Yeah, not my day either. For two months I've been excited about taking this ice climbing course today and we get smashed with this ridiculous storm. First we get temps in the 50's for two days and tons of rain which breaks open an ice damn and the river along the route I have to take floods its banks and deposits huge ice blocks on the roadway. Then the temperatures plummet into the teens overnight which freezes everything solid. In the transition we get a layer of ice about 1/8" thick. Then the wind picks up to like 20 mph and we get a foot of snow in about 5 hours time over top of that ice. It's just a plain ol' blizzard right now and I can hardly see the back of my yard.
Tomorrow though is going to be sunny and beautiful. Of course it is. My ice climbing course will be over by then. They have a course scheduled for Sunday and Monday but both are full. I'm on the waiting list for both so if anyone cancels I'm in. But that won't happen I'm sure.
Oh well, I'm out $160 bucks. But I'm not driving a $50,000 truck 50 miles on the back roads of the Adirondacks in a blizzard on ice-covered roads to save $160. I like to do risky things but I always give strong consideration to the risk/reward ratio.
$50,000 truck + my life + an overflowing ice covered river + ice covered roads + blizzard does not equal $160.
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
Operating While Intoxicated
I drove threw that storm in Indiana on my way to Wisconsin from Niagara Falls, NY. 80/90 was such fun as an ice skating rink. LoL
Yeah, I certainly made the right choice staying home this morning, as unfortunate as it is. One of the big things I've always noticed is after the worst storms you'll find the best weather. By this afternoon it's going to be sunny and all day tomorrow is going to be sunny and beautiful. Well, beautiful for winter adventure that is.
One memory that always comes to mind when I think about blizzards is cruising along on dry roads on beautiful, sunny days right after a blizzard and seeing dozens of cars and trucks off in the ditches and fields. During those blizzards I was watching football, reading books, watching movies, taking long naps, and eating steak dinners at the truck stop while those knuckleheads were trying to push through a blizzard at 20 mph. Now they're lying in the ditch and I'm well rested, well fed, and making up for lost time and enjoying a nice cruise on a beautiful, sunny day.
Patience, experience, and long term thinking goes a long way out there.
I was one of the knuckles, sort of. I planned for what was to come. I knew the storm was heading east while I was heading west. I was watching the radar forcast and timed it so I got a huge chunk of driving done in between the separate bands. I only had maybe 60 miles of driving in the freezing rain to snow mix phase. Funny thing is all the trucks that were flying by me, while I was taking it slow "feeling" for when it turned, were the first to pull off into rest areas as soon as they hit it. Like they didn't know it was coming.
Yeah, there are times it's worth pushing through for a little while and there are times it isn't. So many factors go into it. You lose a ton of time when you're creeping along at 30 mph, but if you only have to do it for two or three hours it may be well worth it. That section of I-90 from Buffalo to Cleveland is a great example. Sometimes you only have to push through a couple of hours of heavy lake effect snows and the rest of your day is clear sailing. You lose an hour or 90 minutes in the process but you get a 600 mile overnight run completed safely and on time. It's worth creeping along for a few hours.
Once I hit Chicago it was clear, dry roads the rest of the way. From just west of South Bend until Chicago the roads were wet, but clear of snow and salted. Only slick parts were on bridges. So I was slow from just west of 69 until South Bend. Even then a good chunk I was still able to do 50. Slowed to 40 for the area around Goshen/Elkhart.
Yeah, not my day either. For two months I've been excited about taking this ice climbing course today and we get smashed with this ridiculous storm. First we get temps in the 50's for two days and tons of rain which breaks open an ice damn and the river along the route I have to take floods its banks and deposits huge ice blocks on the roadway. Then the temperatures plummet into the teens overnight which freezes everything solid. In the transition we get a layer of ice about 1/8" thick. Then the wind picks up to like 20 mph and we get a foot of snow in about 5 hours time over top of that ice. It's just a plain ol' blizzard right now and I can hardly see the back of my yard.
Tomorrow though is going to be sunny and beautiful. Of course it is. My ice climbing course will be over by then. They have a course scheduled for Sunday and Monday but both are full. I'm on the waiting list for both so if anyone cancels I'm in. But that won't happen I'm sure.
Oh well, I'm out $160 bucks. But I'm not driving a $50,000 truck 50 miles on the back roads of the Adirondacks in a blizzard on ice-covered roads to save $160. I like to do risky things but I always give strong consideration to the risk/reward ratio.
$50,000 truck + my life + an overflowing ice covered river + ice covered roads + blizzard does not equal $160.
I would say that having your ice climbing class interrupted by an ice storm fits pretty well under the definition of irony lol
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
Operating While Intoxicated
Yes, it's totally ironic!
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Here I sit broke down less than 30 mins from our terminal. Threw my serpentine belt. Had 3 loads lined up to finish off my 70hr today. This stinks. had such a gravy day planned. 3 simple little runs, then finish with a relaxing evening at the bunkhouse watching the Titans vs Patriots. I hate you Murphy!!!! At least I will probably still get to watch the football game this evening.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.