Today’s drive was one of our longer ones at about 6.5 hours. The scenery was once again spectacular, but the weather did not behave itself too well. There were gusty side winds of up to 45mph at times punctuated with snow, sleet and rain. If you’ve ever driven a big truck or a bus, you know that such conditions do not make for an easy experience. Luckily, Grant is a skilled driver who drives intelligently and as a result safely. 

We stopped at a truck stop to get some gas and while in line, Grant spoke to a FedEx driver who said that he drove the night before in 70+mph winds. His big FedEx tractor trailer was empty, which makes for an extra dangerous situation in such high winds. He said that he called his boss at FedEx to let them know that the driving conditions weren’t safe due to the extremely high winds, but was told to “get the equipment (aka the truck) to its destination or it will be his job.”

Not long after, his friend, another FedEx driver in a truck right behind him, called him to let him know that he was about to lose his trailer. Sure enough, the trailer tipped a few seconds later, causing him to drive off the road and into a field. Luckily, he was unharmed but the same thing happened to his friend soon after. While Grant and I were completely dismayed by this story, sadly we weren’t surprised. 

We have great respect for truck drivers and their community. On more than one occasion, a trucker has pulled alongside our rig to alert us to some issue that would otherwise result in a problem. These people really look out for each other and are very friendly when you encounter them at truck stops.