A row of semi-trucks
You’ve got a delivery scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Your schedule is riding close to the caps in place to keep fatigued drivers off the road. Although you know that you’ll make it there on time if the weather cooperates, it could be problematic if you encounter severe conditions.
It’s no secret that professional truck drivers can experience a broad range of weather conditions while on the road. This issue can take them from a sunny day in the foothills to ten feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada range in an hour.
If you’re on the road, you’ll see truckers driving through tornado warnings, head-on into a blizzard, or through a blinding rainstorm because of their responsibilities. Weather can cause significant accidents, delays, highway closures, and inconvenience, impacting the paycheck.
How can truck drivers know how to deal with the conditions they face on the road? By knowing where to obtain meteorological data, the drive can be a safer experience.
What Truckers Can Do When Poor Weather Conditions Occur
Although it might be tempting to blast through a snowy road or forge ahead when strong crosswinds exist, no cargo or paycheck is more valuable than your life. Truckers need to think about themselves first.
If the conditions are unsafe for driving, the best advice is to pull over until the weather improves enough to continue the journey.
Several weather hazards exist that impact how truck drivers operate their rigs, and some of them aren’t always thought about while driving. Here are the most severe conditions that you’d want to avoid.
- Driving through the Midwestern states can put you in the path of a severe thunderstorm. At certain points during the year, there’s enough turbulence for a tornado to appear. When a warning gets issued for where you are, it is better to seek shelter than to continue because the winds are strong enough to lift the rig, trailer, and cargo.
- High Temperatures. When it gets hot outside, the road surface temperature can get high enough to melt the rubber from the tires. These conditions can also overheat the engine. Drivers may need to exit the highway to let things cool before continuing.
- Freezing Rain. The issue with sleet is that it looks like rain when it is falling, but the impact on the highway creates ice. That means the driving conditions become unpredictable until you get past the weather system. It is often better to pull over and wait in those circumstances.
- Strong crosswinds across a highway can blow a truck off the road. Some areas see this issue consistently, as you’ll see warning signs alerting drivers to the dangers in the area.
When you face a snowy road as a trucker, you can throw on your chains and proceed safely if the passage is cleared enough for vehicles.
Instead of dealing with these unpleasant surprises as they occur, you can think about what is coming by obtaining the meteorological data for the times and places you’ll be in the truck.
Best Ways to Get Meteorological Data on the Road
About one-fifth of vehicle crashes in the United States are related to the current weather conditions. Not only can this issue affect how fast you can drive, but it also impacts your personal safety when complex issues develop. [1]
Hundreds of different trip-planning apps and websites, including local radar and weather reports, exist online or are available for download. Finding the right way to obtain meteorological data can be a different process for each driver, but these resources ensure that you get the information you need.
1. Morecast Weather Forecast App
This tool allows you to factor in the weather forecast for your selected route. By charting what to expect while hauling, you’ll know what to plan for at each step of the trip. Downloading the Weather Forecast, Radar, and Widget App from Morecast allows drivers to access a “Navigate” option. Just enter your stops and final destination to get the info you want.
The app even gives you the option to get side-by-side forecasts for two locations up to 14 days in advance.
2. NWS Enhanced Data Display Website
This website from the National Weather Service provides multiple information points for drivers to consider across the continental United States. When you first access the site, you’ll receive a blank map. You can toggle several choices on or off to the right sidebar to get the driving info you need.
If you toggle the Radar option, you’ll get a complete picture of the current weather conditions across the country. From there, you can zoom in at any time to see what to expect. Drivers with a data connection could stop to check this info from a mobile device before starting the next leg of their journey.
You can also see hazards, river conditions (for flooding), storm reports, and even webcams.
3. Receive Wireless Emergency Alerts
The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system allows a driver with a compatible mobile device to receive text-like messages that alert of imminent safety threats in the area. You can set your cellphone to receive this information. [2]
The WEA system provides Amber Alerts about missing children, imminent safety threats, recommendations for saving lives and property, or specific declarations sent by the government.
Some drivers don’t want to activate this system because they believe it enables tracking. WEA works by pushing messages out to cell towers in specific geographic locations.
If an activated device is in range of this information, it’ll trigger the news with a specific alert.
Truckers can use this system to receive timely warnings for flash floods, dust storms, tornados, extreme wind events, tsunamis, and more.
4. Weather Channel App
This free app provides an interactive radar feature. Although it isn’t as convenient as some other options, drivers can change the settings in the software to receive the current weather conditions for where they are.
If you click or tap on the map, there is an option to add different information layers to the information presented. You can see lightning strikes, cloud presence, wind speed, temperature, and even the dew point.
You can receive future radar information for the next six hours in advance with the free version. Upgrading to a paid account gives you up to 24 hours of future radar and 48 hours of expected precipitation.
5. Interactive Radar Websites
Most local TV stations provide updated local radar information with interactive features. Although this option isn’t always helpful on a smartphone, you could access it with a tablet or PC with little difficulty.
If you follow the same route as a trucker, you can bookmark the links to the local TV websites you prefer. Since the site design can be variable, the best choices to use while driving are those that put the radar information on the home page, above the fold, with a direct link to it.
Here are some examples of the information you can find when using this method to obtain meteorological data.
What to Do When Severe Weather Occurs While Driving
Can truckers drive safely in every type of severe weather?
Although a rig has more weight and capability than a standard passenger vehicle, some conditions are too extreme for anyone to be on the road. You might be able to handle a snowy road better with chains as a trucker, but a car might manage strong crosswinds more effectively.
Here are some precautions to take if you find yourself in severe weather, whether you knew it was coming or not, by obtaining advanced meteorological data.
Reduce Your Speed
Bridges and overpasses tend to experience freezing conditions before the rest of the highway. Recognizing where these areas could be slick by taking it slow and avoiding sudden direction or speed changes can keep you pointed in the right direction.
Keep the Windows Clear
Visibility is a crucial component of driving any vehicle. When you’re working as a CDL driver, you need to keep those windows clear to ensure that you can see everything in the road ahead. Turn on your lights, crank the heat on the defroster, and use your wipers expeditiously. If you cannot see after taking these steps, it’s better to pull over.
Be Patient with the Miles
Whether you’re driving through fog, blinding sideways rain, or enough snow that it feels like you’re getting the Star Wars effect through the windshield, it helps to add more time to your schedule. When booking the route or connecting with the pickup or delivery, be honest about what you’ll encounter and how much time it might take to arrive safely. Leave room for stoppages.
As a final safety step, please remember that the radio can be a useful resource for local weather and traffic updates. Truckers can drive through plenty of severe weather conditions, but no one is 100% invulnerable. Safety should always be the priority.
[1] https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/q1_roadimpact.htm
[2] https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea
