Good morning everyone! It has been a minute since I have had some time to sit down and update my blog. It’s been on my mind constantly but things have just been SO BUSY. Thankfully I have some time today.
Everyone reacts differently to driving in the snow and ice and having to chain
up. Most states have an active chain law on their books for not just
commercial trucks, but passenger vehicles as well. However MOST do not
exercise or implement them.
Mountain states like Colorado, Utah,
Nevada, Montana, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania and Tennessee do so on a yearly basis. I'm sure there's
others, but I'm unaware of them or their laws.
What is chain law?
Chain law is the necessity for commercial trucks (and at times
passengers vehicles) to put tire chains on in order to get up and over
very steep hills during winter weather driving conditions.
So let’s talk about winter driving in Colorado and Colorado chain laws.
Winter time in Colorado presents a lot of challenges for truck drivers. It can be downright dangerous and scary here in winter time. It's completely possible to drive from one side of Colorado to the other and experience all 4 seasons in a single day. That's right. It can be 70º and sunny in Grand Junction and 2 hours later you're going over Vail Pass and Eisenhower and it's heavy snow with a temp of 23º, you're chained up and then you descend down into Denver and it's 35º overcast and by the time you get to Burlington on the CO/KS border it's 12º and sunny. It happens frequently here.
First off we’ll discuss what you should have during your trip across the Rockies.
I am a Linehaul driver and I handle a lot of LTL Freight and Hazmat. LTL is less than truckload meaning the trailer is usually not fully loaded to capacity. Hazmat is an acronym for Hazard Materials. As such I am frequently required to go over Loveland Pass with Hazmat unless the pass is closed. I also pull doubles (A pair of 28’ trailers with a converter dolly).
My equipment list is as follows:
- Chain ramps (you'll need a pair of these, so order two. They get your outer drive tires off the ground. These will only work for a twin screw tractor.)
- T-Handle Chain Tool (this gives you leverage to tighten your cams)
- Chain Dawg Chain Tool (this is for getting those chains on super tight!)
- Ice Fishing Gloves (they help you pick up and throw wet/cold/slippery chains and keep your hands warm and dry. Big bulky gloves do not work).
- Ringers R-267 Roughneck Gloves (These have padded knuckles so you don't bang your kunckles on the trailer, your dolly (if applicable) or other parts of the truck or trailers. They really come in handy and they keep grease off your hands.
- Waterproof/Insulated Snow Pants (Any outdoors store should have them. I buy mine on consignment at the Wilderness Exchange in Denver.)
- Heavy Coat
- Bolt Cutters (sometimes you have to cut your chains off if they get wrapped around your drive axles).
- LED Flashlight
- LED Headlamp
- Bungee Cords
- Zippy Ties
- Wire cutters
- Pocket Knife
- Two rolls of toilet paper (There are a couple of truck rest areas to stop and use a bathroom. Vail Pass, Dotsero Truck stop, Rifle rest area. Sometimes they're out of toilet paper. So I always keep two rolls in my truck just in case).
- Hoodie
- Beanie or Wool Cap
- Baseball Cap
- Go Girl (This is for the women only. Sometimes the only way you can use a bathroom is one of these and an empty bottle. It stinks but that's reality. Just be sure to dump the contents in the grass or a snowbank and then either save the bottle for later use or deposit it into a trash can.)
- Insulated/Waterproof Boots (I wear Merrell’s boots. They are the most comfortable and require zero break-in period).
- Toasty Feet Insoles (Toasty Feet Insoles to keep your feet a warm 72° all day).
These items just make my job easier, make me more efficient and saves me a lot of time, struggle and frustration.
Snowpants, heavy coat and waterproof/insulated boots are a MUST. There’s nothing worse than being cold and wet after chaining up and YES you will get cold and wet without them. There's also nothing worse than having cold, wet feet all day long. Chaining sucks as it is, but if you're warm and dry and you have the right equipment, then it's nothing more than a minor inconvenience and a half hour out of your day and then you're back on the road. If you're wet and cold, then you get irritated easier, you're angry and tired and your temper starts to flare.
I am not great at chaining, so I drop my trailers and pull my tractor out and use chain ramps that I slide behind my inner driver tires on my twin screw tractor. The ramps get my outer four tires up off the ground. I slap my chains on, link them with the Chain Dawg chain tool and then tighten the cams with my t-handle tool. I stow my ramps on the catwalk with bungees and re-connect to my trailers and get going. The entire process usually takes me about 25 mins.
Check your forecasts on http://www.weather.gov for Silverthorne, Vail Pass and Loveland Pass (if you have Hazmat). These are the major concerns on your journey. But it never hurts to check Dotsero and Rifle as well.
You MUST carry chains from Sept 1st through May 31st in Colorado. Especially if you're in the mountains. On I-70 it's mile markers 259 (Morrison, CO) through 133 (Dotsero, CO). It is Colorado Law. The weigh stations will be checking. There are also random DOT checkpoints to check for and ensure you have tire chains.
Single Screws need 2 bags of singles or 2 bags of triple rails. Twin screws need 2 bags of singles.
You will start climbing grades at Wheat Ridge and Golden. The grades are steep and long. You’ll descend a very steep hill at Floyd Hill and then wind your way to Idaho Springs and the weigh station at Dumont. After that you’ll climb grades to Georgetown, Bakerville and the Eisenhower Tunnel.
If you’re running Hazmat requiring placards, you’ll need to take Exit 216 for Loveland Pass. Pay attention to the signs, if chain law is up you’ll have to sling some iron and chain up. Loveland Pass tops out at 11,990 feet above sea level and the views are fantastic on a clear day. On a wintry day, this pass is intimidating and frightening to even the most experienced and skilled drivers. Limited visibility, icy, snow-packed roads, few guardrails, steep dropoffs, high winds and blowing snow make for a treacherous drive. Be sure to take your time and use extreme care. 20-25 mph speeds are about all you want to do when the roads are bad. Stay in low gear and only use the lowest level on your jake brakes as needed. Stab braking with a 10-15 second pause in between will help you maintain a safe and steady descent and keep you from smoking your brakes.
If you don’t have Hazmat, you’ll continue straight through the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,158 ft above sea level and descend a steep long grade down to Silverthorne and then climb again to Officers Gulch and Copper Mountain and then you’ll climb up to Vail Pass Summit @ 10,603 ft above sea level. Once you crest Vail Pass you’ll descend another long steep grade into the town of Vail. Watch your speed as Colorado State Troopers love to pull over speeding trucks on Vail (Westbound), Eisenhower (both directions), Georgetown (Eastbound), Chief/Hosa (Eastbound) and Morrison (Eastbound). The town of Vail Police loves to nail speeding truckers as well. All major grades have speed limits of 45 mph for trucks over 26,000 lbs GVWR.
Once you get west of Avon, it’s pretty clear sailing and limited hills and few grades, at least not anything of significance. There’s a few steep hills west of Eagle that tend to be on the slick side so be careful. Then you have the sharp curves of the Glenwood Canyon and then the short canyon after that from Glenwood Springs to New Castle. Once past New Castle you have a nice easy ride until the sharp curves of the De Beque Canyon which is fairly short. After that you’re in Grand Junction.
If you’re on a Linehaul route like me, you’ll drop trailers, grab new trailers, take your lunch and then you get to do it all again in reverse.😐
Chain Stations
https://www.codot.gov/travel/chain-up-stations
Colorado Chain Laws
https://www.codot.gov/travel/colorado-chain-law
Guys and Girls, I keep seeing drivers only putting on one chain on one tire on each side of their twin screw (tandem) tractors and then they spin out on Eisenhower or Vail Pass and then they get stuck. Now they're blocking traffic and EVERYONE is pissed off, they're delayed and traffic gets backed up. Stop being lazy and chain up properly. If you can't do that, then just stay parked. That's all there is to it.
You MUST have chains on your outer four drive tires on a twin axle tractor (also known as a twin screw or tandem) and all four drive tires on a single axle tractor (also known as a single screw tractor.)
STOP TAKING SHORTCUTS. STOP BEING LAZY.
Fines
Not having chains with you is a $50 fine + $67 surcharge ($107)
Refusing to put chains on during chain law is a $500 fine + $157 surgcharge ($667)
Not having chains on and blocking the road is $1,000 fine + $313 surcharge ($1,313)
You can receive a ticket for not chaing up AND for not having chains on and blocking the road, totalling over $1500 in tickets and fines.
They don't affect your CSA score and don't count for points on your license.
Hazmat Routes in Colorado
I-70 From Kansas
Take I-70W to 270W to I-76W back onto I-70W. You can NOT run hazmat on I-70 through the new tunnel system. Hazmat is not allowed in tunnels such as Eisenhower or the new I-70 viaduct in Denver.
US-287 Campo to Limon
Flipping Hazmat Placards
Truck Parking
Readers: CDOT and other websites often change their web links to information. If you see a dead link please leave me a comment below and let me know so I can get you updated information!
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