1 Year Anniversary - Michael's Dedicated Marten Job

Big shock here...

An inch... why didn’t say that in the first place?

How about giving all of the information, all of the important details. Still doesn’t explain why his driver leader responded alarmed. And the area he got into wasn’t expected...? He drove into the problem. What he encountered should have been expected.

Based on the initial information you posted is how I crafted my reply. Based on my experience dealing with snow and ice. 9 winters and counting, many of them really bad.

He should be on this forum fending for himself, exchanging first hand information with his peers. I feel strongly about that.

There were no chain requirements when he left the rest stop and the requirements went in place while he was driving. There are no places to stop at the top of the Sierra-Nevada, all trucks were chaining up. The next area to stop was beyond the chain control area.

The reason Marten has chains supplied is for the reason Michael used them, he got into an area unexpectedly. Weather forecast called for less than an inch of snow and he said that there was maybe an inch on the road.

One of the members here drives from Modesto to Reno daily and chains up frequently, sometimes twice since he is a day driver making it a round-trip.

I should have posted more info but didn't want to make it too long, thought I covered the points adequately.

You seem surprised it was only an inch yet think Michael should have anticipated the chain requirements when none were posted. I'm guessing they threw up the requirements as more snow was coming and I did see later yesterday that it was still snowing six hours after he passed. Many people are familiar with the route but, of course, many are not. This is where the tragic Donner party spent the winter. Elevation gains over a short distance.

I wish Michael would join the forum but it's not likely to happen as he just has some aversion to this, I'm not really sure why. No Facebook either. He has a few trucker friends that he exchanges text messages with. I know there is a lot of useful help here and I act as a conduit for him when I can with some of my participation as entertainment for me during slow periods (your PTO post reminds me of engaging the PTO on a farm truck to dump loads of corn, etc., great days about 50 years ago).

His DM's alarm is because this rarely happens and they avoid having their drivers run with chains whenever possible. If Michael's two unloads were done timely, he would have made it over the mountains before snow arrived. If they took even longer, he would have stopped even sooner and seen chain controls in place before he got there. The rest stop he parked at is at an altitude of 3,200 feet and Donner Pass is 7,057 feet.

Big shock here...

An inch... why didn’t say that in the first place?

How about giving all of the information, all of the important details. Still doesn’t explain why his driver leader responded alarmed. And the area he got into wasn’t expected...? He drove into the problem. What he encountered should have been expected.

Based on the initial information you posted is how I crafted my reply. Based on my experience dealing with snow and ice. 9 winters and counting, many of them really bad.

He should be on this forum fending for himself, exchanging first hand information with his peers. I feel strongly about that.

There were no chain requirements when he left the rest stop and the requirements went in place while he was driving. There are no places to stop at the top of the Sierra-Nevada, all trucks were chaining up. The next area to stop was beyond the chain control area.

The reason Marten has chains supplied is for the reason Michael used them, he got into an area unexpectedly. Weather forecast called for less than an inch of snow and he said that there was maybe an inch on the road.

One of the members here drives from Modesto to Reno daily and chains up frequently, sometimes twice since he is a day driver making it a round-trip.

I seriously doubt Marten’s Safety management would have approved of him chaining up to advance his load. I know of no reputable company that condones chain use for any purpose other than getting to a safe place to park and shut down.

I have a lot more to say regarding this... I doubt you’ll like any of it.

It’s time. Michael really needs to develop his own relationship within this forum... had he reached out to us, the overwhelming majority of us would have advised him to shut down or take an alternate route around the weather. Assuming he crossed mountains (guessing Sierras), he got very lucky.

It sounds like he had to chain up to go back to where he had previously parked or go to the next parking area...which was required. So after explaining that, his driver manager was okay with it. As for the DM/DL freaking out, sounds like somebody overreacted.

I have only driven for one company that was not reputable and they were shut down by DOT. However, all the other companies, including the one I'm with right now, leave the chaining situation up to the driver. While all of them would prefer we chain up just to get out of an emergency situation, none of them have mandates to not chain up. In fact, when I was driving containers to the ports in Oakland CA, it was mandatory to chain up and further the load. While I never had to do that, because Wyoming now shuts the roads down, I had to agree to chain up if necessary.

Harvey's son will never be on this forum. Just say what you want to Harvey and I'm sure it will get to Michael.

Laura

I’m familiar with Donner Harvey... enough to know 1” can quickly become 18’ of wind driven blindness. I’m also very well versed on chain policies and understand when conditions warrant chaining, they do not want us driving. I witnessed more than one driver receiving disciplinary action in cases like this. Donner is not to be messed with under any conditions and has taken many. I’ve crossed it in my PV and when I was OTR the very beginning of my career.

How many times has he crossed it?

I/We had to cross there, Donner's Pass, last winter w/ CRST, right where CHP closed the road, unless chained up. So I turned around and drove back down 10 miles, to where it was only raining/drizzle. Crossed back over to the chain area, we chained up to get past the snow (daytime) and after our descent to no snow zone an hour or so later, removed the chains and forged ahead to our delivery.

We didn't have to chain up but being daylight, and not too far to get out of the heavy snow, we decided to chain and continue on. I was soaked, but we got thru it fine. Night time? might have just parked it.....I HATE SNOW lol.........Actually most companies have chains just for looks, not required to actually use em, it's just to satisfy DOT/CHP.....Won't miss that part of trucking for sure lol

P.S. Forgot to add, I been wondering the same thing, why hasn't your son joined here himself? Can't he speak for himself?

No offense, Harvey, just asking, since I too have wondered why he hadn't joined TT, and get any info / tips & tricks here, 1st hand......

Michael has crossed Donner roughly 100 times in the past year (about 50 times each way), maybe more as he's crossed it three times this week already. Earlier this week he shut down in eastern Nevada due to wind and then headed west very early the next morning to miss snow from a prior small storm. When chain restrictions are in the forecast or already underway, he has discretion to go south through Las Vegas. Weather forecast was for 1" total for the day, it is highly unusual to have significant snow this time of year although I once had to chain up on June 21st at Truckee, that was back in the mid 1980s when there was much less information about weather and roads than we have today.

I will try to make it clearer, he had no choice but to chain, the chain requirements went up after he was underway and he could not turn around at that spot and would have had to chain up to get to the next off-ramp. Michael did not break any company policy. As I stated in my first post on this subject, he called after hours dispatch and they said they could not tell him to drive with chains but to use his best judgement. As Laura stated, it seems the reaction from his DM was just an over-reaction but she was okay once Michael explained the situation with her. There are many trucks driving through the area on a regular basis with conditions like yesterday morning. Reputable companies with drivers making prudent decisions.

I’m familiar with Donner Harvey... enough to know 1” can quickly become 18’ of wind driven blindness. I’m also very well versed on chain policies and understand when conditions warrant chaining, they do not want us driving. I witnessed more than one driver receiving disciplinary action in cases like this. Donner is not to be messed with under any conditions and has taken many. I’ve crossed it in my PV and when I was OTR the very beginning of my career.

How many times has he crossed it?

Stevo, I addressed that earlier today already. There about 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S. and most of them don't belong to forums, it's not the way they like to spend their time or the manner in which they like to communicate. I've done a lot of writing of reports and emails over the years and I've been active in many types of forums for years.

P.S. Forgot to add, I been wondering the same thing, why hasn't your son joined here himself? Can't he speak for himself?

No offense, Harvey, just asking, since I too have wondered why he hadn't joined TT, and get any info / tips & tricks here, 1st hand......

P.S. Forgot to add, I been wondering the same thing, why hasn't your son joined here himself? Can't he speak for himself?

No offense, Harvey, just asking, since I too have wondered why he hadn't joined TT, and get any info / tips & tricks here, 1st hand......

Stevo, ya KNOW i love ya, mi mano...but not ALL truckdrivers have a 'mouth piece' like you and I, hahahaha!

(Kinda like how I speak for Tom, hehehehe....ask Laura.)

Best to ALL Y'ALL, be safe!

~ Anne (& Tom!) ;) ~

I have to agree with G Town and Stevo Reno on Michael addressing his adventures or issues here on TT himself. It's understandable that he might not like to air himself on facebook and other social sites but you Harvey are doing all of his talking even if you do relay the results to him. If he is a big enough boy to drive a semi he should be able to talk to fellow drivers about his experiences and get advice directly.

I find the whole dynamic peculiar. It’s as if Michael dictates his experience to Harvey who then writes about it (often in great detail) on the forum. It’s rare that any advice is requested, however it’s often given and then debated with Harvey. Most of what I’ve offered to him is frequently pushed aside, left with the impression that “Harvey knows better”. Michael would likely listen more intently if dealing with us directly. We have no idea how Michael really feels or thinks. He has no relationship with us, rendering our efforts less than effective and valuable and compromising our ability to advise him appropriately.

I perked up recently because of what I though and saw as a possible safety issue. At the expense of Harvey defending Michael, the crux of my concern was never fully understood,...at least so it seems. I gave up on that one.

The nature of this; something is always going to be lost in this three way exchange. There is no way Harvey can fully understand what Michael is going through. Things Michael says to his Dad may not resonate but clearly would to us. And visa-versa. That is being lost.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind Harvey checking in and conversing with us. I would probably enjoy meeting him some day. I just wish he could get Michael to be his own advocate on here, be his own Man so to speak. Michael seems to interact just fine with complete strangers who could care less about his career, his performance and safety. Why not the forum? Doesn’t add up...

Harvey for most of us this is not a game. It’s a method to basically affect the industry in a positive way...benefitting everyone sharing the highways.

Enjoy the weekend everyone. Peace.

I have to agree with G Town and Stevo Reno on Michael addressing his adventures or issues here on TT himself. It's understandable that he might not like to air himself on facebook and other social sites but you Harvey are doing all of his talking even if you do relay the results to him. If he is a big enough boy to drive a semi he should be able to talk to fellow drivers about his experiences and get advice directly.