O.T.R. Newbie with Gordon Trucking Inc.

as far as chaining they cant force you to do anything.you dont feel safe you dont move!!!! here is what a good ole boy taught me" i chain to get out of a problem i dont chain to go into one" .words to live by

 

Very true. I don't mind chaining to get over a hill, but I'm not leaving them on for 2-3 hrs.

 

A well seasoned mountain driver knows when to chain to avoid getting into a problem in the first place. If your chaining because your problem is your spun out blocking the the road like a rookie tool and screwing it up for all the guys who chained early then I guess that drivers advice is right. For me experience has shown that knowing what lies above the snow line and useing that as your guide is much better advice.

With all the technology available today there is no excuse for not knowing whats going on up the road. One word of advice to you rookies is be very careful on useing the CB as a source of information,most of the guys offering it are about as knowledgeable as the "good ole boy" mentioned above. Most of my time running was spent without a CB for that one reason. Its better to throw a set of singles hoping you dont need them than to be the tool thats screwing it up for the professionals who know how to do thier job.

 

You will if you run in the Pacific Northwest and dont want to be known as a snow bunny. Its bound to happen if you have one of those really bad winters. I have chained a set of doubles in Clackamas and run over Mt Hood down HWY 97 to K Falls then back to Oakridge on HWY 58. Thats about the most miles in one shot. Many nights I have chained on HWY 58 at the trestle and kept them on to K Falls and back or chained on Mt Hood and left them on to and from Bend.

The real lesson to be learned is how to properly chain so your tight and damage free for those long winter runs. Any good driver that works for one of the companies in the Pacific Northwest learns early on to never say never when it comes to winter driving.

 

skies, i know how and when to chain.i was responding to the guy that said he was"forced" to chain. most of the time they shut down the hwy mnt passes in the northwest and california so its not like you are chaining that much anyway . my advice was if you dont feel safe, dont run!

 

My response was not a shot at you, it was meant more to the "good ole boy" and any rookie that would follow his advice,especially when running the pacific northwest. When it comes to operating in the mountains the rookies that are coming into thier first winter need solid advice from people with years of experience running in those conditions. I wish I had a dollar for everytime I had my night screwed up by some super trucker that had the road blocked because he thought he could get by without getting his fat butt out of his warm cab and hanging some iron because he "only chains to get out of a problem".

Over the last few years I was running up that way I saw ODOT and WSDOT getting more and more strict with chain control and putting full closures into place. Speaking only of the passes I ran on a regular basis I can tell you the increase in enforcement is a direct result of the huge number of wrecks and shutdowns that were caused by drivers not chaining. Another big problem is that alot of drivers have very little experience running long distances on packed snow. Fatigue and a heightened sense of ability have lead to alot of the wrecks I saw over the years.

 

I think i met that same Good'ol Boy at the Black Bear in Reno,gave me the same Advice. I Listen to the Good ol Boy's and the Old Timers.

 

Good ole boy's and old timers often are the sorce for outdated bad information. Winter driving and chaining tips are great examples. Always consider the individual not his years on the road when it comes to advice.

When it comes to winter driving in the mountains an old timer from the flat lands is bound to be far less credible than someone who runs the passes five nights a week.

 

myself as a green horn driver. i take advantage of all the info i can get. gps,maps,google maps, weather channel , check state dot road conditions. most of the time the state will close down the roadways before it gets out of hand .i was trained the biggest things about winter driving are slowdown, lose the eng brakes, keep the wheels turning,and you should never have to be hard on the brakes. Skies, as a vet of 21 yrs are you saying that your advice is out dated . what i gleaned for that good ole boy was dont let some desk jock tell you when its save to drive

 

I too know how, when and when NOT to chain. GTI tried to tell me their 'policy' is "if the road is open, you are expected to chain and push thru regardless of the conditions". Well, two years ago during the worst storm to hit the Sierra in eight years (I've lived here 23) I knew how bad it was over Donner from watching the chp accident reports- numerous spin outs and white-out conditions. As far as closing mountain passes, there're only a few that are closed in the winter- none of which are on the interstates or other major routes. Majority of the time those are open


Oh and not all of us are 'guys'