Winter Driving
There is nothing like the feeling of being in circumstances outside of your control – and no season consistently brings that feeling like Winter. Whether you hit a patch of black ice going 65 mph, slide through an intersection, or are stuck in a snowbank on the side of the road – below are a few best practices to keep yourself as safe and in control as possible.
Preparation
- Check Your Equipment – A breakdown can happen at any point in the year, but would you rather get under your truck to fix something on a muddy, snowy roadside or deal with it in the shop before it is a problem. Practice regular preventative maintenance and perform diligent pre-trip & post inspections to keep your unavoidable maintenance predictable. You may not choose your battles, but you determine where and when you will fight them.
- Winter Weather Kit/Plan for the Worst – What happens if I am trapped in a snowstorm? Do I have chains if required by road conditions? Did I pack extra clothes in case I get soaked trying to “unstuck” the truck? Do you have enough fuel to run your truck/heater through the night? Do yourself and your team a favor – be prepared by asking and answering these questions before they need to be asked! A simple solution is to provide your drivers with a winter kit that may include the following items:
- Tire chains
- First Aid kit
- Clothes (jackets, hat, mitten, change of clothes)
- Blankets
- Flashlight
- Water & non-perishable food
- Jumper cables or battery
- External battery for charging phone
- Flares or reflective warning triangles
- Shovel, Chains, and/or straps for pulling a vehicle back to the road
- Ice scraper
Mindset
- Slow and Steady – Snow and Ice decrease the friction on the road. As a concept, one could theoretically see how speed and wet/dry conditions affect stopping distance by using a simple stopping distance calculator (we used this one.) HOWEVER, this and most calculators don’t consider vehicle weight when running simulations. If a passenger vehicle traveling 65 mph on dry conditions takes 316 ft to stop, then a semi-trailer on that same road will take around 525 ft to stop. Now, if there are winter road conditions both distances increase exponentially and the 80,000 lb Commercial Vehicle becomes an incredible danger when out of control. Slow down and avoid jerky movements on winter roads.
- Alert and Aware – You aren’t on the road alone and as such you are subject to mistakes made by other drivers. Pay attention to those around you – be ready to perform defensive driving maneuvers to protect yourself.
- Consider Your Options – Part of planning ahead is deciding the best time to travel. Driving during daylight hours will have less risk than travelling during a dark cold night – when possible, limit your travel to daytime and reduce the number of trips taken to help mitigate winter driving risks.
Plan ahead, be prepared, check your brakes, and be safe out there!
Crown Compliance Advisors LLC
