Colorado State Patrol’s third week of chain law enforcement operations stepped up the pressure on commercial vehicles, which made up over 75% of reported encounters with multi-agency enforcement officers.

The department’s weekly chain law enforcement operations are carried out by Colorado State Troopers and partnering local agencies from Parachute to Golden, which perform chain carry checks along the Interstate 70 mountain corridor and enforce speed violations.

This week’s results saw a slight increase in stops and citations from their March 11 operation based on data from eight reporting agencies — including Parachute Police Department, Silt Police Department, Glenwood Springs Police Department and Vail Police Department.

Officers made contact with 297 vehicles and gave out 62 citations, 33 of which were for speeding. Three quarters, or 225 of the vehicles recorded, were commercial motor vehicles.

Whereas commercial vehicles made up between 60-67% of encounters with enforcement agencies during the operation’s first two weeks, this week’s results show a stronger focus on heavier vehicles like trucks, vans and buses from this week’s reporting agencies.

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Despite engaging with a larger portion of commercial motor vehicles, only six were cited for failing to comply with Colorado chain law — an increase of one from March 5’s enforcement operations.

Colorado State Trooper Sherri Mendez said that the focus on commercial vehicles during recent chain law enforcement operations is intentional.

Although encounters with passenger vehicles are also conducive to ensuring compliance with traction laws, these particular efforts are aimed at improving the roads against truckers who cause delays or closures of up to nine hours on I-70 during winter months. 

“We are looking for chain violations,” Mendez said. “It depends on the number of agencies that also participate with us, but this is us just being proactive.”

The maximum fine for violators of the chain law is currently $1,150. Gov. Jared Polis told reporters on Thursday that he would be “very open to increasing the penalties” on vehicles traveling without chains or adequate tire traction on mountain roads, though no such bills have been introduced in 2025, according to reporting by The Vail Daily.

The next Colorado State Patrol multi-agency Enforcement Operation will be held on Thursday, March 20, with roughly 11 weeks remaining for enforcement operations before the end of chain law season. Colorado State Patrol warns truckers of upcoming enforcement days on their Facebook, Instagram and X accounts.

Under state law, large commercial vehicles must carry chains when traveling on I-70 and other major roadways ​​between Sept. 1 and May 31 and must use them when conditions require. Compliance with traction laws requires wheels on passenger vehicles to have a three-sixteenths-inch tread depth and be rated either “all-weather” or “mud and snow,” according to Colorado State Patrol.