‘Tis the Season of Black Ice and Chained Tires

By Reagan Payne

Drivers and their families alike want them to stay safe on the roads this icy season. Not only does safe driving protect the cargo and cabin, but each of the countless cars passing by on the highway.

There are plenty of preventative measures to take before the wheels even begin rolling. Keeping a windshield from fogging can seem like a lost art, but experienced drivers swear by keeping all the heat directed to the floorboards. Heat contradicting the freezing wind hitting the glass is the recipe for fog; a simple heat redirection can solve it. This tip can keep your windshield clear for all the miles ahead.

Also, a truck’s tire color says a lot about how it will perform on the road. A dull grey tire with sticking snow will do surprisingly well; if the tires are shiny and black like the pavement we all try to avoid, it might be time to add some chains for extra traction. All-season tires should be replaced if the tread wears down to less than 2/32 of an inch. Tires are a truck’s first contact with the road; make sure it sticks.

Along with tire pressure, battery power also drops with the temperature. Routine battery checks are always important, but especially now.

Driving in the snow can be like driving blind. Increasing your following distance and being especially cautious on those highway ramps is critical; ramps are often the last part of the road to be salted in these conditions.

Some of these tips can seem obvious. Nonetheless, they are worth mentioning. As a general rule, slow down. “The faster you drive in snow or on ice the further you will have to walk to get back to the road,” driver Larry Taubmann told HireMaster. He is a driver kept safe by his own rule for 35 years. Taubmann also mentioned how much easier it is to explain a late load than a load that never arrives.

Iowa Motor Truck Association and the National Safety Council offer additional tips for wintery driving. Among those already mentioned, these groups urge drivers to add wiper fluid cleared for use to minus-30 degrees. They also encourage keeping the gas tank at least half-full to prevent gas line freeze. This can be difficult when trying to maintain a steady pace and not stop so often, but a gas line freeze could stop you in your tracks.

Worst-Case Prep

If somehow none of these work out in a driver’s favor, it is best to be prepared for the worst. Food, water, and a cold-weather sleeping bag is the most basic emergency pack to keep a driver alive until help is on the scene or until it is safe to keep moving. In the worst-case scenario, a camping toilet might even be a driver’s best friend. With disposable bags complete with odor-neutralizing properties, a driver might find almost all the comforts of home stranded in a tractor cab.

Reagan Payne is a staff writer for Wright Media. She can be reached at rpayne@wrightmediacorp.com