Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
1998. 5 Dodge 2500, CTD, Long-bed, 4x4, 5-Speed NV4500 Manual Transmission, Stock Equipment
Gentlemen:
I have just completed my 3rd crossing of the Sierra Nevadas, via Interstate 80, during the last 7 days. In my 40 years of driving this road, I do not think that I have seen more challenging conditions for driving than those of the past week. The conditions have been impossibly brutal.
Events started a week-ago Friday with a 40 vehicle pile-up that included several large trucks and a fatality. The road was closed for nearly a day while they sorted out the vehicles involved in that accident. Indeed, the road seemed to be closed more often than it was open during a series of concentrated storms.
Coming home last night was the worst. It was nearly white-out conditions for nearly 50 miles. There was very little to guide you down the road except for the occasional outline of a snow bank or road sign. Even if you could see a sign, it was obliterated by the plastering of snow on its face. At times, you would be alone in your passage then suddenly coming upon 20 vehicles in slow procession struggling to navigate the conditions. Heavy snow removing equipment seemed everywhere.
As difficult as driving conditions were last night, I must say that I have never been more impressed with the performance of my truck than in the past week. Crews had great difficulty keeping the roads plowed so it was not unusual to plow through 6-12 inches of snow. Ice was a constant challenge. (Even if you were not moving, ice was a problem. I watched a tractor-trailer truck slide into another lane and truck although neither vehicle was moving. The pull of gravity on the slight incline from one lane to another was all that was required. ) Still, my 13 year old Dodge with 208,000 miles provided its usual low-key performance with easy of handling, shifting and surprisingly solid tractions. Lots of other vehicles demonstrated their "superior" traction by being firmly planted into nearby snow embankments.
Even if I wanted to stop and get away from the conditions, there was no place to flee. Most exits were unplowed. A planned exit for me was missed because I truly did not see the exit signs or the roadway--I knew the exit had to be there but there was nothing to see. When I finally neared the rest stop at Gold Run, it was blocked by snow and stalled trucks. Not a good time to be anywhere near the Sierra Nevadas.
You start to get "spooky" when confronting these conditions for a solid week. With so much chaos on the road, you keep waiting for the law of averages to cause your vehicle to fail. Still, the truck started every time with a simple click of the ignition. It moved through snow depths that I was sure would cause it to be stuck up to its axles. Fuel pressure, oil pressure, engine temp were rock solid. One trip, I left the engine running for over 12 hours--no big deal for a diesel--but its was so nice to have the warmth and dryness of that cab available constantly.
Moral of the story? Maintenance. A little maintenance pays great dividends especially in weather like these recent storms. I saw so many vehicles with every imaginable breakdown during the past week. I cannot imagine a worse time than being stuck in a blizzard with vehicle problems.
Regards,
M. Young
P. S. Truck and I are leaving tomorrow for another trip into the mountains.
Gentlemen:
I have just completed my 3rd crossing of the Sierra Nevadas, via Interstate 80, during the last 7 days. In my 40 years of driving this road, I do not think that I have seen more challenging conditions for driving than those of the past week. The conditions have been impossibly brutal.
Events started a week-ago Friday with a 40 vehicle pile-up that included several large trucks and a fatality. The road was closed for nearly a day while they sorted out the vehicles involved in that accident. Indeed, the road seemed to be closed more often than it was open during a series of concentrated storms.
Coming home last night was the worst. It was nearly white-out conditions for nearly 50 miles. There was very little to guide you down the road except for the occasional outline of a snow bank or road sign. Even if you could see a sign, it was obliterated by the plastering of snow on its face. At times, you would be alone in your passage then suddenly coming upon 20 vehicles in slow procession struggling to navigate the conditions. Heavy snow removing equipment seemed everywhere.
As difficult as driving conditions were last night, I must say that I have never been more impressed with the performance of my truck than in the past week. Crews had great difficulty keeping the roads plowed so it was not unusual to plow through 6-12 inches of snow. Ice was a constant challenge. (Even if you were not moving, ice was a problem. I watched a tractor-trailer truck slide into another lane and truck although neither vehicle was moving. The pull of gravity on the slight incline from one lane to another was all that was required. ) Still, my 13 year old Dodge with 208,000 miles provided its usual low-key performance with easy of handling, shifting and surprisingly solid tractions. Lots of other vehicles demonstrated their "superior" traction by being firmly planted into nearby snow embankments.
Even if I wanted to stop and get away from the conditions, there was no place to flee. Most exits were unplowed. A planned exit for me was missed because I truly did not see the exit signs or the roadway--I knew the exit had to be there but there was nothing to see. When I finally neared the rest stop at Gold Run, it was blocked by snow and stalled trucks. Not a good time to be anywhere near the Sierra Nevadas.
You start to get "spooky" when confronting these conditions for a solid week. With so much chaos on the road, you keep waiting for the law of averages to cause your vehicle to fail. Still, the truck started every time with a simple click of the ignition. It moved through snow depths that I was sure would cause it to be stuck up to its axles. Fuel pressure, oil pressure, engine temp were rock solid. One trip, I left the engine running for over 12 hours--no big deal for a diesel--but its was so nice to have the warmth and dryness of that cab available constantly.
Moral of the story? Maintenance. A little maintenance pays great dividends especially in weather like these recent storms. I saw so many vehicles with every imaginable breakdown during the past week. I cannot imagine a worse time than being stuck in a blizzard with vehicle problems.
Regards,
M. Young
P. S. Truck and I are leaving tomorrow for another trip into the mountains.
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