A bill to allow private companies to sell and install tire chains for drivers and truckers along icy stretches of Interstate 70 and other mountain roads is on its way to the governor’s desk after clearing the statehouse last week.
Lawmakers hope Senate Bill 69 will bolster compliance with the state's chain and traction law and help reduce crashes along the snow-prone I-70 mountain corridor. It's the latest attempt by lawmakers to prevent pervasive closures on a critical artery for commuters, ski enthusiasts, vacationers and interstate commerce.
Legislators approved a bill last session that bars truckers from being in the left lanes of I-70 at certain key points, such as Glenwood Canyon and the west side of Vail Pass. Some have also signaled there may be legislation coming next year to increase fines for drivers who flout the rules, an issue that reached a fever pitch this winter after chronic closures on the interstate led to multi-hour standstills.
SB 69 creates a permit system within the Colorado Department of Transportation for companies to operate at designated sites to help motorists, particularly truckers, with chains during the winter season. Such models already exist in California, Washington and Oregon.
State law requires large trucks to be equipped with chains when traveling on I-70 and other major roadways between Sept. 1 and May 31. Last year, Colorado State Patrol issued 976 citations for vehicles that failed to comply with the chain law and 120 citations for violations that resulted in a road closure, according to the agency.
"One of the things I hear from law enforcement on the corridor is that people aren't putting chains on because they don't know how or they don't want to do it themselves," said Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, a lead sponsor of SB 69. "Authorizing these third-party vendors to station themselves isn't going to stop every crash and every delay, but it's definitely going to cut down on them."
The mountain corridor was repeatedly paralyzed by closures of up to nine hours this winter, with some incidents caused by spun-out trucks without chains. Local officials had complained that the standstill traffic had disrupted worker commutes and blocked critical routes for first responders.
The issue spurred the town of Vail in March to pass an ordinance hiking fines for chain law violators, but it only applies to areas within its jurisdiction, which stretches several miles. While upwards of 90% of truckers carry chains, too few are putting chains on when they need to, according to Vail Police Chief Ryan Kenney.
State law carries a maximum penalty of $500 for trucks without chains installed and a $1,150 fine for incidents that block a road as a result. Vail's ordinance raises those fines to $1,500 and $2,650, respectively.
The town has so far issued 114 citations for chain law violations since the new fines went into effect, with only one carrying the $2,650 maximum.
"If nothing else, we've started the conversations about increased fines at the state level," said Vail Mayor Travis Coggin, "and if other municipalities feel the same way as the town of Vail does ... they can (raise fines) independent of the state, and they can also choose to use their police resources the same way that the town has."
Roberts said he's looking at pursuing legislation next year to increase fines for chain law violations after Gov. Jared Polis told reporters that he was open to the idea.
He said he plans to work on the issue over the summer and fall, speaking with mountain communities, CDOT, Colorado State Patrol and the trucking industry. The 2026 legislative session starts in January.
"There are some more things that we need to do, and I think fines will be a part of that conversation," Roberts said. "Just increasing fines isn't going to solve the problem; you have to combine it with enforcement, but I think we've set the stage for that conversation to happen over the interim."
Greg Fulton, president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, a trucking industry trade group, said he wants to see more action from the state on several of the solutions the group has proposed before raising fines.
Those include increased sites to install and remove chains along I-70, more truck rest stops, and checkpoints where truckers can be turned away for not having chains before they begin climbing up the interstate.
The carriers association maintains that Colorado has the highest non-compliance fines for truckers in the country, yet rampant closures persist. For Fulton, part of the solution is creating a safer environment along the mountain corridor for drivers.
"In many cases, we need to look at what's working elsewhere, and I think we're getting to that place where we're putting the pieces in place," Fulton said. "We've got to get away from the thought that there's a silver bullet -- that it's fines, and it's not."
Fulton said the trucking industry has been doing the work to help address the problem and was heavily involved in crafting and supporting SB 69, which he called "one piece of the puzzle."
"We're committed to trying to solve the problem," Fulton said. "It's a big job."
Local leaders, too, say fines can only go so far and that it will take a combination of strategies to make winter drivers safer.
"We are not at war with truckers," said Kenney, the Vail police chief. "These truckers are good people. They're hard-working people."
Roberts said if fines are eventually increased, he'd like to see the additional revenue used to bolster resources for state highway officials.
State and local leaders have repeatedly highlighted a need for better enforcement along the mountain corridor, though officers have been pooling resources to crack down on offenders with weekly operations. Officials reported that an April 3 multi-agency operation resulted in a record number of commercial trucks being forced out of service for chain law violations.
Lawmakers haven't just focused their attention on commercial trucks.
SB 69 also tightens the tire tread depth requirements for four-wheel drive vehicles, mandating that motorists have tires with a mountain-snowflake symbol or that are all-weather rated. Additionally, it requires rental car companies to notify drivers about the state's traction and chain laws and the penalties for violating those.
Roberts said those provisions "will definitely help on the margins, and if it prevents one spin-out or crash that delays the highway for a couple of hours, that's a win for people who won't get stuck in that traffic."
Along with Roberts, SB 69 is sponsored by Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, as well as Reps. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, and Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs.
