Ice Road Trucking - Be aware when driving in COLD weather.

When a truck driver is driving in cold weather, It is important to know some symptoms which could occur when exposed to the very cold elements. There could added danger when one does not wear warm clothing and gets wet for quite some time in the very cold environment. There is a possibility that the truck driver may experience one of the following:

• Fatigue and drowsiness
• Decreased hand and body coordination
• Slurred speech
• Abnormal behavior
• Shivering
• Difficulty breathing
• Reduced pulse rate

These symptoms happen if a person’s body temperature is very low. This condition is called Hypothermia. If this happens to you go to the nearest hospital’s Emergency Room and seek medical help. The goal would be to increase the body temperature by re-warming both from external sources and also by administering warmed intravenous fluids (only by the ER Physician) as deemed necessary.

Frostbite is another common injury when exposed to extreme cold temperature. This is due to the freezing of tissues with intra-cellular ice and crystal formation. The affected body part is typically initially hard, cold, white, and numb depending on the degree of injury. If this happens to you, seek immediate medical help, and cover the affected body parts with warm blankets and drink hot fluid, if you are able to drink.

When you are on icy roads or driving in very cold weather like in the Northern United States or Canada, always wear layered clothing, a hat, gloves and well insulated shoes/boots. Drink warm fluids and eat well. Get out and flex your muscles to generate body heat.