That would be a start. Truck drivers need to get paid for EVERY dispatched mile they run, not what the old HHG Zip/Postal Code shortest possible routing was, or "city center to city center" says. For example, prior to January 2021, a trip from Winnipeg, MB to Dryden, ON paid our drivers 214 miles. From the terminal to customer yard it was closer to 240 miles driving. Do this trip a few times per week, and you lose substantial income. We also moved our trailer yard 9 miles from the head office. Drivers had to bobtail to and from both locations FOR FREE to get their trailers and after dropping them after their trip all throughout 2020. That's 18 unpaid miles each day plus about 3/4 hours driving time for local or regional drivers. Now we're paid for those miles. Dispatch tended to calculate trip times based on paid distance, not the actual. Then they wonder why drivers get upset at being forced to shut down for a reset 2 hours from home. The most recent mileage updates now pay more realistic address to address miles, which makes a big difference. Only took the trucking industry 20+ years to catch on to that. I also expect increasing numbers of paid parking spots over the next few years. Begs the question of who pays for that, driver or employer. Truck stop, aka Travel Plaza operators aren't making the money they once did from drivers dining in restaurants or buying from their convenience store. Many have converted to some sort of fast "food". More and more drivers bring their own food, and prepare meals in the truck.
We are allowed October until May here. Rarely needed before end of December to end of March. I drive with my summers as long as I can and as early as I can, but I like the wheels better.
I always thought that studded tires worked great. Massachusetts now allows studded tires from November 2 until April 30. Are you ready for this? On the rear only! I guess that doesn't help front wheel drive cars much.
I run these tires on my truck all year round, nice soft compound and not too much road noise. I drive a lot off road and we have a long winter. 35x12.5-18 They work great and low cost: https://simpletire.com/brands/venom-power-tires/terra-hunter-x-t
It's amazing reading this how many people think "all season" tires will even come close to the performance of a snow tire in snow. Is driver skill & attention important? Of course, but there's a reason Jeff Gordon doesn't put bicycle tires on his racecars. The right tire makes a huge difference, and a snow tire is even more important to put on an SUV or truck. If it never (seldom) snows where you live then fine - but if you live in a climate where you will have to drive from time to time in snow, a real winter tire makes all the difference. Plus be a smart driver too. If I take my snow tires off too early and get caught in a late-spring snowstorm, I'm always amazed at how comparatively awful "all season" tires are in the snow & winter weather. I'm not a fan of studded tires in any climate where your tires will hit the pavement. For those folks who are far enough north that they just drive on packed snow all winter, they are great - but the studs can interfere with the rubber compound hitting the pavement (and tear the crap outta the pavement too). -Bob C.
Bob where I live we get a lot of black ice. We get snow and plenty of it usually, but the ice can be crazy. 2 winters ago we had an accident, multiple vehicles without studs slid off the highway for a 1/4 mile stretch. They could not stay on the crown of the road or mild corner in that stretch. I drove through and then backed up to the beginning of the accident area to slow folks down. I like being able to navigate safely on all surfaces. Every year I forget to leave the traffic lights easy with my wife's Honda with studded tires. Roast the tires once or twice so the tread/traction is affected on clean roads.
Perhaps I should have said "studs are great when there is some form of solidified water between the tire and the road". But for "I like being able to navigate safely on all surfaces", studs will reduce your safety when you are on dry / rainy pavement (steel doesn't have good traction on dry pavement) - so all things are a compromise and the best choice for every driver involves a lot of local & personal factors. In MA I wouldn't want studs because we don't have the type of road situations where studs would provide much of a benefit - very often. In Northern Alberta or Yukon Territories? Different ballgame altogether. -Bob C.
When I lived in Massachusetts we used studded tires because at the time they were the best tires in snow that were available. As better winter tires became available, we moved away from studs. Some of the modern radial winter tires are way better then the studded tires of 25 years ago.
I just bought a set of "All-Weather" tires which are supposed to be an acceptable compromise between regular summers and winter tires. For decades I've driven all seasons and never had an issue, it just means watching how one drives, planning stops, taking care not to get into skids, and not speeding when there may be black ice present. Up until 2006 I drove rear-wheel drive vintage Buicks with nearly bald all seasons because I was usually broke and didn't want to put money into a beater. I'd be lying if I didn't say there weren't any close calls, there were a few, but it all comes to what I learned 40 years ago, drive to conditions, never assume the pavement is dry or clear, always be prepared for ice and just take it easy. Modern cars IMHO give a person a false sense of security, they're too easy to drive, have traction control and ABS and all of that, and they feel stable when they actually aren't. There's enough dash-cam footage out there to show how fast a car can get into trouble on dry pavement, let alone on snow and ice. I go to great lengths to not have my car slip around, but on black ice it doesn't matter if you've got winter tires or studs on, the odds are already good that you'll end up in the ditch, and they increase with speed to the point where it becomes inevitable. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do. There is only ever a couple inches of tire in contact with the road at any given time, some tires will help with that, sure, but more of it is skill and being able to "read' conditions and what your car is telling you. With us, it gets to -20 or -30 for longer periods of time, and at that temp no rubber compound is pliable. Full disclosure; I hate driving in winter, and it isn't because I'm scared because my car is slippery, it's because I just hate winter. I spend most of the year driving in snow and ice, so by default I have a fair bit of experience on it. It will be interesting to see if these "all weather" tires are any better or worse than all seasons. My wife drives winter tires on her vehicle, and says the only time she notices it is in fresh or deep snow, on icy highways it makes no real difference, especially if it's cold and and the highway is glazing. 8 months of that crap is way too much.
I love driving in the winter, which is why I like to have winter shoes. Winter driving is in my blood thanks to my late great Yooper momma.
