How many times over the years have we pulled of a nice clear interstate to pull into a truck stop that is covered in ice?
In eight years of driving straight trucks, it has never happened that we did that. It happened once that we pulled into a chicken coop (scale) parking area that was ice covered, like a skating rink, but that did not impede our ability to drive in or out. We just went slow.
How many times in a straight truck have we backed into a icy dock to have our drives slipping and skidding around to try and get out of the dock area?
Twice; once in a fleet owner's truck and once in our present truck. The fleet owner's truck had a single drive axle and lift axle. We got out of the snow and ice coated downhill dock by raising the lift axle which put more weight on the drive axle. It also helped that heavy freight happened to be loaded onto the truck at that pick up.
Our present truck has two drive axles with eight snow tires, and interlock and traction control. One time in the five years we have driven this truck, the interlock was switched on to drive easily up and out of an icy dock.
How many times have we seen the chain law in affect when the roads are wet and no snow to be seen?
Once, which is the first and only time we chained up in eight years. This was at Donner Pass. We drove at least 30 miles with chains on. There was another time, also at Donner Pass, where we started to chain up but the chain requirement was lifted before I finished the second wheel.
How many times have we tried to deliver to a customer and the roads going in and out are covered in snow or ice?
Many times but chaining up would not have made a difference. We got in and out just the same.
In all of those situations we would never put chains on the truck and we slip and slide all over taking a chance on damaging our truck or tearing something up.
We have never once slipped or slid all over with any truck.
I cannot recall a single instance where Diane or I broke traction such that we were not in control of the truck, even for an instant. There have been a few times where one rear wheel will spin while going around a corner, like when coming out of a driveway or parking lot. That spin lasted less than a second. If we had Onspot tire chains then, they would hot have been deployed because the spin was over as fast as it began.
Talking about damaging something or tearing something up, Diane and I were once called in on a rescue load because a driver in a straight truck equipped with automatic tire chains failed to properly gauge its ground clearance. The device caught the lip of an inspection pit at a military base and was damaged such that the truck could not be driven until the damage was repaired.
After picking up the load, we drove by that parked truck with freight on board that paid us more than the automatic tire chains cost (presuming that Onspot automatic tire chains cost less than several thousand dollars). The other truck was charged with a service failure because of the long delay in bringing a second truck (us) in.
Now with a push of a button we can deploy our "insurance" and have the little bit of more traction we need. To prevent one accident and the downtime is worth it to us to have the chains.
We have considered and decided against OnSpot chains.
How much do they cost?
How many miles must you drive to have them installed?
How much down time is involved in the trip to and time at the installation facility?
How much weight do they add to the truck?
How much wind drag do they add to the truck?
Once they are installed, how many days a year do you carry that weight and wind drag?
How many times have drivers who have these chains on their trucks seen them fail? (We know of a couple.).
What kind of maintenance do they require?
How often might it happen that they get in the way of you or a mechanic who is working on something else at or near where the devices are installed?
Given the snow and ice experiences we have had and not had, we simply cannot justify such a purchase.
Now, on the positive side, our mutual friend Jack Dixon has Onspot automatic tire chains on his truck. He lives in the Bay Area and drives over Donner Pass and other mountain passes in the western states many times a year. Flipping a switch and staying warm and dry in the comfort of your cab while continuing your trip over a mountain pass is obviously preferable to stopping, getting out in the weather and chianing up.
If we did that a lot, we could justify such a purchase, but we don't so we can't.
Also on the positive side, in winter driving conditions, we have passed hundreds of big rigs over the years that were parked on an uphill grade or even stuck in the middle of the freeway because they broke traction and got stuck going up a snow-covered or ice-covered hill. I am certain that every one of those stuck drivers would have loved to have Onspot chains on their trucks at the time.
But we drive a straight truck that does not lose traction where big rigs do (especially tractors with one drive axle pulling doubles). Since no problem exists, there is no need to purchase something to resolve it.
For us, buying Onspot automatic tire chains as insurance would be like buying homeowner's insurance to cover property we do not own. While we dislike winter driving as much as many drivers (actually, I hate winter so much -- the season more so than the driving -- that we bought a Florida vacation home to avoid as much of it as we can afford), there is no peace of mind to be gained from Onspot chains. When it comes to chaining up in winter driving conditions, we have peace of mind now.
Once I learned how to properly chain up a truck and practiced it a couple times, and then did it for real one time with no problem (except the need to stop and the labor to put the chains on and off), my fear of the unknown went away. It is now a source of professional pride that I can properly chain up if necessary. It is also my hope that it will never again be necessary, but if it happens, it happens.
