Commercial Winter Driving Tips

Winter can bring hazardous driving conditions that pose significant risks, especially for companies that rely on a fleet of vehicles. Therefore, ensuring your employees are well-prepared, equipped, and trained in driver safety isn’t optional; it’s a requirement. 

In this blog, we’ll share some essential preparation and winter driving tips that can help you improve commercial fleet safety during the winter months. 

How To Prepare a Fleet for Winter Road Conditions

Proper vehicle preparation is one of the first steps to ensure winter driving safety. Here are some critical steps to prepare you for driving safely in snow.

Conduct Winter Vehicle Maintenance Checks   

Regular maintenance checks are vital year-round, but they become even more crucial as temperatures drop. Ensure that all fleet vehicles undergo thorough inspections, focusing on the battery, brakes, wiper blades, and fluid levels. 

Cold weather can drain batteries faster, so checking the battery's charge and replacing it if necessary can save you downtime later. Additionally, make sure the brakes are in optimal condition since icy roads demand maximum braking efficiency.

Invest in Quality Winter Tires   

Investing in high-quality winter tires is one of the most effective ways to enhance vehicle safety during winter. Winter tires are tailored for safe driving in snow, ice, and slush due to superior traction.

Ensure that the tires have adequate tread depth and are inflated to the correct pressure, as cold weather can cause tire pressure to drop.

Be Prepared with Emergency Kits for Winter Driving   

Equip each vehicle in your fleet with an emergency kit tailored for winter conditions.

Commercial driver emergency kit essentials include an ice scraper, snow shovel, tire chains, kitty litter to lay down for traction, emergency flares, blankets, bottled water, and non-perishable food items. This is in addition to year-round emergency essentials like a first-aid kit, flashlight, jumper cables, and tools.

Having these essentials on hand can be a literal lifesaver in the event of a breakdown or accident in severe winter conditions.

10 Safe Winter Driving Tips for Snow and Ice   

Even with a well-prepared vehicle, winter roads require cautious and skilled driving.

Here are ten of our best winter driving safety tips for commercial drivers.

1. Slow Down

The key to safe driving in snow and ice is reducing your speed. Slowing down gives you more time to react to unexpected situations, such as a sudden stop or an icy patch on the road.

Even if the road looks clear, ice can be invisible, so it’s essential to drive at a speed that allows you to maintain control of your vehicle.

2. Accelerate and Decelerate Gradually 

Sudden movements can cause your vehicle to lose traction, leading to skids or spins. When accelerating, do so gradually to prevent your tires from spinning out. 

Likewise, when you need to slow down or stop, apply the brakes gently and in a controlled manner to avoid locking the wheels, which can lead to a loss of control. 

This advice is doubly important for tractor-trailers to avoid jackknifing.

3. Increasing Following Distance and Braking Time   

Winter conditions significantly increase stopping distances. Maintaining a greater following distance from the vehicle ahead is crucial.

The ideal following distance for wintery weather is six to eight seconds for a regular-weight vehicle. Larger vehicles – especially those laden with cargo – require upwards of ten.

This extended distance provides more time to react to conditions ahead of you and brake safely with less-than-ideal traction.

4. Be Cautious at Intersections and More

Intersections are particularly hazardous in winter because they often become icy from vehicles frequently stopping and starting. Likewise, on-ramps and off-ramps can be slushy, increasing the danger posed by the gradation.

Approach intersections and sharp curves with caution, reduce your speed well before reaching the turn or the stop line, and brake gently to avoid sliding.

5. Stay Aware of Your Surroundings 

Keep an eye on the road conditions and be mindful of other drivers. In winter weather, you may need to adjust your driving style based on what’s happening around you.

Look out for brake lights ahead, changes in the road surface, and vehicles that may be struggling with traction. Watch for vehicles hidden in the cloud of snow created by your vehicle so they don’t take you by surprise.

6. Consider Your Visibility to Others

Just because you’re paying attention to your surroundings doesn’t mean everyone else is equally vigilant. In winter weather, it’s more important than ever to make sure other drivers can see you.

Be cautious with cars whose side or back windows are obscured by snow or ice.

Use your headlights to increase your visibility to others.

7. Don’t Use Cruise Control 

Always drive manually in winter weather to maintain maximum control over your vehicle.

While cruise control is convenient on dry roads, it’s dangerous on icy or snowy surfaces because it can cause your vehicle to accelerate when it hits a slippery spot.

Cruise control can also inadvertently reduce your attention to road conditions.

8. Use Low Gears 

In slippery conditions, using lower gears can help you maintain better control of your vehicle. Lower gears provide more traction and help prevent your wheels from spinning, especially when driving uphill or on winding roads.

9. Avoid Stopping on Hills 

Stopping on an incline in snowy or icy conditions can make it difficult to start moving again without slipping backward. 

If possible, avoid stopping while going uphill. Try to get enough momentum before you reach the hill to carry you over the top without needing to stop. If you must stop, leave plenty of room in front of you and start moving slowly and gradually.

10. Know How to Handle Skids 

Even with the best precautions, you may find yourself in a skid. If your vehicle starts to skid, stay calm and avoid slamming on the brakes. Instead, take your foot off the accelerator and steer gently. 

If your rear wheels are skidding, steer in the same direction that the rear of the car is sliding.

For front-wheel skids, allow the vehicle to slow down until you regain control.

The Importance of Employee Education and Training 

Training your employees on safe winter driving practices like those above is an essential component of reducing the risk of accidents during the winter months.

Investing in defensive driving courses specifically tailored for winter conditions can be incredibly beneficial. These courses teach drivers how to anticipate potential hazards, react appropriately in adverse conditions, and maintain control of their vehicles. 

Offering this training to employees not only enhances their safety but also helps reduce the likelihood of costly accidents.

You should also establish a comprehensive winter driving policy. This policy should outline the specific expectations and requirements for employees driving company vehicles during the winter.

It should include guidelines on vehicle maintenance, pre-trip inspections, safe driving practices, and protocols for dealing with emergencies. Conduct driver training on the policy, as well as periodic reviews and updates to ensure that it stays relevant and effective. 

Technology for Winter Driving Safety

While nothing can replace vehicle preparedness or driver vigilance, these days, there are technological solutions to enhance and reinforce the classic commercial fleet safety tactics for winter.

Some of these technologies – like antilock brakes – are so well-established that you’d be hard-pressed to avoid them in all but the oldest of fleet vehicles. Below, we’ll discuss a few newer technologies that fleet managers can use to improve winter driving safety.

Stability Control

Stability control systems, sometimes referred to as traction control or anti-slip technologies, make it easier for drivers to maintain control over their vehicle on icy or slippery surfaces.

These systems use a variety of sensors to monitor wheel speed and position, preventing a loss of control by selectively braking or throttling the power on individual wheels.

Stability control reduces the likelihood of a skid so that drivers can maintain focus on all the other hazards of a wintry road.

Snow Mode

Some vehicles offer a “snow mode” that adjusts a vehicle’s performance for the particular challenges of a snowy road. When selected, this mode reduces throttle response, starts an automatic transmission in second gear, and increases the sensitivity of stability and traction control systems.

Driver Attention Monitoring

While driver attention may seem obsolete in the age of driver assist systems such as advanced collision warning, automatic braking, and lane assist, it’s important to recognize the limitations of these general safety systems in winter weather.

Decreased visibility doesn’t just apply to a driver’s vision but also to the efficacy of key sensors. Snow and ice can throw off readings by creating signal interference and reduced contrast, while the worst weather can block or obstruct sensors entirely.

As a result, it’s more important for drivers to be alert during winter weather than at any other time. Unfortunately, winter conditions can accelerate driver fatigue and induce “road hypnosis.”

This is where driver attention monitoring systems can help. They use cameras and AI to monitor eyeline, eyelid movements, eye closure rates, and head position. When signs of drowsiness or a lack of attention are detected, the system uses audible, visual, and sometimes haptic alerts to alert the driver.

Some systems can respond to more extreme degrees of inattention with automatic braking and even calls to emergency services.

Driver attention systems are already becoming mandatory for heavy commercial vehicles in Europe, and given their effectiveness, US regulations are likely to follow.

Heated Windshields and Mirrors

Heated windshields and side mirrors help drivers avoid obstructive snow or ice buildup on the road. They reduce the need for pit stops while maintaining a clear line of sight ahead and behind.

Modern heated windshield technologies don’t use much energy; they only heat the windshield enough to make it easier for your wipers to clear your field of vision. In fact, by reducing the need to defog through the cab’s heater or air conditioner, they may actually reduce gas consumption.

Heated windshield wiper nozzles are another related technology to consider for your fleet. They enable drivers to deploy windshield fluid even in frigid conditions.

Adaptive Headlights

Adaptive headlights rotate when steering changes are detected, improving the driver’s ability to see the edges of the road in a curve. Under the limited visibility of winter weather, drivers need every advantage they can get.

Get Commercial Fleet Safety Training for Drivers Online

While technology and vehicle preparation play important roles in commercial fleet safety, there is no substitute for a well-trained and attentive driver.

The good news is that you don’t need to start your commercial driver safety program from scratch. Our Driver Safety Course for Large Trucks and Buses is designed by experts to improve a driver’s knowledge of road safety and the hazards they might encounter.

We also offer a range of other critical transportation safety training topics, including DOT Supervisor Training, DOT Hazmat courses, and Driver Safety for Cars, Vans, and Small Trucks.

Improve your commercial fleet safety and compliance by enrolling your drivers today!