Wisconsin has warmed up today from minus 11, and Minnesota was on the minus 20s yesterday. But with the wind chill its minus 38 in Wisconsin.
Trucked many a load in the upper midwest when I lived in NW IL. But the worst was mid Feb 06, when I covered for a driver that ran a west coast a load of meat from Storm Lake, IA to Newark, CA (south of Oakland). Waited half a day at Storm Lake. Sub single digits, snow and blowing snow in IA and Nebraska, then just blowing snow and down to -29 (wind chill -50?) across WY through the middle of the night. Quit counting fuel gelled and dead semis at 60.
Was snowing on Donner’s pass, but got through (sat all Sunday at Gilroy). Backhauled through Oxnard, Coachella, Phoenix, and on to Chicago, then back west to the Quad Cities and home. 5,140 miles in 5 1/2 days (930 miles/day) total: 7 days and 4 hours. Should have been a team run.
I tell my wife when eating a salad in the winter, “some driver drove through the night in less than favorable conditions so we could have fresh veggies from the southwest.” And those enjoying a steak on the west coast need the same appreciation.