Winter driving challenges for semi truck drivers

GRAND CHUTE - Roadways are full of a mixture of smaller cars and bigger trucks. Potentially, scary and dangerous in any kind of weather.

But when the weather's bad like Tuesday, it can be really tough to control the big rigs, and to stay out of their way.

Truck drivers are trained to handle the situation and other drivers can learn as well.

Rob Behnke says Tuesday's storm served as a reminder.

"It wasn't good. Very slippery with the windy conditions, the snow, the whiteouts," said Rob Behnke, truck driving program director at FVTC.

Behnke says at 72 feet long, and up to 80,000 pounds, driving a semi in any weather condition can be a handful.

"We do have some icy conditions, a lot of slush on the road. That slush can play havoc with our truck even though we're heavy," said Behnke.

Out on the highway, Behnke says stopping one of these big rigs will take some time.

"I'm moving at approximately 90 feet per second. To stop a vehicle this size, if I'm traveling down the interstate at 65 miles per hour, it can be in excess of the length of a football field to bring it to a complete stop," said Behnke.

It was a storm that is fresh in the minds of drivers as well.

"There's a lot of people that don't slow down, and they're always trying to get ahead of you," said Chris Sveum, Midwest Express truck driver.

"The semi drivers are kind of annoying. They don't really stay in their lanes. I had to slam on my brakes a couple of times and let them go ahead," said Whitley Fuss, Kimberly.

"It can be quite scary," said Tom Moore, H & R Transport truck driver.

Moore drove from Canada.

"I'm two days behind on my delivery yesterday because of bad weather," said Moore.

Moore says there is pressure in the industry to make sure freight is delivered on time. But he says his cargo will have to wait.

"Safety is number one. Sorry about the deadline," said Moore. 

Whether it's professionals or those still in training, Behnke has some simple advice.

"Obviously slow down, we're hoping the general public realizes that and gives us some space," said Behnke.

On a typical day, Fox Valley Tech will have up to 50 drivers out on the road as part of their training.

During Tuesday's storm, there were none.