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Preparations for a Long-Distance Commuter, by Darin P. in Michigan
Long-distance Commuters face challenges. I average 20 days at work per month. During those days, I am away from home for 11.5 hours. Unless the Crunch starts conveniently on a Saturday morning, before I can survive the end of the world as I know it I have to get home.
My daily commute carries me 35 miles each way. Sometimes while sitting in traffic I’m reminded of real life – and fictional – disaster situations looking a lot like what I face each day; miles and miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion. The defining difference is this: My traffic jam eventually clears and I motor-on my way towards wife and kids and dog. And two cats.
Lately my thoughts push me towards my need to return home in the event of the worst – specifically, planning for accommodating my trip. Before I can bug-in at my homestead, I have to get there! Before I can work to provide comfort and safety for my family, I have to reach home. If the roads were closed or blocked just how would I manage? Living in Southeast Michigan for several years, I have seen the weather change pretty quickly. Even if my winter vehicle has the ability to traverse deep snow covered roads, local authorities have the power to determine roads “Impassible”, stranding me away from the homestead.
Apart from winter hazards, commuters face a multitude of potential challenges, from massive traffic accidents, terror attack – recall the streams of pedestrians evacuating downtown New York City on 11 September 2001 – or natural disasters. Below you will find tips to prepare yourself and your vehicle for the commute from hell. Driving: Take serious consideration in your commuter – remember a car not properly equipped, or lacking other capabilities gets great fuel economy, while stuck on the side of the road. In my 14mpg pick-up hurts my wallet at fuel-up however worth more to me is the security presented by having a greater chance of making it home through all kinds of weather.
During winter season, as defined by the daily high temperatures not exceeding about 40 degrees, I swap my summer all-season/all terrain tires on my F150 4×4 SuperCrew with dedicated-winter tires. Providing additional weight over the drive wheels is a water bladder, filled to approximately 400lbs of water, secured to the floor of the pick-up bed. Late February of 2011 I flew from the Detroit area for deployment to Iraq. I was under orders – I could not simply call-in sick. The night I left, the Detroit Metro area was hit with significant snow storm. With a solid foot of snow falling around us, the truck performed flawlessly – bringing me and my family to the airport, and providing my wife and kids safe return home. The benefits of ground clearance and proper winter tire combined in a way either of the two alone could not. I passed dozens of compact and other passenger cars stuck on the road, even trucks with large off-road and mud-terrain tires spun helplessly on the slick roads.
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