The Unique Challenges of Winter Driving for Truckers

November 22, 2017 3:51 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The winter months, especially for drivers with cross-country routes, provide some of the most challenging driving truck drivers face. Because of this, it’s extremely important to take extra precautions, and to always make sure you’re prepared for the worst. This post will take a look at some of the unique challenges that winter driving poses to truckers, and offer some tips from us, your local truck repair shop in Wytheville, VA, for overcoming these challenges:

  • Icy roads: Obviously when we’re talking about the challenges of winter driving, most of what we’re talking about are the challenges of icy roads. Ice, snow and slush create horrendous driving conditions, which require extra precautions. Slow down. Only brake when you’re on a straightaway. The real challenge is when the road is frozen, but you can’t yet see the ice with your eyes. Sometimes black ice is unavoidable, but as a rule of thumb, always assume bridges are frozen in the extreme cold, even if you can’t see that they are.
  • Natural bunching of traffic: In winter weather it is important to avoid driving surrounded by other vehicles and trucks. The difficulty with this is that traffic has a tendency to naturally clump together, which means that, though we all try to avoid it in snow in case we lose traction, it is likely that we will end up bunched together at some point no matter what. In these situations, try to get as much space as you can between yourself and the person in front of you, and go slowly.
  • Slippery inclines and declines: Without a doubt, this is most people’s biggest headache. The best tips we have are to stay as straight as possible, use the least amount of speed that is necessary to get the job done and don’t drive in any other truck’s tracks. Other tracks tend to be more slippery than the road itself.
  • Trouble getting traction when pulling out: Another difficulty is simply pulling out of a snowy parking spot. If you’re going to be traveling a lot and your travels will take you into the snowy parts of the country, we suggest traveling with a little bit of gravel or cat litter, which, when placed under the tires, can really help you get a little bit more traction.
  • Excessive equipment wear and tear: The winter road creates extra wear and tear on many parts of your car. Your heater gets a workout that it doesn’t normally get. Your windshield wipers can get torn up working across icy windows. And the additional salt in the road can even cause rust issues in parts of your truck and undercarriage.

As a truck repair shop in Wytheville, VA with over 34 years of experience providing regular and emergency maintenance for local drivers, we know the challenges that winter can create. Even with good judgment, and following all of the best practices, there’s no controlling the actions of the people around you on the road. If you find yourself in need of repair services or emergency roadside assistance, please give us a call here at Complete Truck Service Inc. We will go above and beyond to get your truck back on the road, better than it ever was. We’ve made our name as a truck repair shop providing that type of next-level service.

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