Colorado State Patrol to commercial vehicles: Carrying chains is the law

Colorado State Patrol issued a reminder on Tuesday that the state's chain-up law simply boils down to this:

"Between September 1st and May 31 on I-70, west of Denver, you are required to carry chains if you are a commercial motor vehicle," Trooper Josh Lewis with the Colorado State Patrol explained Tuesday.

The idea being a snowstorm could hit anytime between those dates in Colorado, and commercial truckers need to be prepared for anything. The issue is, this is a state law which means many truckers are unaware, traveling across the country. 

"We're from Florida, so no, no chain laws," truck driver Willime Piere said. 

Drivers like Piere were given a warning this time, letting them know they needed to buy chains and most importantly know how to use them should they run into issues. 

"There could be any number of reasons that someone would think they don't need chains, sometimes it is hubris and bravado thinking they can master it," Lewis said. "Sometimes they don't want to take the time, sometimes they don't know how to do it.

Ultimately, there is no good excuse, no good reason and that is what we are trying to prevent, catastrophes before they do happen."