SLIPPERY BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham, Alabama
My Wednesday workday started with a little slipping and sliding. I had just left the Pilot Travel Center, just off of Arkadelphia Road. It was 64° and raining hard, so I was a little more gentle on the throttle than usual. When I stepped on the brakes for a stoplight, I noticed that my rig wasn't slowing down as quickly as I had anticipated & I felt a pronounced pulsing that turned out to be my antilock braking system. This was strange, since I wasn't pressing on the brake pedal very hard. The roadway had recently been repaved. The rain was drawing up the oil. This phenomenon is commonly known as "Florida ice." It is every bit as slippery as regular ice, perhaps a little more. After the light turned green, I gently accelerated. My dashboard notification center informed me that my wheels were spinning… "Reduce throttle", it commanded. Getting up to speed was a struggle, as I could barely gain traction. Again, at the next stoplight, I had difficulty stopping. In my mirror, I observed the following rig's trailer slipping out from behind him by a few feet into the neighboring lane. These conditions were ripe for a jackknife. I continued my journey at just about half of the speed limit. This ordeal continued for another three stoplights. It was good to finally get on the freeway. US-78 is now officially I-22. The rest of my driving day was smooth and uneventful. I just relinquished control of the captain's chair to my partner near Shawnee, Oklahoma.