Just a few winter driving tips to share,
This is just what I have found to work well for me so far. This morning we woke up to no snow, but there were ice warnings in effect for the area. Upon leaving my spot in the parking lot, on the way out, I make sure there is no one around and I hit the brakes pretty hard. This gives me an idea of how slippery the roads could be. I figured I'd jump on the interstate and end up cruising around 45-50mph. I went about 3 miles before coming up on a police officer on the side of the road with his lights on, he did not have anyone pulled over. I slowed way down when I got close to him along with obviously changing lanes away from him. Part of the reason I slow way down is because of the slippery conditions. If I needed to stop suddenly for any reason while passing the officer I would be able to do so. The semi behind me however did not appear to be ok with my slowing down to 35mph (i was only doing 45 along with everyone else) and he went flying by me once I got back into the right lane. I am very glad I did slow down because right over the hill there was traffic at a complete stop. It would appear the officer was trying to warn everyone.
I immediately turned on the 4 ways to alert other drivers behind me if they could not have already seen the backed up traffic. After a few hours just sitting there we started to move again. I slowed my speed to 35mph once we did get moving. It was me and about 10 other drivers in the right lane who were all going slow and being cautious. After seeing how many other trucks were flying by me I can see how all these accident occur. We eventually passed a semi that had gone into the ditch. I assume that was part of the original back up.
Once we got closer to omaha the snow was in full effect and covered the streets completely. Not a huge deal, just take it slow and be patient. Our truck was loaded with 4,000lbs of paper. After our first stop all but 200lbs was unloaded. Things were different after that. The weight in the back really helped in the snow. Once our truck was close to empty it became very easy to fishtail. It is pretty controllable (as much as a 25,000lb truck can be) as long as you are careful. If you see a hill coming up, try to build some momentum before you get to it. If you are coming up to a downhill section of the road, try to slow before hand. If you need to slow down while going down the hill use the brakes very lightly. You shouldn't need too much pressure since you shouldn't be going that fast to begin with and you should be leaving plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Also, be very gentle with the accelerator. Most people won't realize how much torque is being applied to the wheels with what seems to be very little accelerator input.
As long as you don't rush and get impatient you should be fine. Don't let others flying by you discourage you. Just stay in the right lane and if needed, keep your 4 ways on. If you feel that you're starting to become a hazard and impeding traffic flow. Pull over until you feel it is safe to continue. I cant speak for other carriers but as for fedex, they don't care if it takes you longer due to road conditions. Just keep them posted. I told them I wouldn't be at delivery until 9:30 (original time was 9:00) and they said no problem and extended it until noon. Even though I was only running a half hour late.
If anyone else has some good tips post them up. No such thing as too much information. Also, my engine brake was off at all times, as I feel it should have been. DRIVE SAFE!!
