast do you suggest I purchase my own set?? Do you have a personal set?

No, I've never had my own set and you should not buy a set yourself. You won't need them in the East. Honestly, in 15 years of driving I never once put on a set of chains. I figured if the roads were that bad I'd rather eat a steak dinner and watch a movie. You can't make any time going 15 mph in life or death circumstances anyhow.

Funny thing is, the vast majority of the time you'll find beautiful sunshine and clear, dry roads as soon as a storm passes. So some people go out there and risk their lives driving 30 mph in a storm, while the rest of us waited until the next day when the sun is shining and the Interstates are clear. You set the cruise at max speed, enjoy the sunshine, and make up for lost time safely.

It's all about thinking long term out there. If you keep rolling the dice, eventually it's going to come up snake eyes. When it gets risky out there, park it. You'll have the rest of your life to make up for lost time. Besides, we all have to relax and have some fun along the way. Why not do that during a snowstorm when making money is tough to do anyhow?

As Brett wrote, no, do not buy your own chains. They are big bucks for just two. An old saying is "chains are for show, not go". It's true. If it is bad enough for chaining up in the first place, probably not good enough conditions to drive to begin with. Prepare ahead of time, but don't drain your brain thinking about how bad it could be. Slow and steady wins the race. However, it's NOT a race. Get yourself, your load and your assigned load there Safely. If it takes an extra hour, day or a week, so what!

Just to add-on to this...

Regularily clean the headlights, brake lights, and turn signal lenses. Salt and other road grime can quickly accumulate to the extent it compromises the effectiveness and brightness of the lights.

This thread reminds me of a story from my first attempt at being an OTR driver on one of the darkest days in American history.

The date was April 19, 1995. I don't think I had been out with my trainer a month. I was really green and my trainer was an ass with some serious anger management issues. We were heading east on I40 in Arizona when, out of nowhere, came a pretty good little snow squall. It dumped a measurable amount of snow on the ground in a very short period of time. My trainer was asleep. After seeing where several other trucks had lost control and ended up in the grass, I decided to stop at a truck stop in Gallup, NM and give them a chance to get the roads cleared up. I went inside and I think I ate breakfast or at least grabbed some coffee, and when I walked past the driver's lounge I noticed that there was an awful lot of people in there for that time in the morning and everybody's eyes were on the TV. So I stopped to see what was going on, and it was the Oklahoma City bombing.

I watched the news for a bit then went back out to the truck, only to get yelled at by my trainer for not wanting to drive on slushy roads. Whatever. I didn't get us killed.

Do NOT use the trailer brake lever to "drift" the trailer through corners!!

Think everyone else got the basics.

Do NOT use the trailer brake lever to "drift" the trailer through corners!!

Think everyone else got the basics.

I didn't even think of that....we're supposed to have freezing rain tonight. I'm thinking I oughta try it in the morning