To chain or not to chain...

Really, Jet? Never even been to the Sierras in the winter? Shocking.

 

If you ever let your bank account dictate weather or not you go in bad weather... You may want to consider a better paying profession.
I see a few of you saying things like "will I go broke if I dont go in the snow". Ask yourselves this, "If I do go because of money even tho I think its a bad situation, who will feed my kids when Im dead"?

I deal with wind regularly (mobile home transport) and in the past few years with my bank accounts looking rather dismal I have had the thought of letting money go come into play. Its a sad economy when men have to take risks that they know are unnecessary and we only take those risks because of money. It reminds me of those guys swinging from ropes 500 feet above the river at the Hoover dam in the great depression.
If taking one day off work to wait for the road to be cleared is going to break you, please reconsider your life choices....and keep voting for the two party system that put us in this mess.

 

what if your taking two, three or four days off? How many days can you afford to sit and wait? Two winters ago, I was running Denver to Grand Junction 5 days a week for a month straight. The chain law was up for 4 and a half days, there were three empty flatbeds that sat for the entire time because they didn't have chains (which is why Colorado now only permits a max of 36 hrs sitting in the chain areas). Friend of mine works for a tow company in that area, all three had to be towed, one ran out fuel while sitting, the other two were so low on fuel they couldn't make it the 90 miles to Glenwood Springs to get fuel and ran out along the way.

So let's look at that bank account....two sets of chains will set you back $200, which hopefully you'll make back in one run. Sitting for 4.5 days, in temps hitting -0 over night and upper teens during the day, idling the entire time, that's gonna cost you roughly 105 gal. of diesel (assuming 1 gal. of diesel per hour at idle burn rate) @$4.20/gal = $441.00. If you run out of fuel, no one is going to bring it to you, you'll have to be towed. Assuming you shutdown at the 214mm, the call out rate for the wrecker is $250.00, figure $1.95/mile to be towed back to Denver, roughly, roughly 65 miles to the T/A, the cost of diesel when you get there, the price for the mechanic to get your truck running again, plus any misc. charges therein, I'm guessing your gonna be out at least $1,000 maybe closer to $1,500. All this assumes CSP doesn't give you a $500 or $1,000 ticket.

 

Oh, and one other thing, there are renewed calls from Ski Country USA, Colorado Ski Country, Vail and Assoc., and the various other players for CSP and CDOT to clamp down even harder on truckers in the winter. Including reinstating the 4 pt violation for drivers in states that ##### points to licenses. Also, discussing raising the fines again and a discussion closing I-70 to trucks during certain hours on the weekends because of too many drivers who want to try it barefoot, don't know what they are doing, or who sit and block areas because they are ill prepared. Glenwood Springs will be enforcing a very strict No Parking rule for trucks that park outside specific areas, as is the intention of New Castle, Rifle and Silt. Colorado has no plans to add more truck parking.

 

Wolfie was going over Cabbage to Boise.

 

seeing as you are from the west coast , you may want to learn how AND WHEN. I myself carry them ,but will not use. if I need to chain, "not by a chain law", but to continue my drive I probably should have stopped a half hour ago.

meaning ,if conditions are so bad I can't maintain forward motion without chains it's really freakin' bad and I should have stopped a long time ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

east coast we don't have any chain laws. at least not that I know of.

 

And you want to worry about taking freight to these people? A bunch of elitists.

There are two, more adequately outfitted Interstates to handle traffic....and I-70 is not one of them. The only reason you run I-70 west of Denver is to service the towns along it, and they're the ones that are moaning. Colorado west of Denver can starve for all I care....or live off the land, since they moved out there....otherwise, I don't need to go through Denver for any reason. Enjoy the freight.

And I take it from your other post, of the assessment of risk and cost, you're an O/O...explain how a company driver needs to worry about those things over the value of his life? You're comparing apples (those willing) and oranges (those not).

And Numb up there makes my point for me. Trip planning, and most of the time, I don't plan 70 west of Denver.

 

Hope they don't close the road for a stupid reason like that. Just make the fine the same or double what it is for talking on handheld cell phone. We really don't need any more limiting regulation because a few can't handle it and screw up.

 

Hand held cell talking/texting fines don't scare these youngsters!

OR...first offense for a trucker....$2350.00 .... hasn't stopped em talking/texting out here!

 

Company policy explained at orientation:

"The Feds require our trucks to have chains. But if the weather is so bad that you need them, shut down. A late load is 1000 times better than a wrecked load!"

Mikeeee