[Follow traffic news: Get TTNews in your inbox. ]

As the seasons change and the temperature drops, the unpredictability of winter is the only certainty faced by truck drivers, and their routes may bear the brunt of the blizzard. Since preparations are the best defense against inclement weather, wintering vehicles is an important part of maintenance and safety.

Most fleets usually start preparations in September or early October. Ideally, wintering should begin at the beginning of the season; however, this process should continue throughout the winter.

"Once you stop using the air conditioning, you should start anti-freezing your vehicle. This will change year by year," said Dennis Davis, Prime Inc.'s safety director, adding that the fleet began to discuss wintering issues around Labor Day.

For the upcoming winter, the emergency kit recommendations include jumper cables; fuel additives; and an ignited extension cord to plug in an electric heating block to help keep the engine warm. (Prime Inc.)

Prime Inc. is ranked 18th in the top 100 transportation themed list of the largest rental operators in North America.

Most fleets provide driver safety training throughout the year, but as winter approaches, this training is particularly important.

Nathan Smith, senior vice president of equipment and property at JB Hunt, is responsible for all maintenance of all of its facilities nationwide, including more than 18,000 company-owned tractors and 139,000 trailers.

JB Hunt is ranked 4th in the TT 100.

"We send messages to drivers every week, telling them some tips," Smith said. "We have maintenance reminders every week; we start to remind them that winter is coming and make sure they have the right equipment on their trucks."

He pointed out that driver education is an important part of fleet safety training. Drivers are encouraged to seriously improve their training and understand, for example, how the heating block works, or how and when to add additives to the fuel to prevent gelation.

Smith said it is also essential that drivers have the proper equipment to prepare for any situation on the road. For the driver’s personal safety and comfort, this includes warm clothes; blankets; hats, gloves and scarves; food and water; and fully charged mobile phone batteries. For the truck itself, he recommended jumper cables; fuel additives; ignited extension cords plugged into electric block heaters to help keep the engine warm; good wiper blades; ice scrapers; salt and ice melted.

In winter, as the temperature drops and rolling resistance increases, tires lose pressure. Elements such as rain, snow and slush will increase the rolling resistance of the tire. (JB Hunter)

"We have a fleet support team of more than 150 people who handle breakdowns for drivers 24/7, with the goal of responding to any driver within 1 minute and 10 seconds," Smith said. “We check with drivers every 30 minutes to make sure they are in good condition, and to notify them and provide them with the latest information when they need help. We don’t want anyone to be excluded in the winter when there is no lifeline.”

In addition to the 20 to 25-foot jumper cables, Prime's Davis also recommends high-quality flashlights, insulated shoes, refrigerators with food and water, and odorless cat litter to provide traction in an emergency. In Prime, all drivers can contact maintenance consultants 24 hours a day on the road, and the company provides professional maintenance courses for drivers.

Day & Ross Senior Maintenance Supervisor Matt Trites, headquartered in Hartland, New Brunswick, said that in addition to drivers, prepare trucks for all kinds of bad weather for them and others on the road. The safety of drivers is of paramount importance. "We live and breathe preventive maintenance," he said.

Day & Ross ranked 31st in the TT 100.

The correct preparation of various elements for the truck is essential for the safety of the driver and other roads. (Dai and Ross)

Trites recommends that drivers install new wipers this season and make sure they have spares during the trip. With the new technology and new functions of today's equipment, basic items such as wipers will be ignored, but as the seasons change, it is always a good time to ensure that they work properly.

"If there is a trace of cracks or wear, it is best to replace the blade. In winter, you will need these to remove snow and ice from the windshield," Tritus said. "If you can't see the windshield clearly, it will put you in a very, very dangerous place."

Most maintenance professionals agree that the truck battery needs to be in good working condition and needs to be kept charged; the battery is easy to freeze when it is not fully charged, and extreme cold pressure will cause the battery to lose most of its power. The driver may fire a few more times than usual to start the engine, which will obtain energy from the battery. Therefore, before winter comes, the battery should be tested for performance and ensure that all connections are safe. In addition, the tires must be in good working condition and in good condition.

"Tires must have good tread depth; we recommend aggressive treads in terms of traction; good traction tires that still have a lot of tread patterns on the tires are essential for driving on snow in winter," Trites Say.

Although most trucks have hydraulic brakes, other trucks are equipped with air brakes. These brakes are equipped with an air tank, which contains the compressed air required to activate the air brake. They usually collect liquid condensate and need to be drained.

Ideally, drivers should empty the gas tank to remove condensate all year round, but in winter, this is even more important-otherwise, the condensate will turn into ice. Trites recommends doing this every day.

"Yes, it is a chore, but it is much easier to crawl down to empty the tank than to sit on the side of the road, because it will freeze," he said.

Matt Wiedmeyer, Fleet Advantage fleet service director, said that bad weather causes the trucking industry to the north to cost 3.5 billion dollars every year.

"Fuel economy and truck performance can be challenging, especially in winter, for many reasons. Winter diesel contains less paraffin to prevent gelation [paraffin is a source of British thermal units]," he said. "Cooler ambient temperatures reduce engine efficiency and increase air resistance [a drop of 10 degrees Fahrenheit is equal to a 2% increase in air resistance]. As temperature drops and rolling resistance increases, tires lose pressure. In addition, rain, snow, and melting snow all increase The rolling resistance of the tire."

Wiedmeyer also pointed out that cold water can significantly cool tires as well as gearbox and rear axle lubricants. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, this resulted in a reduction of 0.2 to 0.3 miles per gallon of gasoline. Headwind/crosswind also affects mpg (10 mph wind equals a 13% drop in mpg).

"In addition, trucks usually increase idle time and reduce the use of cruise control in winter, resulting in a further decline in fuel economy," Wiedmeyer said.

Due to shortages related to the pandemic, some fleets have partnered with third parties, such as TrucBrush, for winter maintenance. (TrucBrush)

The pandemic-related shortages in the industry are everywhere, which is why some companies have contracted with third parties for winter maintenance. Day & Ross uses a hybrid model-a combination of in-house technicians and third parties, but even before the pandemic, the company has been using auxiliary suppliers because there are 3,800 trucks in the fleet, which is too big to complete all in-house Work. Similarly, JB Hunt's internal maintenance is usually 85%.

Smith pointed out that the key is to prepare as early as possible, pay attention to the weather, ensure that the truck has the right tools and supplies, and take the time to ensure that the truck is ready.

"In terms of safety, the driver will be the ultimate decision maker," he said. "If it's not safe, I don't want him or her on the road, even if they have the best equipment."

Prime’s Davis said, first of all, drivers need to take care of themselves.

"We will not operate in inclement weather. If you persist, we will gain nothing, no trophies, no additional remuneration or rewards," he said. "The only thing you have outside is the risk of an accident."

Want more news? Listen to today’s daily briefing below or go here for more information:

950 N Glebe Road Suite 210, Arlington, VA 22203