We used to have signs like that around here. Apparently they were a challenge to the reading comprehension impaired. They've slowly been changed to "bridge may be icy".

I think goats do pretty well on ice. Camels obviously have no clue it even exists.

Winter driving 101: something somewhere is gonna be a lot slicker than you think it is. Somebody somewhere is gonna be driving like a complete idiot, often in a minivan.

I grew up in the Chicago area, learned to drive in winter weather when the most sophisticated computer in the car was the meat one between my ears.

I live in W. Texas now and when this ice storm rolled in I stayed home. Had a job in Midland, 120 miles each way, Thursday. Got up Thursday morning, went to the local gas station to fill up even though I had enough gas to get there and back lessons learned long ago taught me to fill up in case of crappy weather because you never know. Got done with the fill up, got on the major road leading out of town and immediately the tail end of the truck is kicking out on me, regardless of traction control. Turned left at the next intersection, went home, called the customer and told him not going to happen. I probably could have gotten to the job but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get home at the end of the day and I sure didn't want to deal with idiots trying to drive like it's the Indy 500 in those conditions. Customer had a six hour drive back to Austin in front of him after the job was done, he wouldn't have made it had he left at the end of the day. Told him good luck getting home, which was all I could do.

My daughter lives up in the DFW area and they never even opened that day due to weather. So she stayed home, my SIL is a cop so he doesn't get that option.

You guys that live up north just don’t understand what happens in this part of the country. It’s not like up north. It can be nice and dry one place and a rain shower will dump enough moisture a mile or two away to freeze as soon as it hits the road. The temps can change pretty fast as well. I 20 where I live in Abilene is one of the most dangerous stretches of state for that reason. This was on a down sloping bridge with heavy traffic anyway. They had no warning. I’ve driven on that spot. 40mph would have yielded the same results. It was a perfect storm that cost lives. We don’t have enough equipment to de ice all of the places that need it all at once. It’s best to stay home but some don’t have that choice.

I believe its been over 15? years that truck swould never pass a required DOT inspection without functioning brakes on every axle, so I hope your experience was before they clamped down.

So I suspect, based on previously experience here, in a few days there will threads about FEDEX always being late with their deliveries .

First of all you have no clue so stfu. These contract drivers for Fed EX drive like the have no brain. I'm out there with them. I've had a class A CDL with hazmat for 30 yrs. I see it you don't ,so you are not qualified to speak on this subject .

Front brakes weren't required on semi tractors until model year 1978. At the time I was operating that truck, any chassis that was titled 1977 or older was grandfathered in and did not have to have front brakes. This truck had a '77 chassis with a newer glide kit cab on it but was still titled as a 77. Before anti-lock brakes, front brakes on a semi tractor probably caused more harm than good anyway. All the weight was on the drive tires, so you lose your steering in a panic stop when the front's lock up.

Exactly. All the weight on the drives cause steering problems in the snow ,ice and mud with front axle push.

I'm down between Houston and Galveston. No single digits predicted here, but, I think for the first time ever, a wind chill advisory has been issued.

The biggest problem for our area is that they simply don't have the equipment to deal with this kind of weather and conditions. There's a LOT of bridges and overpasses in the Houston area, and only a handful of trucks to prep them.

Saw on the news this morning where a group of cars got stuck on an overpass for over 3 hrs waiting for help. The thing I didn't get was that they were on the downward side. I think I would have tried a slow creep before sitting that long. (I base my viewpoint on me being from the East and having driven in these conditions).

I filled the tanks in the cars, and did my shopping, so I'm good for several days. Just gonna stay hunkered down, and occasionally go out on the porch and listen to cars collide off in the distance..... .....

Be safe everyone.

https://abc13.com/weather/

I watched the footage of this crash - one of the most sickening things I ever watched. The FedEx driver was flying.

Once we were a little East of Sierra Blanca, TX. & it was evening - probably Jan. or Feb. around 1986 - it was dark out. The I-10 Westbound was suddenly closed - never had that happen before. All traffic was forced to exit at a truck stop. I was in a car, my partner & another guy that worked for us were in the 1-ton & 50 foot gooseneck. We asked a police officer what was going on & he said the highway was a sheet of ice for about the next 3 miles, then it warmed up as you got closer to El Paso. We sat there for about an hour - we did NOT want to spend the night in our vehicles! My partner & John decided they wanted to take the chance to go the 3 miles of ice - I was against the decision. The same cop told my partner that he would let him go, but all bets were off - like don't blame us if you wreck! AND, it was downhill too. Anyway, my partner decided they would take the gamble - like creep at 30 MPH down the road & drive out of the danger. I followed them reluctantly & we made it. Still scares me thinking about it all these years later.

Only time I'll drive in this kind of crap anymore is if I literally get trapped while out driving, and twice in the last 4 years got caught in bad winter conditions, & took the first exit & got a hotel. Get a good night's sleep & drive in the next day. It is just not worth it to gamble with your life for a little drive down the road. OR, if you are not too far from home, GET OFF THE HIGHWAY & take surface streets!

Need a Jamie Davis to sort that mess out.

So.....how do you make that jump? What schooling did you get in your past to make the jump to blaming the customer? Shift the blame, there may be none, just a bad situation. The customer expects safety first, at least most do I just want to know how you get there so my kids, and grandkids can avoid that kind of an education. It was a weather fluke at best, or a driver that was irresponsible at worst. The driver is responsible for operating in [censored] conditions, ask the DOT, if the weather changed over a short period, it was an accident. Customers are not at all to blame.

Real simple, based on previous record here, the "jump" is made by pure self centered hypocrisy, in that few care about a 100+ car pile up, under conditions that enticed over 100 plus other drivers to make the same mistake , resulting in 6 lives lost and dozens of injuries, but I want my car part on time, because "thats what I paid for" attitude, and if you haven't seen that attitude prior, you have not been paying attention.

You do know misguided arrogance is not very confidence inspiring. BTW, I had a "chauffeurs" license in 1969, which was grandfathered into my Class A CDL aprrox 30 years later when they became the requirement, with my hazmat endorsement. So, you may want to share what you define as having a "clue" really is, because so far, you might be who you are describing here.

FRONT-WHEEL BRAKES REQUIRED ON TRUCKS RULE AFFECTS MEDIUM-, HEAVY-DUTY RIGS
LEO ABRUZZESE | Jan 27, 1987


"The Department of Transportation reversed a longstanding policy and ordered truckers to install properly working brakes on the front wheels of all medium- and heavy-duty rigs.

The agency's new requirement, which is expected to draw fire from some fleets and many truck drivers, is designed to improve highway safety by

helping tractor trailers make faster, more stable stops.Industry insiders immediately questioned whether the new standard would sway the thousands of drivers who routinely disconnect or disable front-wheel brakes.

Moreover, some engineers raised fears the new brake requirement could actually lead to weaker brakes on some big rigs.

The department's new brake rule is in response to a truck safety law approved by Congress last session.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which established uniform national standards for truck driver licensing, also ordered the secretary of transportation to require operating brakes on all wheels.

Existing federal law has allowed truckers to remove front-wheel brakes on any three-axle tractor or straight truck.

The new rule mandates steering axle brakes on all vehicles over 10,000 pounds manufactured after July 24, 1980.

Truckers will have until Feb. 27, 1988, to reconnect existing front-wheel brakes or reinstall brakes that had been removed."

https://www.joc.com/front-wheel-brakes-required-trucks-rule-affects-medium-heavy-duty-rigs_19870127.html#:~:text=HEAVY%2DDUTY%20RIGS-,FRONT%2DWHEEL%20BRAKES%20REQUIRED%20ON%20TRUCKS%20RULE,MEDIUM%2D%2C%20HEAVY%2DDUTY%20RIGS&text=Existing%20federal%20law%20has%20allowed,manufactured%20after%20July%2024%2C%201980.

Not sure about grandfathered no front axle brakes before 1977, which has to be today an extreme rarity.