Taking Care Of Your Truck On Winter Hauls

Truck On Winter Hauls

The days are shorter and colder, but that doesn’t mean work stops. As a trucker, your job is important 365 days a year, which means you need to find ways to keep you and your truck in good shape during the winter months. With the extra challenges that inclement weather poses when there’s potential for ice, it can be hard to know how to prepare yourself before and during bad weather.

To help you stay safe, we here at White’s International Trucks have put together some of our favorite winter hauling tips for commercial truckers. If you want more advice or information, or you’re on the market for a truck to add to your fleet, contact any of our seven locations across the great state of North Carolina. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will help find what you need at the prices you want!

Essentials

Preparing yourself and your truck for winter means collecting all the right tools you’ll need to get out of tough situations. We’ll list a few of the essentials below, but we recommend asking around at your stops to build on what we’ve put together. More experienced truckers, or truckers with specialized experience, might have their own tips on how to make it through the winter.

  • Winter wiper blades. These will be larger and sturdier than your average windshield wipers, which will help handle heavy rain or snow. They’re also designed to prevent ice accumulation, which can damage your windshield and blades.
  • Specialized fluids. Any fluids your truck uses will need to be swapped out or added to with winter-specific fluids, from washer fluid to engine oil and more. You need fluids with a low freezing point to avoid trying to run your truck on solids instead. 
  • Fuel treatment. This is implied in the last tip, but is worthy of specific mention. Regular fuel will gel and congeal in cold weather, so treat it with special chemicals to lower its freezing point.
  • Jumper cables. Batteries die faster in cold weather, making them a common winter hazard. Make sure you have a good set of jumper cables in your toolkit. Even if you don’t need it, a fellow trucker you meet at a stop might.
  • Windshield scrapers and snow brushes. Clearing ice and snow from your windows and hood by hand can help you get moving faster.
  • Extra blankets and clothes. These are to help keep you running in cold weather even if your truck’s having no problem. Keep yourself cozy with extra layers.

Naturally, you’ll want gear that you bring in other seasons as well, like an emergency toolkit and first aid kit. 

Your Tires

An overwhelming number of big rig accidents are due to tire failure and skidding. This becomes even more dangerous in icy or inclement weather. Your tires can be equipped to handle these conditions a bit better, though, using the following tips:

  • Winter Tires. These are designed for better traction in cold and icy weather. This means you don’t need to add anything to your tires for traction assistance, though replacing the tires entirely can be expensive.
  • Chains and Cables. These are good to have on hand in general, and sometimes you’ll need them at just a moment’s notice. Even if you’re just getting through a particularly snowy area, they can be put on easily enough. Laying them on the ground without attaching them can also help you get out of a sticky situation.
  • Cat Litter. A bottle of cat litter can be a compact, clean way to get a bit of extra traction under your tires if you end up stuck. 

Keep Up With Maintenance

This applies to your tires as well, but also your truck as a whole. Regular service can help prevent breakdowns on the road and ensure that you’re working with safe equipment. This is a pretty good tip for the entire year, since skipping maintenance can result in issues that start to mess with your business. The sooner you find and fix a problem, the sooner you’ll get back to safe hauling. 

When In Doubt, Pull Over

One of the most important things is to never put yourself and others in unnecessary danger. Your deadline is not as important as your wellbeing and life, or the wellbeing and lives and those around you. If you don’t think it’s safe to be driving your rig, pull over. If the weather’s bad enough, consider booking an overnight stay nearby until roads are cleared. This is especially vital if you’re traveling through a flooded area or mountain pass. 

Winter trucking can be dangerous, but so long as you go about it in a smart and safe way, your business doesn’t need to be put on hold. If you want to know more, or you’re looking to browse the trucks we have for sale, contact us at White’s International Trucks. We proudly serve the great state of North Carolina—let us serve you today!