Vehicle & Equipment · Driver Training VideoTire Chains — When & How

Chain requirements aren't one federal rule. They're a state call, made mountain pass by mountain pass, storm by storm.

Many western states use tiered chain controls, and you need to know them before a sign ever lights up. California is the classic example. Level one lets passenger cars and light trucks with snow tires through without chains — commercial vehicles chain up regardless.

Expect to chain your drive tires at a minimum. Check your state's exact rule before the trip — Colorado wants all four drive wheels chained on a single-drive combination, some states add a trailer axle, and the requirement changes at the border.

How you chain up matters as much as whether you do. Pull completely off the traveled lanes into a designated chain-up area — never stop on a live lane halfway up a grade to do this. Lay the chains flat in front of the tires, roll the truck onto them slowly, then hook and tighten.

Run reduced speed the entire time you're chained. Twenty-five to thirty miles an hour is the usual limit, and that's not a suggestion — it's what keeps a chain from snapping under load.

Getting caught in a chain-required zone without them doesn't just risk a citation. It can shut you down right at the checkpoint until you comply — and on a tight schedule, that delay is the real cost.

Your company standard: carry chains year-round on any run that touches mountain terrain, know your state's chain law levels before you leave the yard, and never talk yourself into skipping the chain-up area because the road looks fine right where you're standing.