tips for winter hauling

In an industry where safety is key all year round, there’s no better time than now to put your best safety methods into practice. Slick roads, harsh storms and extra traffic are inevitable during the holiday season and can challenge any driver’s capabilities. While we are proud to have some of the best professionals out there, it never hurts to freshen up on some critical safety practices to help face the frigid months.

“Knowledge and implementation of proper, preventative safety skills for driving in poor conditions, can truly separate the professional drivers from the rest of the pack” an article from Smart-Trucking said.

Before leaving the terminal, check your truck. Tanks and trailers should be in pristine condition to handle the weather. Inspect the following to verify everything is up to par:

• Tire pressure
• engine oil
• antifreeze levels
• windshield wipers
• washer fluid

If need be, dislodge snow from your windshield and windows, hood, roof, and lights. Because winter weather causes increased unpredictability on the road, it’s best that you and your rig are ready for anything.

Once you get on the road, the Smart-Trucking article said to use tail lights as a gauge for following distance. When visibility is low and you can see the tail lights of the car in front of you, you are driving too close. Because traction on icy roads is poor, staying at a safe distance from other vehicles and maintaining cautious speeds gives you a time to react if things go awry.

Another tip from Smart-Trucking is to always carry a bag of kitty litter. It’s an environmentally friendly and effective method for gaining traction if you park on a patch of ice and get stuck.

Also, recognize that with frozen conditions comes the infamous black ice. Deceptively similar to water, black ice is transparent and easy to miss. According to an article by Ryder Fleet Products, the best way to pinpoint black ice is to look at your truck and surrounding terrain. If ice begins to build on the outside mirror arms, the antenna, or top corners of the wind-shield, it’s possible there is black ice on the road. If water spray from vehicles tires in front of you suddenly stops, it could mean there are ice patches on the road.