Topic: Why *don't* Trucks use Winter Tires?

[overtakeyouintheleftlane]

Simple. They don't want to pay for it. Winter tires are expensive on a car or crossover. Imagine the cost on a huge tire like that for that many tires.

I believe they should have to have them. Those trucks are not cheap and the cargo they are hauling is expensive. Why wouldn't you want to have the best traction that you can get while on the road?
If they were forced to do so, they would cry "It will increase our costs. We will pass this cost to the consumer". Tell me when this doesn't happen.

[capriracer]

You would think that sheer economics would dictate the use of winter tires on medium trucks. Surely, the cost of an accident - damage to the vehicle, damage to the cargo, and the lost revenue from a late delivery - would be more expensive than the cost of different tires.   But that appears not to be the case. 

I suspect that is because 1) tires on medium trucks have such high inflation pressure and such high loads that the tires penetrate the show fairly easily, and 2) because of the rarity of a trucker finding weather where he is truly in need of winter tires - instead of the use on traction tires on the drive units and steer tires on the front (What about trailers?)

I think this means that the government is going to have to step in.  That means that there is going to have to be some pretty expensive testing to prove that it is needed and how much it is actually going to cost the fleets.

And there I think is where the problem lies.  Trucking fleets will lobby to keep the costs down, and ultimately that means that there won't be any regulations.

[dirtyjeffer]

transport trucks are always in the ditches around here...they have a hard enough time staying on the road even during the non winter days...they should be mandated to have them.

[Gurgie]

transport trucks are always in the ditches around here...they have a hard enough time staying on the road even during the non winter days...they should be mandated to have them.

I agree!! Watching a few episodes of highway through hell or heavy rescue 401 is enough to prove that. Annnnnndddddd of course harder licensing for truck drivers, like WTF is up with some of these guys.

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[dirtyjeffer]

transport trucks are always in the ditches around here...they have a hard enough time staying on the road even during the non winter days...they should be mandated to have them.

I agree!! Watching a few episodes of highway through hell or heavy rescue 401 is enough to prove that. Annnnnndddddd of course harder licensing for truck drivers, like WTF is up with some of these guys.

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interesting timing in today's news:



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/westbound-401-closed-napanee-kingston-brockville-1.5392635

[Fobroader]

transport trucks are always in the ditches around here...they have a hard enough time staying on the road even during the non winter days...they should be mandated to have them.

I agree!! Watching a few episodes of highway through hell or heavy rescue 401 is enough to prove that. Annnnnndddddd of course harder licensing for truck drivers, like WTF is up with some of these guys.

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I think as a trucker, if you don't know how to put chains on, you have no business being behind the wheel and crossing the rocky mountains in the winter.

[blur911]

transport trucks are always in the ditches around here...they have a hard enough time staying on the road even during the non winter days...they should be mandated to have them.

I agree!! Watching a few episodes of highway through hell or heavy rescue 401 is enough to prove that. Annnnnndddddd of course harder licensing for truck drivers, like WTF is up with some of these guys.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

interesting timing in today's news:



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/westbound-401-closed-napanee-kingston-brockville-1.5392635

I might just take Hwy #2 to work tonight.    Also best to stay off the 401 from Friday until late Sunday evening.

[warp]

Various reasons for semi trucks not putting on winter tires:

1. Weight per tire specially when loaded. The Gross Weight for an 18 wheeler is 80,000 lbs, 12,000 lbs for the steer axle and 34,000 lbs for the drive and trailer axles. Assuming the vehicle is at it's Gross Maximum, then each of the 2 front tires is bearing 6000 lbs of weight i.e. a little more than a Chevrolet Suburban, on one tire. So it is going to get better traction. Even the drive and trailer axle tires are carrying 4000 + lbs weight. Having said that, this alone will not save the vehicle if road conditions are icy.

2. The typical long distance trucker in Canada could be going from -15C in Toronto to +20C in Florida in 48 hours. When cost is an issue in an industry with thin margins why would you have fast wearing winter tires when you are driving thousands of kilometers in temperatures which will just wear out the winter tire.

3. And of course cost.

[johngenx]

While yes, the weight on each tire is much greater, so is the amount of kenetic energy the moving mass has.

[Bulkley]

Watch “Highway to Hell” and you’ll see truck after truck on the Coq on balding tires stuck on the hill.

They then try chains, but chains are used only on drive tires and don’t help steering so yeah, then we get to see trucks hanging up on the no-posts.

If they have chains.  A highway maintenance foreman responsible for the Coquihalla Pass told me that a lot of them don't.   Trucks from all over North America cross the pass.

Coquihalla Pass is a natural venturi.  (Those of us old enough to remember carburetor icing know what that is.)  Fraser Valley rain turns to snow as the mountains close in and the road climbs.   If it was up to me there would be a roadblock at the bottom of the pass and no-one would be allowed to continue without snow tires; and chains for the trucks. 

I avoid Coquihalla Pass in the winter and use Hwy 3 which is lower and less crowded. 

[Bulkley]

Here we go again. 

Less than an hour after the northbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway were reopened to travellers Friday afternoon, the southbound lanes have been closed near Merritt.

The closure is due to multiple spun out semi trucks on the hill heading south from Merritt. DriveBC warns of "major delays" in the area.

  From https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/273107/Southbound-lanes-of-Coquihalla-closed-once-again#273107

There is a storm dumping lots of wet, heavy snow on southern BC mountain passes.   As I type this all three highways into the Lower Mainland are closed.  Highway officials are warning people to delay trips or expect long delays enroute.   We can be sure that some, if not all of the spun out semis were ill equipped for snow.  It would not surprise me to find long haul drivers out of the American South never having driven in snow for their entire career now finding themselves in a Coquihalla storm.   

[dkaz]

Here we go again. 

Less than an hour after the northbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway were reopened to travellers Friday afternoon, the southbound lanes have been closed near Merritt.

The closure is due to multiple spun out semi trucks on the hill heading south from Merritt. DriveBC warns of "major delays" in the area.

  From https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/273107/Southbound-lanes-of-Coquihalla-closed-once-again#273107

There is a storm dumping lots of wet, heavy snow on southern BC mountain passes.   As I type this all three highways into the Lower Mainland are closed.  Highway officials are warning people to delay trips or expect long delays enroute.   We can be sure that some, if not all of the spun out semis were ill equipped for snow.  It would not surprise me to find long haul drivers out of the American South never having driven in snow for their entire career now finding themselves in a Coquihalla storm.   

99 is open. 

[sailor723]

I drove from Vancouver to Kelowna a couple of months ago via 5 and 97C. Even then there was snow on the roadside at higher elevations. Given how narrow and winding those roads are in comparison to "normal" 4 lane highways I can't imagine driving them this weekend.

[dkaz]

It can snow at any time of the year on the Coq. June 27 of this year...

[johngenx]

Low paid and low skilled drivers from countries that don’t have snow and have ZERO training.

Put them in a truck with marginal tires on one of the most challenging winter roads in North America, and this is the result. Chaos.

[carcrazed]

They should at least put those all-weather tires on these trucks.

[random006]

I am sure there are people still on the fence or completely unconvinced about the value of winter tires.  The following story should help:

I was driving to Kinsgton from Montreal on Friday (Feb 7).  If you recall, there was one hell of a snow storm happening at that time.  There were several jackknifed trucks on the 20/401, ALL of them heading east.  In other words from Ontario into Quebec.  Same went for the cars in the ditch:  all eastbound.

The westbound traffic, was for the most part, Quebec registered vehicles, at least for the first hour or so.  There were no issues that we saw on the westbound side.

Gotta have those winter tires, folks.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I am sure there are people still on the fence or completely unconvinced about the value of winter tires.  The following story should help:

I was driving to Kinsgton from Montreal on Friday (Feb 7).  If you recall, there was one hell of a snow storm happening at that time.  There were several jackknifed trucks on the 20/401, ALL of them heading east.  In other words from Ontario into Quebec.  Same went for the cars in the ditch:  all eastbound.

The westbound traffic, was for the most part, Quebec registered vehicles, at least for the first hour or so.  There were no issues that we saw on the westbound side.

Gotta have those winter tires, folks.

To be fair, that's hardly what i would consider solid evidence...

[Fobroader]

Well there are still lots of Albertans that believe that winter tires are for unskilled new comers that can't drive and of course the "my grandpappy didn't need no winter tires, and nor do I!!" school of thought.

[capriracer]

And there are people who don't need any evidence, because they are convinced they are a superior driver who doesn't need winter tires.