Winter Weather Challenges Can Impact Your Deliveries
These Simple Tips Help Keep Everyone Safe!
We always have one eye on the weather, because when winter storms or extreme cold are in the forecast, we need to be prepared! That means making early fuel deliveries and ensuring we have staff scheduled to handle no-heat emergencies, and ready to make deliveries as soon as the storm is past.
Junction Fuels’ delivery drivers are some of the best on the road. They’re out there in all kinds of weather, all year long, to ensure you stay comfortable. And while the state VTrans teams are superheroes for plowing and salting roads, there’s a few ways you can do your part too! By keeping your driveway clear, you can make deliveries safer for our drivers, both before and after big storms.
Here’s how you can help them, help you, by better ensuring their efficiency and safety:
Winter Storm Preparedness Tips
- When clearing your driveway after snow, keep in mind that our trucks need a 9- to 10-foot-wide path to maneuver safely—and we CANNOT deliver fuel if your driveway isn’t plowed. Marking the edges makes it easier to navigate, especially on steep driveways. Remember, just because you can get your car down your driveway doesn’t mean our 15-ton fuel truck can make it too.
- Be sure the path to your fill pipe is free of debris and branches and clear a path about a foot wide after a snowfall.
- After a storm, check for downed trees, branches, and power lines that may obstruct access to your equipment.
- Is your tank underground? Marking its location with a pole topped with a bright-colored flag or ribbon makes it visible over snowbanks and drifts.
Winter Safety for Your Home—and Your Family
- Maintaining a wide space around vents makes clearing snow and ice easier after storms. Wind, snow and ice can take damage lines and block vents, resulting in potentially dangerous situations for your home and family.
- If you use propane in your home, you and your family should brush up on propane safety and know what to do if you suspect a leak. You’ll know it by the rotten-egg smell of propane gas. Small propane leaks can be created or made worse by storms.
- Be sure vents are not blocked by snow, ice, or fallen leaves. Your heating system won’t work effectively. It also increases the risk of carbon monoxide buildup in your home.
- Test your carbon monoxide detectors. Winter is the most dangerous time when it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning because windows are shut tight and the heat on. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations and change batteries if needed.
- Charge your devices. When bad weather is in the forecast, make sure your phones, laptops, and tablets are fully charged—especially if you live in an area prone to outages. If you have portable chargers, charge those as well.
Here’s one more tip for winter peace of mind: When you sign up for our convenient, FREE automatic delivery service, you never have to worry about running out of heating oil or propane. That’s because our proven method tracks your usage patterns alongside the real-time weather conditions to make sure you have the fuel you need, when you need it, no matter what Mother Nature throws our way.
Need more information? Need help clearing your driveway? Contact us today. We’ll be happy to help in any way that we can.
