Truck drivers discuss conditions in high winds

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - High winds can call for extremely dangerous driving conditions, but truck drivers are at a higher risk because of the size of their vehicles. It's even more dangerous if the truck is empty.

The momentum that trucks carry when they travel make it a bit harder to stop on the road. It's even more difficult when there are 60 to 70 mile-an-hour winds.

Truck drivers are now sharing what they do to stay safe on the road during high wind danger. They say it's best to slowly pull over and stop on the side of the road to avoid an accident.    

Before hitting the road, drivers say checking weather reports is crucial. That's because a toppled semi usually happens when the weight of the vehicle is off. 

"It is not an issue for me since I am always hauling at least 80,000 pounds," said truck driver Brian Stromile. "Now when you are empty it is like hauling a shoe-box, you will blow over in an instant."

Rovelle Vinson drives a freight truck and says that when winds get over 40 miles per hour, it can pose a serious threat to truck drivers as well as drivers of passenger vehicles.

"It could get scary but I am never afraid because during my training anything possibly that could happen I wanted to happen during my training," Vinson added.

Stromile says speed and watching out for other drivers has helped him avoid toppling on the interstate.

"As a professional truck driver you want to watch the people around you," Stromile said. "Some people just can't drive and they will cut you off not realizing, hey we can't stop on an instinct and if our truck is blowing to the side, we can't control that."

Attorney Josh Hotchkiss tries cases against trucking companies. He says it's difficult to hold those companies accountable if someone is hurt in a crash.

"It can be very difficult because the truck driver is just driving next to the person, the wind event occurs and there is not much they could have done to prevent that," Hotchkiss said. He added that it's not impossible to file a lawsuit. But because the weather is a factor and uncontrollable, it can be a challenging case to win in court.