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Feb 4, 2016

Dozens of semis were stranded in Sioux Falls, S.D. * USA

* South Dakota - Storm puts the brakes on the trucking industry


-- All those closures and cancellations brought the trucking industry in the area to a stand-still... Dozens of semis were stranded in Sioux Falls... Many drivers found shelter from the storm at the Flying J gas station... Trucks parked side by side in long rows, as drivers prepared to stay the night... State officials have closed Interstate 29 from Tea Exit 73 to the Iowa border... Officials with the state Departments of Transportation and Public Safety say heavy snow and high winds are creating white-out conditions with zero to near zero visibility and making roads in this area impassible... Currently, “No Travel Advisories” are also posted on many state highways in this area... Officials are also cautioning drivers as snow continues to move north into the Sioux Falls area, along with 25-45 mph winds, travel will continue to become increasingly difficult throughout the day...
(Photo: Truckers sheltered at the Flying J gas station)  --  Sioux Falls, S.D., USA - KSFY abc, by Kelley Smith - Feb 03, 2016

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Jan 10, 2014

COLD WEATHER TROUBLES * USA

* Wiscosin - Cold weather wreaks havoc on semi trucks
(Photo by COTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES - A truck is covered in ice as firefighters help to extinguish blaze at a vacant warehouse in Chicago) 
Milwaukee,WIS,USA -Fox 6 Now, by A.J. Bayatpour -January 9, 2014: -- The extreme cold weather this past week has been hard on many vehicles, but none worse than semis. One towing company says it has taken several hundred calls since Sunday night just for stalled-out semi trucks... Workers at Homer’s Towing and Service on Milwaukee’s northwest side say they have been receiving calls every couple minutes, adding it’s been nothing compared to Monday morning... “It’s organized chaos and I don’t know how organized it is, but it is chaos,” said owner Homer Schultz. “I’ve been in business since 1965 and never seen a winter like this” ... Schultz says by late Wednesday night, January 8th, his office responded to about 400 calls for stalled semis... Schultz agrees, saying the most common problem he’s been seeing are drivers who didn’t put enough additives to thin out the diesel fuel, which prevents it from gelling up...

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Jan 28, 2009

WEATHER TROUBLES * USA - Storm System Leaves Icy Roads in Many States

Washington,DC,USA -AP/Transport Topics -28 Jan 2009: -- A large storm system stretching from Arkansas into the Northeast has left roads with as much as three inches of ice in many areas, the Associated Press reported Wednesday... Icy roads were blamed for car accidents in Virginia, West Virginia Indiana, Texas, Ohio and other states, news reports said... In all, 19 people have died because of the storms, which also knocked out power in many areas... State highway officials scrambled Tuesday night into Wednesday morning to clear roads of snow, ice, trees, utility poles and other hazards... The National Weather Service had winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories in effect Wednesday morning in most of the Northeast and parts of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia...

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Jan 2, 2009

COLD WEATHER * USA - N.D. governor issues waiver for truckers hauling diesel

Bismarck,N.D.,USA -The Trucker News Services -2 Jan 2009: -- Gov. John Hoeven is waiving restrictions on service hours for commercial truckers hauling fuel, citing a heavy demand for winter blended diesel... The waiver is in effect until Jan. 14. The governor's order says safety rules still apply... Cold temperatures and heavy snow in the region have increased the demand for winter blended diesel fuel that does not jell up in the cold... (Photo: Cold temperatures and heavy snow in the region have increased the demand for winter blended diesel fuel that does not jell up in the cold. North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven's waiver order says two refineries in Montana have shut down or slowed production of diesel fuel. Industry officials have said some truckers must go as far as Wyoming or Denver to get it)

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Mar 23, 2008

COLD WEATHER TROUBLES * USA - Truck Drivers Sick of This Extended Winter

When driving is your business and Old Man Winter throws you a curve on the second day of spring, you're basically stuck...

Green Bay,WIS,USA -WBAT 2ABC, by Matt Smith -March 21, 2008: -- ... That is the story for many truckers Friday after constant snow and strong wind gusts in southern Wisconsin... "I was supposed to go to New Jersey but I decided I'm going to wait until tomorrow," truck driver Jim McElmeel said during a stop near Fond du Lac. "They're talking really bad weather down south, so I just decided to wait a day and let things calm down."... At a truck stop near Fond du Lac, this latest round of snow dominated the conversations... "This one ain't bad compared to when (Interstate) 39 was all shut down, so this one is good compared to that one," said one driver, who identified herself only as Teresa.... "Pretty nasty coming from Madison going to Berlin. Yeah, I'd say they had three, four inches on the ground. It's pretty nasty," said Reggie Reynolds, who was also driving to New Jersey... It's a perspective these drivers say gives them a chance to see it all... "Three rollovers this morning on (Highway) 23," Reynolds noted... "Couple of jack-knifes, couple of trucks off to the side, cars off to the side," Teresa said... (see VIDEO: Action news at your desk)

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Feb 18, 2008

COLD WEATHER * Greece Paralysed - Freak snowstorms leave its beaches and famous sights white

Athens,Greece -The Daily Mail (UK) -18 February 2008: -- Huge areas of Greece have been hit by a freak snowstorm that has left hundreds of villages stranded, closed schools, and caused dozens of flights to be cancelled... Even the sunshine island of Crete was blanketed in snow today as the usually mild country was gripped by a second day of severe winter weather... Schools and university have been shut throughout the country as famous sights like the Acropopolis were battered by blizzards... (Photo by AP / Frozen: The cold weather is highly unusual and has many services have ground to a halt)

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Feb 16, 2008

WEATHER TROUBLES * USA - Closures, floods hit trucking industry hard

Olympia,WA,USA -The Olympian , by Jim Szymanski -15 Feb 2008: -- February's mountain pass closures and December's floods that shut down Interstate 5 have taken a toll on the state's trucking industry... Detours have increased fuel expenses for trucking companies and frayed the nerves of customers who had to wait longer for deliveries, said Stan Vander Pol, vice president of the Washington Trucking Association... Trucking companies typically lose money during winter months, then profit in better weather, he said... Stan Vander Pol said he could not estimate how much business association members lost as a percentage of normal business. He said trucking companies who compete with his company were reluctant to share information on lost business...

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Feb 13, 2008

COLD WEATHER * USA - Icy conditions cause numerous crashes

Champaign County man dies when vehicle rolls

Danville,VA,USA -The Commercial News, by BRIAN L. HUCHEL -February 13, 2008 — Injuries may have been sparse, but traffic accidents weren’t as motorists had trouble staying on the roads Tuesday morning... A glaze of ice covering several spots created problems for drivers... Traffic accidents beginning about 6:30 a.m. and continuing for a couple hours, clogged several roadways in and around Danville and left the westbound lanes of Interstate 74 closed for part of the morning... (Video from YouTube, by carlos14891 -January 17, 2007 : "Icy roads cause an unbelievable amount of funny crashes". A road in portland has iced over is causing these drivers all sorts of problems, you would have thought they would have realised and stopped?)

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Feb 12, 2008

ICE FELL * Canada - Falling ice causing problems

Truckers warned to clear snow and ice from trailers

London,ONT,CAN -The London Free Press, by JOE BELANGER -February 11, 2008: -- Ice falling from the top of transport trucks caused serious damage to another truck and a car over the weekend, sparking a warning to truckers from police... Lambton OPP said the windshield of a transport truck was shattered last Friday morning when ice fell from an eastbound tractor-trailer driving in front of the other truck... The driver of the damaged tractor-trailer wasn’t injured, while the other transport truck continued down Highway 40... Sunday, around 4 p.m. a Sarnia woman was westbound on Highway 402 when a large slab of ice fell from a transport truck and slammed into the front grill of her car, causing extensive damage... The driver wasn’t injured and the truck driver didn’t stop...

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Feb 11, 2008

WEATHER CRISIS * USA - Freezing rain hits SW Missouri, drivers urged to stay off roads

Springfield,Mo,USA -The Associated Press/The Trucker, by MARCUS KABEL -11 Feb 2008: -- A significant winter storm brought freezing rain, sleet and thunderstorms to southwest Missouri early Monday, leaving an icy crust more than an inch thick in places and causing schools and courthouses to close... State road crews repeatedly put down salt and plowed aside the resulting slush but streets and highways remained slippery, especially during the morning commute. The Missouri State Highway Patrol urged people in the area to stay home if possible... The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for much of southern and central Missouri Monday morning. Up an inch of ice was expected across much of southern and central Missouri as the freezing rain spread eastward from the Kansas line...

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Feb 10, 2008

WEATHER CRISIS * USA - Mother Nature continues onslaught; twisters claim lives, flip rigs

The death toll is now at 57 after the worst outbreak of tornadoes in 23 years swept through five states on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Reed Black -February 7, 2008: -- Tennessee counted 32 dead, Arkansas 13, Kentucky seven and Alabama five. The twisters touched down first in Arkansas, then made their way as far south and east as Alabama... In Tennessee, a group of truckers heading in both directions on Interstate 40 near Jackson found themselves directly in the path of a tornado... A Struthers, Ohio, truck driver was shocked when he saw the devastation 12 hours after the tornado hit... When the storms were hitting Tuesday night, Flesher was just crossing into Kentucky from Ohio on Interstate 71... “The rain was coming down so hard that I couldn’t see the end of the hood,” he told The Vindicator... Meanwhile, up to 21 inches of snow fell in parts of Wisconsin on Wednesday, with traffic backing up for almost 20 miles south of Madison when tractor-trailers got stuck on a hill on I-39/I-90. And in Montana I-90 was closed Thursday morning from St. Regis to the Idaho line due to ice and snow... More severe weather was expected Thursday in the Great Lakes region where heavy rains and melting snow prompted flood warnings in four states... Some government researchers say weather extremes are becoming more extreme...

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Feb 8, 2008

WEATHER CRISIS * USA - Truckers Get Out of Storm's Way

Even professional drivers didn't want to risk being in the elements Wednesday as the latest storm blew through the southern part of the viewing area with wind-blown snow

Green Bay,WI,USA -WBAY, by Jason Zimmerman -Feb 8, 2008: -- ... Squeezed in tight, there was almost no place to park at Stretch's Truck Stop in North Fond du Lac... A lot of truckers came to Stretch's to call it quits, tired of battling severe weather... "It's crazy. Last night we were down south and we almost got blown over by them tornadoes down there. Come up here and hit this snow. It's ridiculous weather now," trucker Bill Gaffaey said... "I'll wait until it clears up and head out in the morning," Brian Higgs, a truck driver from Madison said... (Video from YouTube, by manzilla86 -February 27, 2007: "Winter Storm La Crosse Wisconsin 2007" - On February 23-25 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, 20+ inches of snow fell to the ground, here is the stunning aftermath)


* A long haul and busy season for road crews


Garden City,ID,USA -KBCI CBS 2 (Boise,ID), by Meteorologist Jennifer Robbins -Feb 6, 2008: -- A snowy winter is dragging on making road service crews work around the clock. The Ada County Highway District has 50 crews working on-call 24 hours a day when snow is in the forecast... The dynamic Winter calls for crews to come out and about early before the storm hits and continue runs throughout the day to make sure roads are covered with sand when high snow accumulation blankets the streets... This season has been extra busy for Debbie and the truck she drives is turning into her second home... The snow calls for long hours, but Debbie knows it is important to keep on schedule once the forecast for snow is given...

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Feb 4, 2008

WEATHER CRISIS * China & Japan - Warns worst not over

China warned Saturday the worst was not over in its national weather crisis as desperate holiday travellers jammed transport hubs and others endured bitter winter storms without power or water

Guangzhou,China -AFP/WeatherOnline (London,UK) -2 Feb 2008: -- ... Bracing for still more foul weather and an accelerating travel rush, China has doubled the number of troops and paramilitary forces aiding winter storm relief efforts to more than a million, state media reported... The worst winter in decades has caused massive transport bottlenecks and power outages across wide areas in the lead-up to next week's Lunar New Year, China's biggest annual holiday... The China Meteorological Administration said some of the worst-affected central, eastern and southern provinces faced several more days of snow and freezing rain from a cold front parked over the region since early January... (Video from Yo0uTube, by WarrenPongchai -February 01, 2008: "China Encounters the Worst Snow in 50 Years " - Snowstorms raging across central China's Hunan Province have lasted for over 10 days, making situation graver in the province, reported by Xinhua News Agency on Friday... Hit by the strong cold front, Hunan province suffered its coldest winter as well as the longest snowfall in record in the past 50 years... The freakish weather is China's worst in five decades, paralyzing the country's densely populated central and eastern regions just as tens of millions of travelers were seeking to board trains and buses to return home for this month's Lunar New Year holiday... The severe weather swept over 13 cities and 82 counties in Hunan, affecting more than 13 million people with three fatalities reported)


* Japan - Snow hits Tokyo - Flights and trains cancelled


Tokyo,Japan -AFP/WeatherOnline (London,UK) -3 Feb 2008: -- Dozens of flights and trains were cancelled Sunday as snow blanketed Tokyo and its vicinities, with more than 170 people injured in weather-related accidents, officials and news reports said. Japanese airlines cancelled more than 140 domestic flights, mainly to or from Tokyo's Haneda airport, where one of the three runways was temporarily closed as snow disturbed the guidance system, officials said. Several train services in the capital were also cancelled, while Shinkansen bullet trains were delayed, train company officials said. Highways were closed at many points in Tokyo and its environs as three centimetres (more than an inch) of snow fell in the capital. At least 53 people were sent to hospital in snow-related incidents in Tokyo, said a spokesman for the Tokyo Fire Department... (Video from YouTube, by larryfu -February 03, 2008: "Heavy Snow in Tokyo", 2nd snow this winter)

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COLD WEATHER * USA - Blizzard shuts down miles of Interstate 84

Travel - Truckers and officials agree, this is one of the worst winters in the east in years

La Grande,Oregon,USA -The Oregonian, by RICHARD COCKLE -February 1, 2008: -- A blizzard Thursday closed Interstate 84 for 155 miles from Pendleton to Ontario, forcing Victor Scott and hundreds of other long-haul truckers to park their rigs at the Flying J Truck Stop here... The Pasco, Wash., truck driver took a break from mounting chains on his rig to look toward Ladd Canyon. The 10-mile mountain pass where Interstate 84 crosses part of Eastern Oregon's rugged Blue Mountains was locked in the storm's fierce grip... "The wind howls through there," Scott said. "Up there you can't see the hood of your truck, the snow is drifting so bad"... (Video from YouTube, by Remkovr -January 16, 2007: "Driving through snow " USA as seen from behind the wheel of a 18 wheeler truck. This time I am driving from Connecticut via the I95 through Maine to New Brunswick in Canada. The truck is a 2005 International with a 53" refrigerated trailer. owned by McConnell transport from Woodstock, NB. It was a cold journey with lots of snow...)


* Winter storms complicate truckers’ lives across nation
Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line Magazine -February 1, 2008: -- A powerful winter storm that moved through parts of the Midwest on Thursday, Jan. 31, pushed into the northeast Friday with a mixture of rain, freezing rain and snow... Out west, Interstate 90 was still closed at Snoqualmie Pass in Washington because of extreme avalanche danger. The National Weather Service said that as of Friday, 130 inches of snow have fallen at Snoqualmie Pass, 165 percent of the normal 79 inches. The record was 154 inches set in 1964... The Seattle Times talked to Jack Ziebarth, vice president of operations for Pacific-based Gordon Trucking Inc., who said that this time of year is typically one of the slowest for shipping. Productivity is at a standstill, Ziebarth told the Times...

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Jan 21, 2008

Snowfall, rains * China - Strand 1,000-plus trucks to Three Gorges Dam area

Yichang,Hubei,China -Xinhua/chinaview -Jan. 19. 2008: -- More than 1,000 trucks were stranded on Saturday at an overburdened ferry en route to the Three Gorges Dam area in central China's Hubei Province when continuous snowfall and rains have forced several other roads to close... The trucks queued up at the ferry waiting to board when the dock only had a daily ferry capacity of 700 vehicles... The snow was said to be the heaviest in the past 30 years in Yichang city, where the dam is located. It has forced several highways to close, according to local traffic authorities... Local police had attempted to ease the traffic pressure at the ferry by opening designated roads to the dam area...

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Jan 4, 2008

COLD WEATHER * UK - Advice for Drivers

London,UK -easier motoring -4 January 2008: -- With the first snow of winter expected across the UK over the next few days, the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has repeated the advice it gave motorists in the Highways Agency leaflet “Driving in Severe Weather”... Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner said that drivers who are unused to poor driving conditions should literally change the way they drive... Allow yourself extra time, even if it’s your usual drive to work or school... Take particular care around spreading vehicles and vehicles clearing snow and only overtake if you can do so safely, without driving on uncleared snow... Mr Rodger said that outbound motorists would be well advised to pack an emergency kit for their boot in case conditions worsen during the day.
He recommended:
* A warm coat and a high visibility jacket
* food and water
* boots
* de-icer and scraper
* a torch - a spade and
- a mobile phone with a well-charged battery


* UK - 300,000 young drivers ready to crack this winter
London,UK -easier motoring -2 January 2008: -- Young drivers risk cracking their windscreens this winter as a third of them – some 300,000 drivers - attempt to clear them of ice by using hot water, according to a survey from car care specialists, Comma... As the temperatures plummet and millions of motorists attempt to give themselves a good field of vision before driving to work, 30 percent of motorists between the age of 19 and 21 admit to using hot water to clear their windscreens – a practice which could result with the glass cracking due to the sudden change in temperature...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:07 PM  0 comments

COLD WEATHER * USA - California weather not fit for man, beast or truckers

California faces both heavy rain and snow

Sacramento,Cal,USA -AP/The Trucker News Service, by SAMANTHA YOUNG -4 Jan 2008: -- Truckers whose pick ups and deliveries for the next few days are in California joined the residents of that state in bracing themselves as arctic storms moved ashore Friday, threatening to paralyze the mountains with deep snow and bring devastating rains to a coastal landscape already charred by wildfires... Forecasters warned the fierce winds and other extreme weather would last through the weekend... Homeowners rushed to stack sandbags around houses lying below fire-ravaged hillsides in Southern California, while Northern California residents — like those along the Gulf Coast before a hurricane — scurried to stock up on last-minute provisions...

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Dec 19, 2007

Beware of Falling Ice * USA - From Cars and Trucks

It happens with almost no notice, chunks of ice and snow come flying off of tractor trailers onto the highway, or worse another car...

Springfield,MA,USA -WSHM/TV, by Lesley Tanner -19 Dec 2007: -- Many motorists think the truck drivers should take responsibility for their rigs and clean off the debris before they drive. But climbing on top of these trailers poses a risk of its own... Even stepping onto a big rig just to get in the driver's seat is difficult, and drivers say getting onto the roof to clear snow and ice would be near impossible... The Mass Pike is the only highway that has a special regulation requiring drivers to clear debris, but police say it is almost impossible to enforce... "Just be aware that stuff may be falling off of the tops and the sides," says Leppala. "Create a distance either by slowing down or safely passing them and staying away from it," says Sergeant Joubert... (SEE VIDEO) ...

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posted by Unknown @ 8:24 AM  0 comments

Winterizing Your Vehicle * Canada - Hot tips for



Canada -Truck News -14 Dec 2007: -- As the cold weather approaches, fleets and owner/operators will begin to winterize their vehicles, especially against air system freeze-ups. Here are some basic tips for optimum cold weather operation from brake system experts.

* Engine Idle: Avoid idling the engine for extended periods of time.
* Discharge Lines: The discharge line should slope downward from the compressor discharge port without forming water traps, kinks, or restrictions.
* System Leakage: Check the air brake system for excessive leakage using your brake system's troubleshooting guide.
* Reservoir Draining (System without an air dryer): Routine reservoir draining is the most basic step (although not completely effective) in reducing the possibility of freeze-up.
* Alcohol Evaporator or Injector Systems: Using an alcohol evaporator or injector in conjunction with an air dryer is not recommended.
* Air Dryers: Proper air dryer operation is critical to helping your system run clean and dry.
* Thawing Frozen Air Lines: Here are some simple Do's and Don'ts for prevention and thawing:

Do
- Check the air dryer for proper operation, changing the desiccant cartridge and purge valve as necessary.
- Thaw out frozen air lines and valves by placing the vehicle in a warmed building. This is the only method for thawing that will not cause damage to the air system or its components.
- Use dummy hose couplings on the tractor and trailer.
- Check for drooping air lines, which could form water traps.
Don't
- Do not apply an open flame to air lines or valves. This practice is unsafe and can result in a vehicle fire. It can also damage the valve and melt the air lines.
- Do not pour fluids into air lines or glad hands. Certain fluids can cause immediate and severe damage to rubber components. Even methanol, which is used in alcohol evaporators and injectors, should not be poured into air lines. Fluids poured into the system wash lubricants out of valves, collect in brake chambers and valves, and can cause malfunction. Loss of lubricant can affect valve operating characteristics, accelerate wear and cause premature replacement.
- Do not immediately park a vehicle outside after thawing its air system indoors. Condensation will form in the system and re-freeze. Place the vehicle in operation when it is removed to the outdoors.

* Supporting Air and Electrical Lines: Ensure tie wraps are replaced and support brackets are re-attached, if removed... (Video from YouTube, by scrapingthebarrel -June 16, 2007: "Ice Road Trucking. Stuck in the snow". One of the Winter Roads Gold Crew, stuck on a hill in Northwestern Ontario)

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Dec 18, 2007

Cold Weather * USA - Snow Warning in effect, up to nine inches predicted

Chicago,Ill,USA -The Chicago Sun Times -December 16, 2007: -- The city Department of Streets and Sanitation's fleet of snow-fighting trucks is being supplemented by 100 garbage trucks that have been fitted with plows, in an effort to clear the rapidly falling snow from city streets... Those garbage trucks, while helping to clear snow, do not have salt-spreading capability, so they are patrolling the streets in tandem with regular snow plows, which are then able to increase their salt-spreading ability, since the garbage trucks are shouldering some of the plowing duties, Streets and San spokesman Matt Smith said... And the city needs as many plows out there as it can get, since "snow is still coming in at a rate of one inch per hour," Smith said. "We'll plow and salt these roadways, but the roads are still going to take a cover [of snow] with those rates"... (The Chicago Sun-Times file: Nearly 100 additional trucks were put out on the streets to fight the snow Saturday morning in anticipation of continued snowfall)

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