Are You Forced To Drive In Bad Weather Requiring Snow Chains By Companies You Work For?

Daniel, that was a GREAT post! Thank you. I saved it to my computer so I won't forget it.

^^^ PJ, you really made your point!

Now lets say you decided to drive with chains on. A safe speed is about 20 mph so lets use that with the same pay. So if you drive with chains on going exactly 20mph for a full hour nonstop. You will have made 6$ for that hour. Lets no forget those hours spent wrestling with those chains. You also wasted time off your 70 hour clock. You risked your life, wrestled with heavy chains, just so you can make 6$ per hour.

Daniel, now this really puts it in perspective. I mean, the safety aspect is the number one factor, of course. But looking at it from this point of view should let anyone be convinced that the risk is just not worth the cut in pay. Thank you for your insight. You are certainly not a rookie with wisdom like this.

I drove for 15 years and never once put chains on my tires. And I'm from Buffalo, NY. I can drive in snow with the best of em. But I know when it makes sense to push through and when it doesn't and that point is different for everyone. Do not push through in conditions you're not comfortable with. You tell dispatch it's far too dangerous to drive and you have to shut down until conditions improve. Keep them updated regularly. That's the biggest thing with dispatch - communication. Make sure they know what's going on.

But you're the captain of your own ship out there. You make the calls. Don't let anyone push you into doing anything you feel isn't safe.

Driving in the Northwest can be problematic without chains. Some passes start requiring you to carry chains on the truck starting in the fall. Sometimes you are halfway up the pass when you are stopped on the side and told to chain up. A lot of drivers wait until its clear enough to roll but if its bad you might sit for days..not sure the highway patrol will let you sit that long in a chainup area. I don't like chaining up but my company trains you to use them.

I drove for 15 years and never once put chains on my tires. And I'm from Buffalo, NY. I can drive in snow with the best of em. But I know when it makes sense to push through and when it doesn't and that point is different for everyone. Do not push through in conditions you're not comfortable with. You tell dispatch it's far too dangerous to drive and you have to shut down until conditions improve. Keep them updated regularly. That's the biggest thing with dispatch - communication. Make sure they know what's going on.

But you're the captain of your own ship out there. You make the calls. Don't let anyone push you into doing anything you feel isn't safe.

That is exactly spot on. My trainer told me, if its time for chains, it's time to get off the road, and I believed him. I have about half time winter driving experience. I have not had to put chains on, but I have driven through some serious snow storms, and been shut down just because of road closures, usually in WY and NE on I 80. Early on in driving, I shut myself down one night in WY on bad roads, and got a message back that I had done what all the other drivers were doing. I shut myslef down as much because i was exhausted for driving in the bad winter conditions as anything. It would be clear for 10 miles, then ice storms for 20. At one point, the freezing rain on my windshield got to the point where full heat defrost on the truck and wipers, could not keep the ice off the windshield. I came up on a Flying J, and said that was that. Never put chains on, but at that point I had been creeping at about 30 mph for 2 hours. And once I got stopped, I got word that I 80 was closed not far ahead of where I was. I was pretty green then, and the next time I face that........ I will probably shut down sooner.

I-80 in Wyoming in the winter is a world unto itself. It feels like you're on the moon or something. With the constant crosswinds, snow-covered roads, utter lack of trees, and utter lack of life in general it feels like the most inhospitable place on Earth. I mean, I loved going out West. I love the scenery. And being in Wyoming made me daydream incessantly about horses and ranching and the days of the Wild West. But leaving Cheyenne to head West felt like you were entering "The Death Zone" in a way, and yet the isolation was so deeply spiritual at the same time. I always felt compelled to read "Log Cabin Magazine" and "Horse & Rider" magazine every time I went through there.

To this day whenever I think of that stretch of 80 across Wyoming my mind transports me there again. I think of the bitter cold, bleached white expanse with the occasional oasis of light and warmth when you came across one of those beautiful truck stops that dot the landscape from time to time.

When you finally came out of the mountains and found yourself in the lush greens of Northern California you'd think back to those miles across Wyoming and it seemed like a different lifetime. It seemed impossible to think those two places existed on the same planet at the same time, not even that far apart.

That's the kind of stuff that made trucking so special to me.

Hello Daniel B Thank you for the feedback, I think it would just spell out "DANGEROUS" tempting fate in challenging the in climate weather and continuing to drive, ignoring the danger signs. I hate to drive in bad weather in my car let-alone a big rig. Thanks for the post :)

Heavy C, not pushing through inclement weather will not make them think any differently of you. Its not worth it for the company to risk losing hundreds of thousands of dollars just to get a load in on time. They can always reschedule. Pushing through inclement weather is just about the worst thing you can do on the road in my opinion. Driving in conditions that are dangerous will eventually end your career and maybe even your life. Would you really risk your life for boxes of macaroni and cheese?

I sure as heck wouldn't. Those boxes can wait a day. At the end of the day my goal is to be alive to be able to support my family. And I won't risk my family losing me just to prove to some guy at a desk that I'm reliable. The company also doesn't want you to push through inclement weather. They have enough accidents each year and they want to avoid as much as possible.

So please, everyone reading this. Do not think that you're any less of a driver for stopping when conditions get ugly. If anything, you're a better driver than the guy going 60 mph who will get his load in on time but risk everything in exchange. The good drivers are the ones who use their head.

I will drive through rain. I will drive through snow. I won't drive through a blizzard and I won't be driving if I'm required to put on chains. In all honesty, I don't think we get paid enough to put on chains and drive down a steep grade with 79,000 pounds behind our backs. I won't drive if I feel like I'm risking my life. I'm 22 and have a bright future with a wonderful wife, no way I'm going to risk losing what I am blessed with just so walmart can have their product.

The more strict you are when it comes to safety then the safer you'll be.

Ronald, in the end the person who makes the decision is you. You're the captain of the ship and what you say goes. Your DM has absolutely no say in whether or not you should or shouldn't drive. Drive when you feel comfortable. Go ahead and drive 15 mph with those chains on while they tear apart your tires. You'll be wasting your 70 driving and making no money in return. Ill be in the truck stop sipping my hot tea talking with my family and watching TV. Meanwhile you'll be holding onto the steering wheel with your life.

I want to go the extra mile here. I want you to know what you'll be getting paid with those chains on.

Lets say my trucks maximum speed is 60mph and I get .30cpm. If you do the math, they means if I drive exactly 60mph nonstop for a full hour I will make 18$ per hour.

Now lets say you decided to drive with chains on. A safe speed is about 20 mph so lets use that with the same pay. So if you drive with chains on going exactly 20mph for a full hour nonstop. You will have made 6$ for that hour. Lets no forget those hours spent wrestling with those chains. You also wasted time off your 70 hour clock. You risked your life, wrestled with heavy chains, just so you can make 6$ per hour.

So I ask. Who is the fool and who is the wise one? The one who sat comfortably at the truck stop or the one who is so determined to get his load in on time so he can be viewed as dependable meanwhile risking his entire life and career.

Like Brett always says. If the weathers terrible today, chances are tomorrow morning it'll be clear and perfect for driving. So why not wait?

I hope I made my point. If you don't feel safe driving, then don't drive.

One question. Brett, how many times did you put on chains in your entire 15 year career?