Breakdown in a Panhandle Thunderstorm

Summer afternoons on the panhandle come with a schedule. Clear morning, heat builds, and somewhere between two and six a storm cell parks over I-10 and drops more water in twenty minutes than the drainage can handle. If the truck picks that window to lose air or throw a belt, the breakdown is the easy part. Standing on a shoulder in a lightning storm next to a puddle that is hiding the edge of the pavement is the hard part.

Here is what changes in the rain and how the repair goes when the weather is the problem.

Get stopped somewhere that is not a puddle

Panhandle interstate shoulders drain into ditches, and in a hard rain the low spots flood over the shoulder. A truck that pulls off into standing water may be pulling off into a ditch it cannot see. If the truck can move, aim for high ground, an overpass approach, a rest area, or an exit ramp. If it cannot, get as far right as you can on pavement you can see and stop before the water, not in it.

Visibility is the second problem. In a heavy cell, the driver behind you can see a few hundred feet, less if a truck ahead is throwing spray. Hazards on, every light on, triangles out as soon as it is safe to place them. In rain, drivers see a flashing amber light before they see anything else.

If there is lightning, stay in the cab. A truck cab is a reasonable place to be in a lightning storm. A shoulder next to a metal trailer is not. Triangles can wait until the lightning passes.

What rain does to a breakdown

• Electrical faults show up. A connector that was marginal dry becomes an open circuit wet. Lights go out, ABS lamps come on, and a truck that was fine at breakfast throws codes. Most of these dry out; the connector still needs fixing.
• Belts slip. A belt that was glazed squeals and slips in rain, and the alternator output drops. If the charging light flickers in the rain, the belt or tensioner was already on its way out.
• Brakes behave differently. Wet drums and a truck that has been through deep water can have reduced braking for a few applications. Drag the brakes lightly to dry them.
• Standing water hides road hazards. Tire damage from debris in a flooded shoulder is common, and so is a wheel dropped off the edge of the pavement.

How the repair works in the weather

Most roadside repairs can be done in rain. Tires, air lines, hoses, belts, batteries and cables are wet-weather jobs. The crew works under the truck with lighting, and the service truck carries what it needs to keep parts and tools dry enough to work. What stops work is lightning. When there is lightning close, the crew waits in the truck, and so should you. A cell moves through in twenty or thirty minutes and the work picks up when it passes. Electrical diagnosis is the other one that waits for a break, because chasing an intermittent fault while water is running through the harness is guesswork.

Deep water and the engine

A diesel that has been driven through water deep enough to reach the air intake may have ingested water. If the engine stalled in water and will not restart, do not keep cranking. A cylinder full of water does not compress and the connecting rod is what gives. Shut it down, call, and describe what happened. If the water reached the wheel ends, the bearings and brakes will need to be looked at once the truck is somewhere dry, because water past a seal turns to rust in a hub within days.

The hurricane version

A thunderstorm is an hour. A tropical system is days, and the rules change: evacuation routes, contraflow, closed bridges, fuel shortages, and a service call that may not be safe to make until the wind drops. We covered what fleets and RV owners should plan for in Hurricane Season on the Panhandle and Hurricane Season Trucking. The short version is that a truck or RV that breaks down ahead of a storm needs to get fixed or get moved before conditions close in, and the call needs to go out early.

What to tell dispatch

Where you are, precisely, and what the conditions are at the truck: standing water, lightning, how much shoulder there is. Whether the truck can move. What it is doing. The crew plans the approach around the weather, and knowing that the shoulder is under water or that the truck is on a bridge changes where and how the work gets done. Roadside assistance in a storm is the same service as on a clear day, with more attention paid to where everyone is standing.

Frequently asked questions

Will you come out in a thunderstorm?

Yes. The crew may wait out lightning at the scene before starting work, and so should you.

The lights on the trailer went out in the rain. Is that an emergency?

It is a safety problem in low visibility and an inspection item after. It is usually a connector or a ground that has gotten wet, and it is a roadside repair.

I drove through deep water and the truck is running rough. What now?

Stop and call. Water in the intake, the fuel, or the electrical system can all cause it, and running it further can turn a cleanup into an engine.

Can I put triangles out in the rain?

Yes, once lightning has passed and you can do it safely. Wear the vest, keep the flashlight moving, and get back to the cab.

Broken down in the weather anywhere on the panhandle? Stay in the cab, get lit up, and call Duckett Roadside Repair at (850) 495-0366. Dispatch is answered 24 hours a day.