Truck Topics

Into the Orange Barrel Wonderland

Driving through highway construction is like a journey through another world - an orange barrel wonderland.

Highway construction is among the worst problems drivers face: dangerous road conditions, spectacular backups, itís in every large city, and in some areas, it occurs year round.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, we had about 2.5 million miles of paved roadway in 2000, and about 30 percent of city interstates and 15 percent of country interstates were in "mediocre" or "poor" condition.

That's a lot of highway, and when that gets fixed, more will have worn out and need repair. Truckers and four-wheelers alike complain about construction zones.

When the state and federal departments of transportation put the road-repair money out there, it has to be used right away, or it's going to be lost. In the long run the construction is going to make things easier for us.

Road construction is never going to end, so job one for drivers who fume about construction is a new attitude. The massive traffic tie-ups and dangerous road conditions in and around construction zones are nothing more than normal truck driving: an unpleasant but permanent chapter in the job description. Getting angry about it makes no sense.

"Everybody gets into construction," long-time owner-operator Bob Martinson says. "If you get excited, park it. If you can't handle it, get out of driving because you're in the wrong line of work."

Construction zone traffic can be less of a problem if it's handled professionally. Drivers can locate construction zones ahead of time and, with common-sense trip planning, avoid them, or drive through them during low-traffic hours.

Easier said than done, you say. An expediter is often on a tight time schedule and can't always choose the time he might drive into construction areas. Or, he might not have enough spare time to re-route his path to avoid those areas.

True enough, but that's when pre-trip planning becomes more important. Pick the right time to go through construction. Avoid the rush hours, and try to get through there at night - you'll save yourself a lot of aggravation. Sit back and figure an alternate route. Check on conditions ahead of time.

Martinson uses his radio, mostly. "I listen to the local news on XM all the time," he says. "It really helps out. They'll give reports on the traffic through construction."

Another fast, easy way to get construction reports is from state departments of transportation by phone.

Other states have the same service and in most of the larger cities youíll find that some type of similar service with up-to-date information is in place.

Near the front of its Motor Carrierís Road Atlas, Rand McNally lists phone numbers and web sites for road condition and construction information in every state, Mexico and Canada.

Your GPS unit or routing software will probably have the up-to-date roadwork information you need and it's right at your fingertips.

Possibly the old-fashioned way is the best way to get highway construction information - from either the CB or in truckstops. Fellow drivers will have the kind of information youíll need in detail, from which lane moves the fastest to tight corners and low-hanging branches on detours.

Driving through construction at night, or at least during off-peak traffic hours, is usually faster, safer and much less stressful, but donít become complacent. Nighttime construction traffic has dangers all its own.

"There are a lot more collisions during the day, but they're not as severe," says a Florida State Trooper. During the day there's more traffic, but it moves slower, he says. Motorists tend to drive faster through construction zones at night because the thinner traffic gives a false sense of security.

There's usually more construction activity at night than less, he says. "You're more likely to have dump trucks and road equipment pulling out in front of you at just about dead stop."

The floodlights at construction sites can at best ruin your night vision and at worst momentarily blind you, and at night itís easier to lose track of brake and running lights among flashing barricades and directional signs. Besides that, dump buckets and bulldozers kick up vision-obscuring dust.

A construction-zone accident involving hazmat cargo will paralyze an entire city whether itís day or night. Drivers hauling hazmat should ratchet their safety procedures up several notches for construction zones.

When there are no reasonable alternate routes, or logistics scheduling requires driving through construction zones during peak traffic hours, try a few basic techniques to increase safety, decrease stress and get through the construction without incident.

First, keep planning ahead. Construction zone traffic moves slower. If itís rush hour, you might be creeping along for miles. Depending on the time of day and traffic conditions, allow yourself plenty of extra time to get through the construction.

Ironically, some drivers think construction zones are good places to catch up if theyíre running late.

They try to make up for lost time and the simple fact is a driver is not going to make up the 30 minutes he's behind by speeding through a 15-mile construction zone, says Martinson.

Allowing extra time for construction traffic helps with another construction-zone driving technique: keeping emotions on an even keel.

If you go into construction mad about the backup or something else, your common sense goes right out the window, and youíre ready for a conflict.

Calm, considerate, defensive driving is best for all under normal conditions; itís doubly best in construction-zone traffic.

The consideration should extend to a well maintained, smooth-running vehicle as well.

As you approach construction, do a quick, rolling check on all systems. Donít go into a construction zone if your engine is sputtering, for example. In fact, state laws prohibit vehicles from stopping in construction-zone traffic lanes for any reason, even an accident.

But even slowing down and increasing following distance are not always enough to get you safely through construction.

"Comply with whatever the advisements and directionals say," our State Trooper friend says. "The DOT is really strict about having arrow boards and warnings. The information is there. It's just a matter of paying attention to it instead of dealing with distractions," he says.

Distractions cause a lot of accidents, so when you're in a construction zone keep your mind on the road. That means no phones, food, coffee, changing the radio station, switching CDs, lighting cigarettes, or staring at billboards, other motorists or crazy drivers.

Merge ramps with no shoulders in construction zones during peak traffic hours are highly treacherous. Motorists have trouble merging anyway, but without the shoulder to bail out, the danger is intensified exponentially.

Give motorists plenty of room to handle this situation. Even in the center lane, be ready for vehicles on the right to suddenly cut over as they are encroached upon by merging vehicles with no place else to go.

Besides other motorists, watch for construction workers, too. Their minds are on their jobs, so it's up to you to watch out for them. Construction workers commonly step very close to or directly into traffic, and they might be at fault for that. But, it's your job to cover for his/her mistakes.

Stay calm, but get more focused on your job when taking your truck into construction.

Other motorists will always try to get ahead of traffic by racing up in the lane thatís closing and cutting in at the front. This blatantly selfish behavior angers some drivers, but thereís nothing to be done.

Besides being quintessentially rude, racing ahead in the closing lane is also dangerous and unprofessional; courtesy is the rule.

Remember, you're the professional.