Thanks for the info. I already have a chain rack installed on te truck. My big question was could I get them from a terminal and the cost. Yes Otter, I do know what drag chains are. I used to carry cables years ago, and recently carried chains, that the company provided. These are something that I plan to just carry, not install. My belief is that chains are to get you out of trouble, not into.
Nothing wrong with that philosophy...nothing at all. Just remember, it is very difficult, sometimes impossible, to apply the chains when the tires are spinning....you need some traction to get up on the chains!
Gary had them in the shop last winter. No body checked what truck they were going on to. They had boxes of singles and doubles. They were all used. I learned how to chain up from my mentor. He was a former snow plow operator for Minneapolis MN. Told me the doubles when they come off cause a bunch of damage. Cali law is 8 singles.
For Washington State you need to carry 9 (that's right nine) chains. 4 for the drives 2 for the trailer 1 for a front wheel (I kid you not, but it's for a max chain event) and 2 spare. Save every cam wrench you can, because they evaporate if dropped into snow. I found running single chains on the outside of each drive tire worked the best for me. When I needed new chains I always went to the parts counter at a terminal and asked for a new set for the trailer. Never had to pay for chains until I got super singles. Bungee's are not a substitute for putting the chains on properly. At best a bungee will help keep a chain that breaks a cross chain on. But if you are not willing to chain, please stay out of the Pacific North Wet during the winter and early spring. You will just be in the way.
JCP dedicated for about 6 years now. I did Costco 3 axle refer for a year, but was forced out of it because of the high fuel prices. Sometimes in the winter I miss having that 3 axle refer, very stable, good traction on bad roads. Costco does a great job of unloading on schedule (and sometimes earlier). What I see is Swift trying to get more dedicated accounts. If you want HH specifically ask for a mentor who is on HH. Getting mentored on the account you want gives you a leg up on getting it...unless you screw up. good luck!
The next time u are at a truck stop get on your cb and ask which company driver wants to sell their chains. That's how I got mine. Its cheaper, I just buy them for looks because I'm not putting them on.
I asked Mike, my instructor at Millington who had been an OTR driver with MS Carriers and Swift for over 20 years how many times he had chained up and he told me never. I said, "But some states require chains right?" His reply was, "Some states require you to carry chains. If they have ever been required to drive, that is when I parked the truck and deemed it too dangerous to stay on the road." That answer made a ton of sense to me. How often have you actually had to chain up or do you?
