Indian River

No. You will only see mandatory chain control when you are approaching certain mountain passes. Different states word it differently, but the signs will be bright yellow and say something like: “Chains Required When Flashing” or “**Chain Control** All Trucks Must Use Chains.”

Shortly after you pass the sign, there will be a chain-up area. Sometimes it will be a wide shoulder. Sometimes it will be an exit ramp with what looks like a vacant rest area. You will see signs that say “30 Minute Parking For Chain-Up Only.” That is where you will put your chains on before proceeding up the mountain pass. When you finish descending down the other side, you will see a sign that says: “Chain Removal Area.” That is where you can remove the chains without being in violation and continue your trip.

Chains are not something that drivers put on for fun or for unnecessary reasons. They put them on when they are in a controlled area to avoid receiving a huge fine. I think it’s $880 in Oregon. I think Colorado is $1,000+ It’s even more if you spin out and block the road after disobeying the control signs. View it like a weigh station. When the scale lights tell you to exit, you exit. Chain control areas are the same way. When the lights are flashing, you have to stop and put them on.

“I’ll just park instead.” The problem with that is, unless you have been researching ahead of time and have the most current information, you probably won’t have a place to park if you’re already to the point where you see the control signs. You will be expected to chain-up and proceed, so you’re not clogging up the chain-up area by converting it into a rest area. That is why they have signs that say “30 Minute Chain-Up Parking Only.”

Your company issued you chains, because many of the states out West require them to be onboard between October and April. They are required safety equipment just like triangles and a fire extinguisher. You will be asked to show them to an inspector sometimes, too. Like I said earlier, it’s a good thing to familiarize yourself with, because it’s a lot easier to learn how to put them on in a sunny parking this Summer when you’re bored, than to learn at a chain-up area with a foot of snow on the ground and 15 degree temperatures, with 10 drivers waiting on you to hurry up and move so they can put their’s on. Deciding to park is a good mindset sometimes, but there are situations where you might not have any choice if you weren’t planning and monitoring the control status in advance.

 

@nextgentrucker Here is an example of what the signs look like. I found it in my IRT photo album from 2019. Most of the time they are yellow. In California they are usually digital banners above the highway.

 

Here is one from Donner.

 

Interstate 5 near the California / Oregon state line on the way to Salem

 

When you eventually run I 70 west of Denver you will see a lot of this.