It's that time of year when most of us start having serious troubles with seeing out of our windshields when we leave out in the mornings. For many commercial truck drivers, waking up early in the winter to scrape and defrost your Isuzu NPR or Mitsubishi Fuso windshield is just another part of the day.

You can follow all the steps to clear your windshield, let your truck defrost for 10 minutes, scrape the windshield, etc. But if you don't have good wipers, your windshield will never be easy to see out of.

Here are some common questions and answers that may help you.

1. Why won't my wipers clear the entire windshield? They leave bands or patches of un-wiped surface.

• Banding across the wiping area can be caused by incorrect wiper arm pressure, damage to the blade superstructure or improper blade / refill installation. Wind lift can also create similar un-wiped areas and has become more common on today's aerodynamic vehicles that are equipped with longer wiper blades. Un-wiped areas within the wiper path occur when the blad loses contact with the windshield surface.

2. Why do my wipers make a chattering noise?

• Chatter and other noise occurs when the blade moves irregularly across the windshield surface. It is most often caused by rubber wear, wiper arm damage, or park set rubber.

3. What causes the haze on my windshield? The wipers won't take it off.

• Hazing is an oil-like film that spreads across the windshield as the wiper blade passes over it. Dirt or wax build-up is the most probable cause and often the rubber element has been contaminated. You should thoroughly clean the windshield and replace the rubber elements.

4. Why do my wipers streak and smear my windshield?

• Smearing and streaking can be caused by many things, including improper refill installation, wiper element wear or damage, or dirt build-up on the windshield.

5. Why does my windshield still have water drops on the window when I use my wipers?

• Beading appears as a collection of fine water droplets that stick to the windshield after the wiper blade passes over the surface. It is most often caused by wax and/or silicone build-up on the windshield or rubber element.

6. What should I look for when inspecting my windshield wipers?

• There are many things to look for that will affect the operation of your wipers. Cracked Rubber - Look for splits and slashes in the rubber, evidence of a hard life. Its time to replace the element.
• Contaminated Rubber - Usually caused by road film or chemicals adhering to rubber refill surface. Clean the windshield thoroughly and replace the rubber element.
• Torn Rubber - Element has pulled away from its support, slaps.
• Improperly Installed Refill - A wiper refill that is too short or not properly installed in the blade claws loses its effectiveness immediately and may result in a scratched windshield.
• Park Set Rubber - A hardened rubber blade with little or no flexibility left, caused by direct sunlight and extreme temperature changes.
• Damaged Superstructure - Bent arm, blade or refill is a dead giveaway, caused by ice scrapers and car wash equipment.
• Abrasion-Worn Rubber - Worn down, ragged edges from rough winter conditions or infrequent rubber element refilling.