Lady North Star... with all due respects to the sisters of the north, I have no problems if a lady trucker wants to throw chains. I admire you for hauling what you haul. Some of us sisters down here in the lower 48 may have a call for chains once every 5 years if we don't run the western half and never if we run the flats. I don't run the western half so why learn a skill that I will no doubt forget between the time I learn and actually need to use it. If I was to live and drive in the areas of the country that require chains to be carried from Oct to April then yes, I would have no choice. However, when a company gives you nothing more than cable and don't have you carry it all winter, only if you are heading west and no heavy iron to work with, I really doubt that they want you to chain up. Only hand it to you to carry because law says you have to carry it. And yes, I have sat at the east end of the Columbia River gorge for 3 days waiting for the gorge to reopen with my late husband and 2 other drivers. Finally when it did open only those with chains were allowed to chain up to get up out of Hood River, Oregon and around the southern part of Mt. Hood to get into Portland, Oregon. Ran out of chain required road after 15 miles. Three hours of work chaining 3 trucks but if we wanted to move there was no other options.

Soladad

 

The reasons you gave in this above post, could apply to a man, or woman. If you don't need them often enough to be experienced at it, thats ok, but its not gender specific, as your first post implied.
Happy Truckin!

 

Both LNS & COLT, remember...we drive in ALOT different conditions than these folks down south...

A: Our weather can & does change in an instant...we don't have all these fancy cameras & weather stuff to rely on, mostly we tend to "wing" it & deal with whatever Mama Nature throws at us.
B: We have about 3 more months of winter than these guys...snow, ice, & chaining are a part of ANY truckers life up here.
C: We deal with different equipment from these folks as well, and ALOT more weight

So, people lets not jump all over those who don't care to chain or be superior cause we have to do it regular. :lol: :lol:

Personally, I HATE chaining up...triples are heavy, specially for someone like me...BUT I can, like COLT chain up quickly when I need to cause, ya know what, I don't like layin under the truck when it's -40 any better than the next guy.

Thankfully, the comapny I work for leaves it totally up to us & because I pull LCV they actually prefer us to sit & as far as I'm concerned if I gotta throw chains to drive down the highway, it's likely not safe for me to be on it & I'd just as soon park. Now, using them to get out of a bad spot, that's another thing entirely. Luckily for me I seldom have to chain up, I have full lockers on my diff's & know how & when to use them, & that usually gets me to where I need to be.

Just my 2.5 cents worth!

 

I don't care what they do down south, It's when driver's come north into the hills and are not experienced enough.

That driver Grey mist? Is smart enough to say "I don't have enough experience yet" Only two years, good call, Grey is pulling 140,000 LBS.

From mile 115 to Profit River has been very bad the last few days, I haven't seen it, just heard about guys I know that are good drivers splitting trains to make the Sikanni and "others" not making 126 hill...

Minus FRIGIN 43 this morning 20 minutes from home, took a pic of my thermometer but left the camera in the truck...

 

I hear ya COLT... Rule #1: KNOW your limits!

I know bout the cold man, was -49 in Yellowknife yesterday, winds were just howling! -72 windchill...goddam heat wave at home...ONLY -34!!!

Where, oh where is spring... LMAO

 

I don't see a problem. Haven't you heard --- Global Warming

kc0iv

 

Send some up here would ya? It's only supposed to reach a balmy high of -36 today. And no matter how ya slice it...it's COLD!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Huh??? My whole point of my last post was to do the oppososite of 'jump all over people'. I was trying to explain that people aren't chaining up 5 axles to run on flat ground for 100 miles.

And when I'm describing conditions, its not about northern conditions. Its about Southern BC condtions, where I am right now. There are 24 hour snow plows here, and they have fancy highway cams and all that fancy crap. Doesn't make the roads great.

As for being superior because I have to do it regular? Where are you getting this from woman?? In my post it says I've had to chain up 3 times this year. Thats bugger all and ONLY because of being in the train. I'm not sure you read my post. :shock: I chained up my 5/6 axle once in 3 years running out of Whitehorse.

 

:lol: :P

 

Just my 2 cents for what its worth....
Spiderman and I chained up 6 times in the last month (oh yes indeed i helped and can throw chains pretty well now) and only 1 time was it NOT worth it.... i dont know about anyone else but i would rather throw chains and be able to get my load where its going safely than be sitting there on the side of the road because chain up laws were in effect and i was too stubborn or proud of "never having chained up" to get out there and do a lil work...