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

Just wondered do they make you put chains on and drive in bad dangerous weather forcing you to do it? I am curious as I know for one I am not a fan of driving in bad weather even in my car if I do not have to and read some drivers wont drive in it if they require chains and say they just pull over or find alternate routes.

thank you Ron

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?

The company I work for has chains on the trucks so they can go where they need during certain times of the year, due to state laws. However, they also will tell you (safety) that if you need chains ON the tires, you should be parking the truck and waiting. Yes, there are DM's that may ask you to put them on since it helps their numbers, but it isn't their neck in the noose. I sat at the base of Wolfcreek Pass in Colorado a week or so back due to chain law in force; my DM didn't bat an eye when I said I wasn't going until the restriction was lifted. It was still interesting going over the pass afterward, but I couldn't imagine it at night with me being so new to mountain driving. Growing up in Michigan I am used to snow, so that isn't a factor. If I only drove out west, maybe I would think different, but it isn't worth the risk/reward in my opinion.

Well I'm not on the road yet but from what I understand they can't force you to drive in anything your uncomfortable with. Now with that being said I'm pretty sure that if they come to determine they can't rely on you to push through in some inclement weather your probably not going to get the loads you want. As far as forcing you though I don't think they can. Just remember it's YOUR safety not there's and if you aren't comfortable driving then don't drive.

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?

Oh I agree 100% Daniel. I would never risk my life for any freight. Nor should anyone. That said I have heard stories of dispatchers who will keep an eye on how much you choose to shut down at even the hint of bad weather and maybe take it out on you with mileage. Of course these are just stories and like I said i'm not even on the road yet so I can't speak from experience. I hope this isn't the case. Just do whatever you have to to stay safe.

Oh I agree 100% Daniel. I would never risk my life for any freight. Nor should anyone. That said I have heard stories of dispatchers who will keep an eye on how much you choose to shut down at even the hint of bad weather and maybe take it out on you with mileage. Of course these are just stories and like I said i'm not even on the road yet so I can't speak from experience. I hope this isn't the case. Just do whatever you have to to stay safe.

You'll find a story for just about every situation in this industry. Take it for what it is - just a story. I don't think a DM will ever do that. When I told my DM I was shutting down he always replied 10 4. Nothing else ever.

He always told us to shut down when we feel we need to.

Besides, can you imagine the safety departments reaction if they find out your DM has been doing that simply because you chose to shut down in inclement weather? He would be gone in a flash.

Now I'm not saying to shut down at the slightest sign of inclement weather. I'm talking about having to drive in conditions that are not safe.

The company I work for has chains on the trucks so they can go where they need during certain times of the year, due to state laws. However, they also will tell you (safety) that if you need chains ON the tires, you should be parking the truck and waiting. Yes, there are DM's that may ask you to put them on since it helps their numbers, but it isn't their neck in the noose. I sat at the base of Wolfcreek Pass in Colorado a week or so back due to chain law in force; my DM didn't bat an eye when I said I wasn't going until the restriction was lifted. It was still interesting going over the pass afterward, but I couldn't imagine it at night with me being so new to mountain driving. Growing up in Michigan I am used to snow, so that isn't a factor. If I only drove out west, maybe I would think different, but it isn't worth the risk/reward in my opinion.

You guys are exactly on target as ususal. My company has chains and the company policy is "for emergency use". You get caught somewhere where you have to go a bit to get off the road and be safe then chain up and drive to the NEAREST safe place. If a DM was to argue the point they would be the one violating company policy. Safety is always the number 1 priority.

YIKES! I think someone has the same connection problems as me, through usually my computer stops after hiccuping twice and double posting, not quintuple posting!

I thought it was odd when I got so may replies of the same thing in my email, pcs things happen to all of us but that was a lot of repeated posting for sure.

Sorry guys the hotel's wifi is sketchy at times