Washington state beefs up enforcement of chain laws on Snoqualmie Pass

Truckers driving in Washington state better make sure they have their tire chains on when required, because the Washington State Department of Transportation is cracking down on chain law violations this year.

In a blog posted on Monday, Dec. 10, WSDOT warned truckers that chain laws will be heavily enforced this winter. Claiming that more than half of Interstate 90 Snoqualmie Pass closures are the result of trucks ignoring chain laws, transportation officials are looking at truckers to bring the number of closures down.

In conjunction with the Washington State Patrol, enforcement on Snoqualmie Pass could lead to a $500 fine for drivers ignoring the chain laws.

Washington state chain laws include:

• Vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or greater – including some large SUVs and RVs – must install chains when traction tires are required.
• All vehicles, except 4WD and AWD, must put on chains when tire chains are required. However, 4WD and AWD vehicles still need to carry chains in order to proceed across the pass.
• All vehicles including 4WD and AWD need to put on chains when chains are required on ALL vehicles.

For a complete list of chain laws across the United States, click here.