Trucker given ticket for no snow chains?

If your already chained up and spin out, Colorado no longer charges for the tow. If your not chained up and spin out, you pay the fine and the tow bill.

Now, if we could just do this to the car drivers, it would make life so much more enjoyable

 

Striker is right. If you are chained up and spin out, the heavy equipment up at the top of the hill will come down and get you for free. Make sure you have an eyelet or hook attached to the front of your truck so they don't have to wait for you.

Unfortunately, in my case, the trooper didn't tell me about the freebie. It cost me $350 to get pulled 1/2 mile up to the HazMat staging lot at the entrance. So while I didn't get hit with the ticket, it was still a costly night on the hill.

 

I have hung iron so many times the Iron workers asked me to join their union! I'm retired. I have never heard or seen an Auto Chain. What is it? I'm not trying to be funny. Thanks.

 

Not a standard US type auto chain but these work well and many more videos of other systems.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPd3O5_SJEs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPd3O5_SJEs[/ame]

 

I have On Spot Chains installed. They work forward or reverse. The tires must be ROTATING at a minimum speed of 2 mph for them to fully engage. You can be moving as fast as 25 mph. They are good up to 35 mph and work pretty well on ice and snow. You just get within the speed limitations, engage the front drive and flip the switch.

Here's a video demo:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEsSCcnSoiY[/ame]

 

Somehow I don't think Onspot would meet DOT requirements. In the event the spring fails you can't see it, also it isn't actually mounted on the tires.

 

The arm is driven down by air pressure (pneumatic), just like a brake. The chain still goes underneath the tire and gives you traction just like a "regular" chain. The spring is used to RETRACT the chain wheel. Rest assured, if the chains don't retract and you get on dry pavement, you will know it. You don't have to see it, as the rumble of the chains on dry pavement will be more than a bit obvious.

You can think what you want, but they are legal. Do you think the Colorado trooper would have walked away from the oppportunity to write me a $1,000 ticket for not being chained and blocking traffic if they weren't legal?

You can view the Colorado DOT chain laws here:
http://www.coloradodot.info/library/Brochures/ChainTips.pdf

If you don't want to read the entire web page, here is the part pertaining to auto chains:

Alternate Traction Devices ​

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(ATDs) - Approved ATDs in Colorado are wheel sanders, which must carry enough sand to get the vehicle through the restricted area; pneumatically driven chains, which spin under the drive wheels automatically as traction is lost; and textile traction device (TTD), a fabric boot which encompasses the tire. Currently, the only TTD that has been approved for use on Colorado state highways is the AutoSock.​

Might not hurt to check some DOT regulations before telling people you don't think they are legal.

I've been running them for the last 5 winter seasons. Rest assured, I wouldn't have dropped the money on them if they didn't satisfy Colorado DOT regulations. I do dedicated runs from Denver to Salt Lake, Farmington and Albuquerque. A heavy load for me is 15K, cubed out. Returning to Denver I typically have less than 5K on board. I have spun out ONCE using them, and that was only because traffic had been stopped at the mouth of the tunnel. If not for that, I would have made it right on through that night. I run Eisenhower Tunnel as well as Vail, Wolf Creek, Raton, Glorietta, and Cumbres Passes, Soldier Summit, Parley, Sisters and Elk Mountain all winter long. Troopers see me running them all the time, and have never pulled me over a single time for not chaining up. They know what to watch for when you are going down the road. Just because you can't see them from the side of the tire doesn't mean that they can't be observed in use.

 

Nope, not until the chain law is enacted...re-read the statute.

I've been driving commercially since '84 or so, have never carried chains and always knew that chain up time was Miller time, didn't matter if I had to stop at a truck stop, casino, rest area or ##### house I've never chained up on the road...actually the very first time I ever chained was last winter to get out of my subdivision in Oklahoma after the blizzard...a whole 1/4 mile.

 

Wrong, Paul. Check the latest statute in my last post.

Colorado changed their law a couple of years ago. Now if you go west of Denver on I-70 you are required to carry chains from September 1 through May 31. It can be sunny and 80 degrees, and if they check you it is a $500 fine (plus surcharge) if you don't have them on the truck.

If the chain law is up, and you don't have them on, it is another $500 plus surcharge.

If the chain law is up, you d[n't have them on and you spin out, it is $1,000 plus surcharge.

And they LOVE writing those easy tickets!

 

Violations - The fine for not carrying chains on I-70 between mileposts 133 and 259 from Sept. 1 to May 31 is $50 plus
a $17 surcharge. Statewide, the fi ne for not chaining up when the chain law is in effect is $500 plus a $79 surcharge. The
fi ne for not chaining up and subsequently blocking the highway is $1,000 plus a $ 157 surcharge.