TD119: Winter Driving Tips From An Alaskan Trucker

If you could get winter truck driving tips from anyone, who would it be? How about someone who drives a 155,000-pound,12-axle tractor trailer on mountainous, snow-packed, two-lane roads nearly every day? Well, I found such a person. Even better, I commenced to bribe, cajole, and generally badger him into coming onto the Trucker Dump podcast to share his experience with you. I may have even threatened to set bear traps for his dogs. Don't judge. Gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Kevin Lowery has been driving big rigs in Alaska for 23 years of his 28-year career and he's learned a thing or two about getting around in the snow and dealing with extreme cold temperatures. In today's podcast, we discuss how to get your rig and yourself ready for winter, how to keep from having maintenance issues, and what to do if you have them anyway.

We also talk about the best heater settings to use, how to drive on the snow, and how to keep from getting stuck when you park for the night. Lastly, we talk about how to install tire chains properly and when you should and shouldn't use them.

Lastly, we talk about the Ice Road Truckers show and what most Alaskan truckers think of it. And be sure to stick around for the after show to hear a few minutes of us joking around after we were done recording the interview. It's quite funny!

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Here is the PDF of Winter Driving Heater Settings we talked about. Download it for free and keep a copy handy for the next time the weather turns nasty.

Windshield Washer Fluid Booster De-icer Additive

Windshield spray de-icer

Slushbuster Winter De-icing Strips

Diesel Air Brake Antifreeze and Conditioner

According to Kevin, this tire chain installation video is the best one he could find. It covers many different kinds of chains… and no stupid bungee cords!

Show info:

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Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein