How to Weather the Winter

Your Safety team at Meadow Lark wants every driver to have a safe winter season. Here are some tips to help you weather the winter.

1. A properly maintained coolant system is the key to your truck’s heating system; please have your coolant tested for its freezing point.
2. It is imperative to ensure that your air dryer is functioning correctly, as the air dryer’s job is to prevent condensation from getting into your system and freezing. When properly working it decreases the odds of malfunctioning brakes and valves within your entire air-driven system.
3. In cold conditions, use a lower viscosity oil to ensure that it will maintain its viscosity in extremely cold temperatures to prevent damage to lubricated parts.
4. When in temperatures below 20° F, use a fuel additive such as Power Service or Howell anti gel.
5. Always keep extra washer fluid with you, as you will go through a lot of it this season. Keep a few bottles of rubbing alcohol on hand and add it to your washer fluid to prevent washer fluid from freezing. 
6. In the cab of the truck, keep water and some dry or canned goods. If you get stranded to due road closures, you will have food and water to get you through the situation.
7. Be sure to carry appropriate clothing for the area you will be running in - and plenty of it. Many of you will remember the polar vortexes we had last winter, even into the extreme south. 
8. Extra blankets or even a sleeping bag could save your life in an extreme blizzard.
9. In bad weather, keep your tanks at least half full. Why? Because the emptier the fuel tank, the more likely that condensation will appear and thus the greater chances of your fuel gelling.
10. Check the weather often for the area you are headed to, and plan accordingly.
11. If running in the western states, make sure you have the required chains for each state to avoid fines.
12. Most importantly, if you feel unsafe to travel in your current weather conditions, pull over and wait until it is safe to proceed with your load. If you need to stop, notify your dispatch so they can communicate with our customers.

Once again, your Meadow Lark Safety team members want each and every one of you to have a very safe winter season.

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