Driving Grand Junction Colorado in Snow Through Eyes of Truck Driver

Do you remember that excellent snowfall on New Year's Eve 2021? Do you recall how bad the roads were in Grand Junction, Colorado? Take another look, but this time through the eyes of a commercial truck driver.

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Driving Westbound I-70 Out of Grand Junction, Colorado

Here's what it looked like on December 31, 2021, while driving from Grand Junction to Fruita in fresh snow. Most people stayed home. For those driving for a living, though, it was business as usual.

Made Me Nervous Just Watching This

My knuckles turned white simply by watching this video. I didn't get too nervous until about 12:36 into the video. It was at that point the trucker encountered several slower-moving vehicles in the right lane. Unfortunately, the passing lane hadn't been plowed.

At 13:40 in the video, the driver explains that a speed of 45 to 50 miles per hour is "a good speed." Most drivers I encountered that evening were driving at a speed roughly equal to that of a five-year-old on a bike, somewhere around three or four miles per hour.

Heading Back to Grand Junction

At 15:59 the snow, and the plot, thicken. The driver's destination is Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the road gets closed and the driver is forced to exit at Mack. A quick exit followed by a turnaround and he's on the road heading back to Grand Junction.

On the way back at 22:32, the traffic on I-70 looks something like a downtown Grand Junction parade. Cars are lined up, rapidly going nowhere at the "speed of stop." You'll notice at 24:00 the driver comments about how Colorado drivers tend to ride the left lane, paralleling the drivers in the right lane, making it impossible to pass.

As I've said before, I honestly believe I could fly the Space Shuttle easier than drive a semi. Truck drivers have to be the most talented human beings on the planet. It's hard to imagine driving a rig under ideal conditions, let alone during a snowstorm in the Colorado mountains.

Closing Remarks

The video winds down with one final thought from our driver. He says, "Never think you're better than Mother Nature because she'll come to smack you upside the head."