I just emptied my trailer at a Walmart 40 miles north and the snow is falling hard......Empty trailer+NOOB+Icy roads=eye opening experience(sweating in the middle of the winter like a whore in church)

Good thing i just bought a laptop computer....

I am sitting here at a truck stop in southwest Ohio getting buried by the snow, what sucks worse is I have been driving a whopping 4 weeks and have been "snowed in" once in Kentucky, once in Indiana and now in Ohio.

I told dispatch I am not leaving till the roads are clear but from the sounds of things that might be a while...

 

If it is just snow, it should not be too bad driving. If you have ice mixed in, then it can be tricky, especially with an empty trailer. I would err on the side of caution when it comes to driving in snow or bad weather. If you are not comfortable driving in it, you would probably be better off sitting until roads clear. When driving in snowy conditions it is best to not make sudden movements. Doing so could cause you to begin a slide. A good dispatcher won't try to get you to run in conditions in which you are not comfortable. As you continue driving in different conditions, you should become more comfortable with your abilities. Even after more than 30 years of driving big trucks, I will shut it down if I m not comfortable with road conditions.

 

I agree 100% - if you don't feel comfortable driving in it, don't. If dispatch starts pressuring you to drive, send a message on the Qualcomm that you don't feel that it's safe to drive, then call the safety department.

Last year I dropped a trailer on the coast of Maine somewhere past Bangor. I had to bobtail to New Hampshire to pick up an empty. Well, it was fine until I got caught in the last big storm of last year and had no choice but to stop.

I called dispatch and explained (figured it'd be easier to explain in person), but they told me that I had to keep rolling to keep the next pickup. So, I told them ok, I would. Instead, I sent a message on the Qualcomm that the roads were unsafe to drive on (6"+ of snow and now it's turning into ice). Within a few minutes I had a rescheduled pickup time(which they said couldn't be done when I was on the phone with them).

 

4 weeks is too soon and you have every right to be cautious. I was laughing with you not at you when I read this because I just got back from Columbus with an empty set of doubles and I was sweating on a couple of occasions too. Oh but its just so much fun! :lol:

 

They couldn't dodge the hard copy of what you sent them.

 

Don't forget it's your record and your personal safety at risk here.

Ignore the CB, Ignore your dispatcher and ignore what the "super truckers" are doing out there. You made the right call. It is better to sit than to get into a crash and muck up your DAC or worse.

IMHO, you made the right call sitting this one out.

 

Management/Dispatch will almost always try to push you.

When I was still on the extra board (on call) I was once written up for refusing to come in and work after they had inverted my schedule in the middle of the week and I had not slept for 20+ hrs.

As I explaied to mgmt. my priorties were:

1) Dont do anything that will hurt self or others.

2) Maintain clean driving record

3) Keep them happy.

As long as you take care of 1 & 2 you can always find another gig.

 

Don't forget about numba 3 8)

 

Bottom line is you are responsible for your truck and safety. Do not let them pressure you, if you have an accident they sure as hell will not stand behind you.

 

come on now they will stand so far behind him he wont even see them and as far as they possibly can saying anything they can to cover their assets.