It's a Team's Life
On Spot Automatic Tire Chains
Several years ago we talked with On Spot about getting chains for our M2. We first filled out the forms and sent them, which resulted in a call asking for pictures of certain items. Mainly the brake chamber and the wide base singles. We were asked to come by the manufacturing shop in North Vernon, IN or while attending MATS they would look at the truck. While at the Mid America Truck Show On Spot came out, crawled under out truck to see if they could figure out anyway they could make the chains work. At that time they could not swing the arm with the chains and miss the brake chamber. I was very impressed with how hard they tried to make the chains work for us
Now several years later when they heard we were getting a new truck and they asked if they could try again. We were able to talk with the Midwest Regional Manager Danny Graham and President Patrick Freyer, who remembered the problems we had as well as that they were not able to install chains on our truck.
They were willing to try again and this time we have been able to stop by the shop and meet with Tim Trittle, the Operations Manager who assured us they would do everything possible to install chains this time around. We now have the engineers crawling under our truck measuring everything once again. The same problem exists the brake chamber is in the way! The engineers have our measurements and they are diligently working on a solution to our problem.
We know several owners of On Spot automatic chains and the common thread is their customer service is unbeatable from the time you purchase the chains and continues on afterwards. We know owners who have had On Spots for several years talk about how trouble free they are and with a flip of the switch the chains are working.
I have had people ask us “Why in the world do you want On Spot Automatic Chains?†well there are several reasons and some are not so apparent. We can chain and we do not mind chaining, but the ability to flip a switch and not get filthy is an awesome thought. Every time we have had to chain it has been at night and it is not always easy to go back to sleep after standing in the blowing snow putting chains on. We also have the dripping mess as our clothes dry out.
Now for the other thoughts on why we are so insistent on having On Spot chains installed. One of the problems we have with a straight truck is when we back into an ice covered dock our drives are sitting on ice and they slip when trying to get us out of the dock. Our big brothers do not have this problem as their drives are on level ground and the trailer is in the dock.
When we pull onto an icy parking lot and slip and slither around, the idea of being able to easily use our chains makes a lot of sense. Many of the truck stops in the winter are not able to clear all of their lots and it can become a slippery icy mess. Anything we can do to avoid an accident and down time is high on our list of must haves.
Tim gave us a nice tour of the facility while everyone was a lunch. ‘Almost every part is made in house except the chains and the different housings. This is one of the reasons On Spot is so flexible is that they have their own fabrication shop. We were shown the difference between the fire truck/ambulance kits and the extreme duty duty kits that are used on the road trucks. On Spot recognizes that we as over the road drivers can use the chains for a hundred miles, while the emergency vehicles will not have them in use for such a long time.
One of the most fascinating points on the tour was the explanation and demonstration of the chains. There is a left chain and a right chain and this is the only item that is imported, as this type of chain is not made in the USA. When the chain is twisted one way it has a tendency to kink which shortens the length of the chain, when twisted the other way the links lock and the chain stays long and straight.
The shop has two of every machine so that production will never stop due to a malfunctioning item. Another thing that impressed me about this shop was the cleanliness. I have worked in fabricating shops and due to all of the metal dust the walls and everything is usually coated with metal dust. We could see a lot of pride from the looks of the workstations on how neat and tidy they were.
We are not able to get chains at this time and On Spot will continue to try different scenarios to get the chains to work with our wide base singles as well as the brake chambers. On Spot has exceptional customer service and when a customer walks out the door they have became partners with On Spot and if the product is not right On Spot is right there making it right. On Spot will not make us a set of chains till they are sure the chains will work for us.
Bob & Linda Caffee
Leased to: FedEx Custom Critical 

TeamCaffee

Saint Louis MO
Expediters 6 years been out here on the road 11 years
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