I just finished 3 weeks of driving in Montana. Here's a short vid of my perspective

[A HERETIC I AM]

I have been an over-the-road trucker for over 30 years. I have driven an 18 wheeler in all of the lower 48 except Vermont (i just never had to go to Vermont! I’ve driven my car there, however!), 5 Canadian Provinces and up through the Yukon and into Alaska, and I have done this type of driving in all seasons and weather conditions.

What is happening right now is unique. It is extraordinary.

The weather nationwide is as unusual as I can remember in it’s totality of difficulty.

I am typing this from a hotel room in Salt Lake City, UT., on my way home to Jacksonville, FL. My company sent me to Butte, Montana 3 weeks ago to cover trips because they are short drivers. I took a bunch of photos and vids of the experience and when I get home. I’ll load them all up on hosting services and put together a post so you folks can get a small idea of what it was like.

I shot the following vid after spending 4 days dealing with a storm that was the worst Western Montana had seen all season, but by no means the worst they had ever seen. In fact, it was pretty much run of the mill, for the residents there.

But for me? It was unusual.

I did this video for my audience on Facebook, so I cropped it to remove the names of friends who don’t need to be mentioned here, but I share it because I make a point I honestly think people need to hear. As such, I apologize for the stilted beginning.

The folks out there right now sleeping in their trucks, in countless truck stops all across this country deserve our respect and thanks.

I know it is a bit tired to call everyone that works hard and does their job a “hero”...I get that. It is an often overused term, but many thousands of drivers who do this work year in and year out, the ones who never complain, who put tire chains on in the pitch dark and freezing cold at 2 am on a lonely road because the Green Peppers and other produce in the trailer have got to get to your grocery store.....


THOSE are the ones I applaud...

So this is me, in all my nearly 62 year old glory, lamenting about an experience from last week.

Kindly hear me out;



vimeo.com/512791760

[yonder]

1. What a great message. And nice to meet you!

We've run the Idaho/Colorado gauntlet (in a car) many, many times at this time of year. With weather, southern Wyoming's I-80 is always hairy and as bad as I've ever driven in. I'll doff my hat to you and your fellow drivers, whenever and wherever you're headed.

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. Thanks

Stay safe and warm!

[blm]

2. Heartfelt.

Flurg. 😁

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Stay save man.

Spent a few nights stuck in Blizzards on 212 in Western Minny. Just always hoped my Tank would not go dry. One hell of a experience,when that sun comes up and it looks like a Arctic Wasteland and all you see is buried Cars and Trucks as far as you can see in each direction.

[Nightowl]

5. Enjoyed Listening to Your Video

Just one thing. Not all drivers are guys.

Be safe out there

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. Part of the reason I recorded that....

Last edited Tue Feb 16, 2021, 06:16 AM - Edit history (1)

Was because I had just finished what should have been a 35 hour trip that took 4 days.

I broke down in Billings and sat for 14 hours until I was rescued by another driver who BOBTAILED a tractor, 400 miles in what was basically a blizzard, to rescue my ass.

And I’ll be forever grateful to Ms. Stacy for doing so.

Please don’t think for a second that merely because I didn’t use a feminine pronoun, I’m not aware of the existence of thousands of my own female coworkers.

[lunasun]

6. Whiteouts power outages ice and snow

Even local drivers have it hard right now in many states
I am in Chicago it is a driving mess out here right now
All have my respect and good thoughts for safe travels near and far
I will look for your photo experiences when you post

[denbot]

7. I just came off the road a couple of weeks ago.

I’m now admin working from home doing up dates, building load tenders, will be doing dispatch and load brokering in the near future. Took a pretty big hit from OTR, but it will pay off over time.

Stay safe, stay warm.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Thanks

Being able to sleep in your own bed every night, particularly one that isn’t vibrating has its appeal!

Best of luck with the new gig.

[denbot]

12. Thanks back at you.

After my first 9 months with CR-Thiefery, I started working for this company. I’ve been with them since the very first day of operations as a trucking company, born of a brokerage.

I just hit my 8th year with them, and I am glad as F, that I’m not out there right now. I’ll still do recovery on occasion, and when it’s time for a vacation, if there is a power unit available, the wife and I will sight see, umm, I mean run loads for a bit.

She was onboard for 1.5 years after her retirement, and we really enjoyed being on the road together, though she didn’t drive other than once attempting to back into a space along the back of an empty Loves parking lot. She barely got out of perpendicular to the slots. There were much fewer driving suggestions from her after that. LoL.

[Hekate]

10. Nice to see your face & hear your voice. Thanks for sharing a glimpse of your experiences...

Experiences that are so incredibly different from mine. Stay safe out there!

[A HERETIC I AM]

22. Thanks!

[mwooldri]

11. Thank you Sir.

Compared to you I'm a newbie (2 years come June). Had my first experience in the Northwest a couple of weeks ago (I 80 through Wyoming to Boise ID). I figured things would be a bit trickier than normal. Well I80 got shut down for a day when there were too many accidents in Laramie area. When it did open up the Interstate was closed to light high profile vehicles. My newbie ass worried about this since I was an empty flatbed. I needn't have worried the road was full of nothing but trucks and I bet some of those vans were empties. An interesting and beautiful experience.

Yesterday was weird though. Slip sliding in Gary IN of all places. Scared me enough to shut down and tell my managers I ain't picking up that day, as I've seen I-40 in and around Greensboro NC (my nearest big town in my adopted state) on a bad snow day and when we crept from a hospital in Winston Salem to a minivan for 5 miles and that to me was some scary stuff... And this to me was worse. One lane open, losing traction, got stuck at an intersection, traction control compensating like heck for wheel slippage. Got to the Petro and shut down. I'd been all of 10 miles...
Conditions improved later on but traffic was at 10 mph through Gary. I would have made it to my destination for loading at 8am this morning (it's nearly 2am now) but I got a killer headache and to be safe I shut down 90 miles away from the shipper.

I'm glad to hear you have chained up only twice, I was thinking it was just unusual (I've never chained up yet). Our company has impressed on us drivers that if one feels it's time to put on chains then it's time to park the truck and advise of the situation. I don't think hauling sheet glass and chains are compatible somehow.

Agreed, the drivers who run the Northwest are definitely hardier than me and other people who typically don't go that way. While I'm classified as "essential worker" sheet glass is not 100% essential. TP, food, USPS packages - that's essential stuff. Respect out to them drivers keeping the Northwest going.

Stay safe, keep it coloured side up and rubber side down.

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. Thanks for the kind words

I’ve been across I 80 through Chicago and Gary scores of times, and it can certainly get treacherous

Stay safe !

[GoneOffShore]

13. Glad to hear that you managed your experience well.

[A HERETIC I AM]

20. I appreciate that

Thanks

[GoneOffShore]

27. Long haul drivers here in Europe have been dealing with the bizarre winter weather a lot

And there was the whole mess in Kent and Calais just as Brexit happened with the whole Covid complications.

American drivers would really hate it in Europe, as top speed for 18 wheelers is 90km/h and when it's raining 80km/h.

[A HERETIC I AM]

28. In the 90's I worked for a racing engine manufacturer based in Northampton...

That built both IndyCar and F1 engines. I had the good fortune of being invited over for their Christmas party several times, and got to know their “truckie” pretty well.

The trans channel traffic is enormous as I have come to understand and I have seen various horror stories over the years about the issues those drivers have to deal with.

I’m sure BREXIT made everything a LOT smoother, ya?

LOL

[GoneOffShore]

36. Oh yeah, super smooh.

[malaise]

14. A truly great post

with a fascinating video. Seriously you folks are the real heroes.

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. Thanks!

[AwakeAtLast]

15. That was wonderful!

It is great to hear from an experienced person such as yourself! Thank you!

[A HERETIC I AM]

18. Thank you!

[ironflange]

16. Great post, thank you

And may I add, you are one well-groomed young fellow.

[A HERETIC I AM]

17. Awwwe...geeez!

:::::;shuffles feet nervously:::::

Thanks!

[ProfessorGAC]

23. Really Good Post!

My dad drove a semi, but not OTR.
He drove milk to supermarkets 5 days a week, so he was home every night.
Pretty different than what you do, aside from the vehicle being the same.
He always drove IH cabs.

[A HERETIC I AM]

24. Ahhh...the ol' corn binder!

It was said that driving an International through Kansas was tough because every time you went by a corn field, the truck wanted to make a hard
Turn and go to work!

[ProfessorGAC]

25. That's Funny!

He drove until the dairy closed when the co-ops in Michigan & Wisconsin cornered the market.
He lucked out, falling into a gig selling Buicks for 8 or 9 years before he retired.
He made more money doing that than driving and the dealership was a mile from home.
And, he really liked it. He was an extrovert. Probably where I got it.

[lucca18]

26. Thank you. I appreciate you.

We go shopping for food and merchandise, taking it for granted that it will be there for us.

All those long hours of driving, sometimes under dangerous conditions.
You all are amazing.

Thank you!

[Arazi]

29. Oh you!! ((Hug))

Coffee's on me next time you're coming thru!

Stay safe out there and keep the stories coming 🙋‍♀️

[A HERETIC I AM]

30. How very sweet!

You are so kind to say so!

[A HERETIC I AM]

31. I'm at Dulles, waiting to board for JAX

So, hopefully I’ll be in my own bed tonight!

Thanks for all the kind words and positive vibes everyone

I really do appreciate it.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

32. How much easier is it when people draft you?

In nearly every video clip the teevee shows during snowy weather, there's at least 1 semi with a car right on its tail. Looks like someone imitating NASCAR or like the trucker decided to tow the family SUV along.

Maybe tractors should come with backup cams so you can see if anything is driving under the trailer.

[A HERETIC I AM]

33. I don't like it when people do that at all...

So I am not sure how to answer your question!

It is extremely dangerous for that car for a couple reasons, the least of which is a blowout on a trailer tire.

Also, if there is an object in the roadway that I can straddle, it will suddenly appear in front of the car and possibly cause an accident.

The “Myth Busters” did a show about this idea and found that for any real gain in aerodynamic efficiency for the following vehicle, it had to be dangerously close to the leading vehicle.

So...don’t do it!

It amazes me how many times people do this, however. I just come off the cruise control and slow down to make them pass me.

I don’t want people to tailgate me at all.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

34. The consequences of tailgating make the evening news.

I'm always leaning back and mashing my foot on the floor every time they run "traffic reports". Too few people seem to understand reaction time and stopping distances. Add in some rain or snow or fog and the pileups can get spectacular.

I worked my way through high school changing tires on trucks and trailers. Back then, I thought truckers just liked to embellish their tales a bit. Dashcams and youtube reveal it's worse than they told.

[burrowowl]

35. Kick