Old Man Winter is here, or maybe he is just peeking around the corner where you operate. Nothing to fear, though. You’ve got this. You are ready.
Winter driving conditions mean all you and your team’s planning and preparation will be put into practice. Hopefully you sat down with your dispatchers and drivers last spring and ran through the lessons learned over the previous winter: which roads proved troublesome in winter weather, which of the usual parking spots filled up when the snow fell, and which customer locations required a little extra time to reach. Now is the time to get those notes out and make adjustments to schedules and routes.
See also: Safe driving tips for Thanksgiving travel
Another winter reminder: snow plows! The unsung heroes of winter driving are those snow plow drivers. Thank you for the clear roads! But snow plows need extra time, more following distance, and loads of patience to do their job. This winter, remind your drivers that safety is a group effort and that group includes snow plows.
For all the good planning you and your team did last spring, Old Man Winter always has a few tricks up his sleeve. Make sure your drivers have clothing appropriate to the weather. They may need to wait out road closures and traffic accidents. Remind them to pull off the road in a safe location before calling back to the terminal. Equip your dispatchers with National Weather Service radio stations in your area and remind them of state DOT websites that display road closures and government sites for emergency declarations. Predictable communication among your team can meet any challenge Old Man Winter may throw your way.
By the way, if your company uses specific apps or technology to plan, you are already a step ahead. Depending on the app, your drivers will receive alerts about upcoming road safety conditions such as traffic incidents, weather, gusty wind areas, chain-up locations, and available truck parking.
Now is the time to remind your whole team that you’ve got this. You are planned, prepared, and equipped to handle Old Man Winter safely!
Steve Vaughn is vice president of field operations at PrePass Safety Alliance, the provider of PrePass weigh station bypass and electronic toll-payment and management services. Vaughn served nearly three decades with the California Highway Patrol and is a past president of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
