Recently many of us have seen the images from the massive pile-up due to black ice in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. When crashes like this happen it brings a fresh awareness to how quickly things can change while we are on the highway. There is always plenty of Monday Morning Quarterbacks who explain the reasons why everything went astray after any given incident has occurred. It’s very easy to become complacent and expect everything to go smoothly as we travel down our nation's highways. Things can change in an instant especially when there is a large number of vehicles traveling down the highway in close proximity to each other. In these cases, there simply is not enough real estate available for anyone in the pack to have a Plan B when things go wary. We all know the results; massive pile-ups and multiple deaths followed by lawsuits.
What I want to talk about in today's blog is my experience traveling from Laredo to Charlotte in the aftermath of a snowstorm in areas where they do not have the equipment to clear the snow from the highways. I started my trip later than I planned from Laredo due to all the bridges on I35 being closed due to ice. When I did finally leave, it appeared to be smooth sailing. And no one got more than three to four inches of snow along my chosen route. Three to four inches of snow seems like nothing to someone who learned how to drive in Pennsylvania. Let me tell you, it was not an easy trip. Three inches of snow that doesn’t get plowed turns into a sheet of ice. It requires your utmost attention. As I made my way along my journey, there was something that was very noticeable. The majority of trucks on the highway were driving with extreme caution and demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism. For many, the CB became a tool to communicate what kind of conditions were ahead, which was very refreshing. And for those of you who have gotten rid of your CB Radio, there was really no trash talk, it was all very useful information. There were several times where roads were closed or trucks were stuck but I was proud to see that comradery was alive and well.
On one exit I witnessed a flatbed truck and trailer become jack-knifed in slow motion. A bunch of us drivers ran over to help the driver secure the scene. Later on, a tow truck showed up to extricate the flatbed truck and trailer from its precarious position on the shoulder of the exit ramp. The tow truck operator slipped and fell on the ice and became slightly incapacitated. At this time three drivers including myself jumped into action and assisted the tow truck operator in hooking up chains and cables to clear the exit and enable everyone to move on.
Scenes much like this repeated themselves many times as I continued my journey to Charlotte. Time and time again comradery and professionalism shined brightly as we continued down the road to our destination. In closing, it should not take rough seas to bring out the best in everyone. I wonder how much the widely publicized crash in the Dallas-Fort Worth area contributed to the level of professionalism I witnessed being demonstrated during this trip in adverse weather conditions.