Winter Driving - Brown Cafe

drewed · 10-13-2008, 03:58 PM

Snows upon us (here atleast) Im sure some of you guys have good tips/tricks and some interesting stories so please share.

New Englander · 10-13-2008, 04:09 PM

As a senior driver once told me. "I don't have any bad roads on my route." , "I have roads I don't service in the winter though."

It honestly had taken way too long for me to understand the importance of those words.

SumterCountyFlash · 10-13-2008, 04:16 PM

no snow here in Cen FL, shorts year round. but we have lots of "bad roads" that dont get serviced daily.. lol

wornoutupser · 10-13-2008, 04:18 PM

You have to be careful in Florida in the winter.

The population triples in my area and we seem to get the worse ones locally. No wonder Florida is called God's Waiting Room!

Ohh... you meant handling the snow. we dont have that here! YIPPEE!

SumterCountyFlash · 10-13-2008, 04:21 PM

ever heard of the villages? its gotta be gods emergency waiting room, and its getting pretty pretty full these days. the dont drive cars there, only golf carts.

fredly00 · 10-13-2008, 04:36 PM

Hey now, if there is one place I would want to live out my days The Villages would be it..
My parents are currently there(have been for 10 years) hopefully at least 10 more.

The villages has one of the most active senior populations I've ever seen.

As for driving in the snow... tap that gas on the new freightliners it makes turning around in cul de sac simple.

Fnix · 10-13-2008, 04:43 PM

Leesburg is senior capitol of South east I heard

UpstateNYUPSer · 10-13-2008, 04:46 PM

[quote=wornoutupser;413272]The population triples in my area and we seem to get the worse ones locally. No wonder Florida is called God's Waiting Room![quote]

We get to deal with the Quebec plates up here during the summer and you get to deal with them during the winter.

DS · 10-13-2008, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drewed

Snows upon us (here atleast) Im sure some of you guys have good tips/tricks and some interesting stories so please share.

Never ever attempt to drive up a street or back into a dock unless you are 100% sure you can get out.
Watch out for idiots driving too fast for the conditions.
Always have a good ice scraper on board.
Insure you have plenty fuel.
Dress warm...

wornoutupser · 10-13-2008, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SumterCountyFlash

ever heard of the villages? its gotta be gods emergency waiting room, and its getting pretty pretty full these days. the dont drive cars there, only golf carts.

I knew one of your old air drivers at the airport. It seems that most of your next days went to a hospital or were medical supplies!

Baba gounj · 10-13-2008, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wornoutupser

You have to be careful in Florida in the winter.

The population triples in my area and we seem to get the worse ones locally. No wonder Florida is called God's Waiting Room!

Ohh... you meant handling the snow. we dont have that here! YIPPEE!

Met a Miami driver once who had a desire to come north during his retirement years and do nothing but drive through the snow birds summer neighborhoods really really slow.

Box_Junkie · 10-13-2008, 06:38 PM

I always have good tire chains, ice scraper, and one of those little extendable shovels.

upshawk · 10-13-2008, 07:05 PM

Always keep a bag of grit right behind the driver seat
Keep a aluminum scoop shovel
On the real bad snowdays go pick up a few pkgs from one of your bulk pickup stops and load them on the floor on the back end to help your traction

softshoe · 10-13-2008, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drewed

Snows upon us (here atleast) Im sure some of you guys have good tips/tricks and some interesting stories so please share.

Snow chains, shovel, ice scraper for windshield, and sleeping bag that I have had to use to keep warm while I waited for a tow. These old relics that UPS have us drive break down real easy when the temperature get down near the Zero mark.

toonertoo · 10-13-2008, 08:25 PM

Call off, stay home....

upsgrunt · 10-13-2008, 08:28 PM

Remember: there is absolutely NOTHING in the back of that package car that is worth getting stuck and stranded for.

chev · 10-13-2008, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toonertoo

Call off, stay home....

Who can argue with that great logic.

Cementups · 10-13-2008, 08:46 PM

I just take my time. It will get there when it gets there.

soberups · 10-13-2008, 08:49 PM

The Portland, OR area is bad when it snows....it doesnt snow often or enough here for people to learn how to drive in it or be prepared, but it does snow often enough to really screw things up when it happens.

Part of my route is in a rural, hilly area that goes up about 1000 feet above the Willamette Valley. I can start my day out in the rain on the valley floor, but if I drive up one road for 10 minutes I will be in 6" of wet slushy snow. I have gotten really good at chaining up, sometimes I have to put them on and take them off several times in one day because they will break if you drive them on bare pavement for any length of time. I also have customers who are well aware of the fact that if there is any snow on the ground I will not even try getting up their driveway.

I have gotten stuck in the snow and been pulled out by a customers tractor on several occasions. There are enough farmers on my route with tractors or 4x4 pickups that I know I wont be stuck for long.

DS · 10-13-2008, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toonertoo

Call off, stay home....

when it snows 3 weeks straight you have to deal with it,go ahead and call in/but you know there will be 10 stops from the day before that the swing driver decided was too dangerous....

Cementups · 10-13-2008, 09:05 PM

You know, I only ever got stuck once onmy route I have now. It was in the summer. I got stuck between the driveway and a drainage ditch abouot 6 inches deep. but when i went to go my rear wheels were in loose gravel and ended up just digging a hole and leaving me stuck. Had to call a favor to a friend with a truck and chain to bail me out. I still owe him for that.

The mountain that I deliver on is pretty bad in the winter. If the call for a trace of snow in the whole Mid-State region it always ends up the same. No snow anywhere in the whole Mid-State......except........for my mountain....and it's a minimum of 6". My bosses thought I was lying till I took pictures and showed them the next day. I ran like 2.5 hours over and they thought I was out screwing off, sicne i usually run .5 over.

sortaisle · 10-13-2008, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soberups

The Portland, OR area is bad when it snows....it doesnt snow often or enough here for people to learn how to drive in it or be prepared, but it does snow often enough to really screw things up when it happens.

Part of my route is in a rural, hilly area that goes up about 1000 feet above the Willamette Valley. I can start my day out in the rain on the valley floor, but if I drive up one road for 10 minutes I will be in 6" of wet slushy snow. I have gotten really good at chaining up, sometimes I have to put them on and take them off several times in one day because they will break if you drive them on bare pavement for any length of time. I also have customers who are well aware of the fact that if there is any snow on the ground I will not even try getting up their driveway.

I have gotten stuck in the snow and been pulled out by a customers tractor on several occasions. There are enough farmers on my route with tractors or 4x4 pickups that I know I wont be stuck for long.

You have to work for the Tualatin center. Anyway, yeah Portland effectively shuts down when it snows. I don't miss the traffic when it snows either. I used to live in Vancouver, and I had to leave almost an hour and a half early to make it through the traffic there.

rod · 10-14-2008, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toonertoo

Call off, stay home....

All winter?

Actually I always enjoyed a good blizzard. Made for a little excitement. Give me a foot or 2 of snow anyday over a week of 25 below zero.

wornoutupser · 10-14-2008, 04:19 AM

Man, you guys talk about getting stuck in snow like we do getting stuck in the sand here!

UPS gave out "stick kits" a while back that had a small shovel and mats to put under the tires but someone got hurt by a flying mat and they took them away. We just scoop and scoop sand- then call anyone possible to come pull us if it is too deep. The local tow truck costs $250.00 for a tow! You cant avoid the bad spots on the rural runs!

HEFFERNAN · 10-14-2008, 04:20 AM

Sometimes if it forecasts for heavy snow later in the day, I break off and do all the tougher areas in the AM. You can't assume that area will be pulled off you when there is double the volume in those spots tomorrow. Plus at least, those areas will have the least amount of snow on the roads that time.
Our area, sometimes they have us deliver air with ground so we get the most off the fastest. There is no logic to when they do that, almost seems like they use a roullette wheel in the DM office.