What to Do When Your Truck is Stuck in Snow

Most people who drive trucks or other larger, more heavy-duty vehicles don’t worry about things like getting stuck in the snow as much as someone who drives a compact car. However, even the heaviest-duty trucks can get stuck in the snow. Unfortunately, even snow tires aren’t foolproof, so there’s really no way to ensure that your truck will never get stuck in the snow. But here are some tips on what to do when your truck is stuck in snow.

If your truck gets stuck in the snow, it can be a frustrating and scary experience. If you live in an area where it snows frequently and heavily in the wintertime, it is important to be prepared for this situation before it actually occurs so that you’re able to handle it the right way and with a clear head in case it ever does happen to you. Keep reading to learn 5 things to do when your truck is stuck in the snow.

1. Keep a Winter Safety Kit With You 

Keeping a winter safety kit in your truck with you at all times during the snowy season of the year can make a big difference in how quickly you’re able to get out of the situation of getting your truck stuck in the snow if it does happen to you. 

One of the most important items to keep in your in-vehicle winter safety kit is a snow shovel. Without a snow shovel, it will be a lot more difficult to clear snow away from your truck’s tires if your truck does get stuck in the snow. Other items you should keep in a winter safety kit include a windshield ice scraper, gloves, snow chains, etc. 

Once you’ve collected the items you want and need in your winter safety kit, gather them and store them together in a storage bin somewhere inside your vehicle—i.e. in your backseat or in the bed of your truck if it’s covered—where the kit is unobtrusive but where you’ll be able to access it easily if needed. 

2. Turn Off Traction Control 

If your truck is equipped with traction control, it is essential to turn off this feature if your truck gets stuck in the snow. In order to get your truck out of the snow, both of the drive wheels—the front tires on a front-wheel-drive truck and the rear tires on a rear-wheel, all-wheel, or four-wheel drive model—need to have traction.

Traction control interferes with the traction of your truck’s drive wheels, which is why this feature is important to turn off before you start trying to get your truck unstuck from the snow. You should be able to turn off the traction control with the press of a button located somewhere on your dashboard or center console. 

3. Dig Out Your Tires 

This trick only really works if you have a snow shovel on hand in your vehicle already—which is part of the reason why having a winter safety kit in your truck at all times is so important—but clearing snow away from your tires can be one of the most effective ways to get your truck unstuck from the snow. 

Use a snow shovel to clear a path of at least a few feet in the area around all of your tires—although it is especially important to remove any snow or ice from the area around your truck’s drive tires. Then, get back in your truck and try to drive like normal. If you’ve cleared enough snow away from the area around your tires, your truck should be able to drive forward with ease. 

4. Drive Forward and Backward 

Driving forward and backward can be an effective way to get your truck unstuck from the snow. Start by straightening your steering wheel in order to straighten your tires and get the best traction. 

Then, put your vehicle in the lowest possible gear and start slowly moving your truck forward a few inches and then back a few inches. Be careful not to rev your engine and watch out for spinning tires. If your tires start spinning, you risk digging your truck further into the snow—so stop pressing the gas pedal and try something else if you notice that your tires are starting to spin. 

5. Brake and Accelerate 

Pressing the gas pedal and the brake pedal at the same time is a great technique to use to get your truck unstuck from the snow—especially if you’ve already tried digging out your tires and driving forward and backward. 

Braking and accelerating very slightly at the same time can help stop your tires from spinning and transfer more power to the drive wheels of your truck, which can allow your truck to gain more traction on the road and successfully drive forward. It is important to note, however, that you should only try to brake and accelerate at the same time for a few seconds at a time—doing so for a longer amount of time can damage your brakes by causing them to overheat.

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