Question:
I've learned pretty quick, being based out of Ontario, CA.
Gusty winds are no fun. They're downright scary and very dangerous to drive thru.
11 years ago when i got my CDL, my first delivery was in the Inland Empire just east of the LA area. Talk about winds these MF winds were whipping at 60 to 70mph that day. I recall looking out my mirror and watching the trailer tires rise off the pavement as I rode down the freeway. I parked for a while under a 4 leval interchange hoping the winds would die down. I was there for an hour before getting the nerve back to try it again.
A few things I learned about controlling a truck in high winds.
Stay focused, don't sway or try to cut into it, it could flip you over. Don't swerve thinking it may correct a lean, swerving only makes it worse. Stay as straight as possible, maintain a safe speed and watch for flying debres such as tree limbs, tumble weeds, or anything that can become airbourne and cause injury or distractions. If you need to pull over in highwinds here's the tip that may save your life.......Drop your landing gear. No matter how strong a gust may be, it can't knock over a trailer and truck with the landing gear lowered.

Answer:
Stay focused, don't sway or try to cut into it, it could flip you over. Don't swerve thinking it may correct a lean, swerving only makes it worse. Stay as straight as possible, maintain a safe speed and watch for flying debres such as tree limbs, tumble weeds, or anything that can become airbourne and cause injury or distractions.
True!
If you need to pull over in highwinds here's the tip that may save your life.......Drop your landing gear.
By all means, if you're NOT comfortable driving, STOP! Find a place kinda, sorta outta the wind. worse case scenario, find a parking lot and park with the cab facing into the wind!
The ONLY PART of Sleepyhead's post that I disagree with is;
No matter how strong a gust may be, it can't knock over a trailer and truck with the landing gear lowered.
If the wind is strong enough, it WILL take you over! It doesn't matter if you're grossing 40K, 60K, or 80K. If you're parked (facing into the wind), you have about a 99.9% chance of NOT getting blown over. (which is probably what Sleepyhead was talking about)
I've personally experienced strong cross winds in excess of 50 mph (while loaded at about 80K lbs.). Even then I got blown around quite a bit while rolling down the road. It's NOT a good feeling to have 40 tons swaying behind you.
Driving in windy conditions is like driving on icey roads.
YOU are the "Captain" of that ship, it's your call. You're better off shutting down until the winds die down in the evening.
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"Got the bird dog on...
Dodgin' the scales...
80 miles an hour and a step outta jail..." From "Rollin' Home, Pirates of the Mississippi)
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"I've always been different with one foot over the line.
Winding up somewhere, one step ahead or behind.
It ain't been so easy, but I guess I shouldn't complain.
I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane." (from Waylon Jennings)
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Member: Happy Dweller Society
Owner Operator Division


Answer:
except as with Hoss I have to disagree with the wind not being able to knock you over when your landing gear is down. A strong enough wind hitting you fron the side can roll your truck no matter what you do. Lowering the landing gear can help provide an additional stabilizing force but it is no garuntee.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Lower the landing gear with the truck jacked at a 30 or 40 degree angle. It gives the truck a biger "footprint" on the ground.
It's unexpected gusts of wind that do the most damage. The Santa Ana winds are relatively steady blowing through the inland empire. But up in Wyoming or Utah, the winds channel through the hills more. You can have a comfortable 25mph tail wind one moment, come around a corner and drive into a 70mph side wind.
It's helpful to listen to NOAA weather reports. (a BearCat scanner is best for this since it scans all weather channels - a cb with 7 weather channels is next best although you won't get them all) When NOAA reports "gusts" above 40 mph, think about shutting down, especially if you're light. The spot you park in may not seem too windy. But there may be a stretch of road ahead whenre gusts will roll you right over.
There is no defensive manuever to recover from a rollover in progress. Once the tires leave the ground, there is no way to get them back down -- it's too late.

Answer:
Thanks Hoss, I figured the chances would be slim to none for a blown over trailer but You're right....it could happen. Actually everyone who posted so far had some good info.

Answer:
Remember that a rollover in wind is a chargeable accident. The driver will be held acountable regardless of the sequence of events that led-up to the rollover.
Example: A driver realizes he has to shut down due to high winds, pulls into a rest area but all the spaces are full, so he continues down the road looking for a safe haven....and the wind gets him first. If the conditions are so bad that a rollover (accident) is a reasonable certainty, the driver should have blocked traffic at the rest area if necessary -- whatever it takes -- instead of proceeding down the road.
Of course, this sometimes puts the driver between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Nor does the driver want to stop the truck where it might create an additional hazard blocking traffic.....
The best strategy is to keep yourself informed about conditions and plan ahead. Get the truck parked BEFORE you run out of options. If the truck gets rolled over while it's parked, there's little enforcement or the company can do to pin the blame on the driver. By stopping the truck (and lowering the landing gear and positioning the truck into the wind if possible), the driver has done everything reasonable possible to prevent the accident. In addition, there will be far less damage to the truck/driver if it rolls while stopped.

Answer:
Originally posted by Hoss:
Driving in windy conditions is like driving on icey roads.
Very true. And the most basic rule applies to both situations: Slow down!
I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane.
Waylon Jennings