dealing with snow

A

Anonymous GearJammer

Guest
Yesterday it took 2 hrs. and 15 mins. to drive 16 miles due to the snow and the rerouting of traffic because of the 35W bridge collapse back in August, thats an average speed of 7 mph.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
i will take 115 over 15 any day. i can handle the heat fine but i cant handle being cold.
Im with ya there. I might say, "geez its hot", but then I dump some ice on my head.
When its cold, your fingers are split, stepping in and out of the vehicle is a major challenge, and it hurts everytime you slide your door open or closed, and you got too many clothes on to move, and you havent seen the sun in days, I just wanna cry.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
Im with ya there. I might say, "geez its hot", but then I dump some ice on my head.
When its cold, your fingers are split, stepping in and out of the vehicle is a major challenge, and it hurts everytime you slide your door open or closed, and you got too many clothes on to move, and you havent seen the sun in days, I just wanna cry.
besides that- most everybody looks better in shorts. :happy2:
 

FromBluetoBrown

Well-Known Member
We had a little bit of snow last night. Roads in the metro DC area were a sheet of ice. I finished the preload this morning and was leaving about the same time the drivers were and I was behind a package car on the main road in front of the building and all of the sudden his back end went around and he went off the road and went up on the curb. I went to put on my brakes and I started to slide and hit the curb right next to him. I went and made sure he was ok and I managed to get myself out and moving again. Makes for fun times.
 

Big Babooba

Well-Known Member
We had a little bit of snow last night. Roads in the metro DC area were a sheet of ice. I finished the preload this morning and was leaving about the same time the drivers were and I was behind a package car on the main road in front of the building and all of the sudden his back end went around and he went off the road and went up on the curb. I went to put on my brakes and I started to slide and hit the curb right next to him. I went and made sure he was ok and I managed to get myself out and moving again. Makes for fun times.
You haven't lived until you've spun a P 1000 around:surprised::surprised::surprised::surprised:It gets the blood flowing.
-
 

IDoLessWorkThanMost

Well-Known Member
Last year they kept us out in a blizzard. Worst driving conditions I've ever seen. I didn't dare stop the truck or go into any parking lots. Never would have gotten going again. I drove around a large block for hours. Round and round and round.
My shop steward was so pissed he quit the safety committee. They talk so much about safety, but to keep us out in that blizzard....
They took chances with our lives.


Yep, Feb 14th. That storm sucked, alot...I wouldn't call it a blizzard, though. I skipped out of work and went bowling that day because I knew it'd be friend'd up at work. :devil3:
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
I don't see what the problem is?

You chain up and do what you can do. If it looks too iffy? You pass on it that day.

My FAVORITE days are the days we are delivering in the process of the storm happening. I can run my chains all day with no worry of burning them up too much on the pavement.
 

tups

Well-Known Member
I don't see what the problem is?

You chain up and do what you can do. If it looks too iffy? You pass on it that day.

Tell that to our management teams.... We get the following message Monday morning after a storm we had here in the Northeast.

"If a road looks too icy to drive to your stops on, park the truck and walk them off" Then after calling over 9.5 because some of us had to walk stops down streets, we get the 'Need you to make 9.5' message. Jeez.

180 days and counting......
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
Were you in chains?

There are very very few roads and I'm talking like class 4's that with chains you can't drive on in snow conditions.
 

RockyRogue

Agent of Change
There are very very few roads and I'm talking like class 4's that with chains you can't drive on in snow conditions.

Truth, VTBrown. Last Peak, I was handed off to another driver late one day. We got to talking about snow since our FIRST blizzard was roaring towards Denver. He told me that about 6 years before, there was something like 18 inches of fresh snow on the ground and drivers were dispatched. He chained up with help before leaving the HUB. He made it to his area with no problem. I think he was working downtown at the time. Most roads hadn't been plowed yet and were covered in 18 inches of snow but getting around was no problem. If I remember correctly, he described it as feeling more like "coasting" than driving. Ahhhh....I'm WAITING for our first blizzard. The two previews we've had haven't been good. Our main north-south interstate (I-25) was backed up for 20 miles because of two accidents less than 3 miles apart by the second one! GET OFF THE PHONE, YOU MORONS!!! -Rocky
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
I'm obviously from hilly Vermont.....When I chain up in a storm, I drive up almost 99% of my driveways that have not even been plowed yet. P500 through P1000. I've missed in bad storms maybe 10 stops in 4 years - most due to management forcing us in as they will not come get our air or outbound.

Some guys miss 20 to 30 a storm. :knockedout:

Now...it's the days where there is not enough snow to warrant the chains that suck!

Though most drivers have drops for customers - so again, it's not a real issue.
 

Cementups

Box Monkey
Or you have P7's like mine where we have been told that we are not allowed to use chains on. Instead tehy give us these spike strips to use in case you get stuck somewhere.
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
Or you have P7's like mine where we have been told that we are not allowed to use chains on. Instead tehy give us these spike strips to use in case you get stuck somewhere.

I've been driving a P7 for quite sometime now. I just got me new set of chains straight from our center manager as mine from last season finally broke a link due to wear on them.

We have 5 or 6 P7's running and all have chains for them.

In fact....we just got 20 sets of chains in this season for maybe 31 or 33 routes this peak.
 
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