‘Pull over and shut it down;’ Local semi-truck drivers explain how they prepare for strong winds

MIAMI VALLEY — Strong winds are moving into the Miami Valley tonight, and they can pose issues for people who drive high-profile vehicles.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for the entire region. It began Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will last until noon Wednesday.

>> Wind Advisory issued for entire region tonight; Snow, colder tomorrow

On Tuesday at 11 p.m., News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis talked to semi-truck drivers about what they do when strong winds roll in.

Many truckers said that if the winds get to be too much, it’s a good idea to take a break.

Michael Appleberry lives in Dayton and said he’s been driving a truck for more than 20 years.

“I’ve never been blown over but, I’ve had instances where I’ve looked in my mirrors and seeing my trailer beside me, instead of behind me,” Appleberry said.

When it gets windy out, he said it can get tricky on the roads.

“A crosswind is probably like the equivalent of being blindsided tackled on a football field if you’re standing still and someone runs and pushes, shoves into you, that’s what wind feels like against a 53-foot tractor-trailer,” Appleberry said.

>>RELATED: Commercial semi-truck overturns in Preble County Tuesday

Benny Corbin is an instructor at the TruckTrailerPro CDL School in Dayton.

He tells his students to slow down on the on and off ramps, and if it gets too dangerous, it’s time to pull over and shut it down.

“Some drivers they want to keep pushing it and that’s where the problem comes in,” Corbin said.

Sometimes, the problems come with other drivers.

“From a truck driver’s point of view, you know, just give us space, we’re here to do a job,” Appleberry said.

He said truckers want to get home safely just like any other driver.

“We don’t want to kill anybody. We don’t want to have any insurance claims. We want to come and do our job and we want to make it home safely at the end of the night,” Appleberry said.

Both Appleberry and Corbin said having a light load on your truck while driving in the wind can make for a difficult trip.

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