BROKEN ARROW, OK (KJRH) — Wind with gusts upwards of 40 miles per hour can tilt and even flip trailers, and adding highway speeds into the mix only makes it more dangerous. That's why students are prepared for anything in Tulsa Tech's professional truck driving program in Broken Arrow.
In a massive lifelike simulator, students learn how to navigate factors like wind, and learn how it can throw off a driver, especially when exiting overpasses and tunnels.
"You're pulling a 53-foot billboard behind you, so you catch a lot of wind," said program coordinator Donnie Tulk. "Your truck will lean, and you get pushed, and you're steering against the wind."
Tulk says with an empty trailer, gusts more than 40 mph can tilt or even flip a trailer on the road.
"That can happen in the blink of an eye," Tulk said. "A lot of times it will feel like a slow-motion roll on the side."
Tulk says on the road, give trucks plenty of room, because the gust that blows your car to the side can do the same to that trailer.
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