Hi all.Milodon i understand what you say in that many things seem ‘OTT’,Health and safety rules are a good example but putting winter tyres on a tag axle can give a bit more stability when you are loaded.Many trucks fitted with tag axles here in the North have an override switch or valve which enables you to lift the axle whilst being fully loaded.This will not lift the axle off the ground but will transfer a good percentage of the weight onto the drive axle.Whilst overloading the drive axle this does no damage for short distances and helps considerably with traction,in many cases avoiding the need for chains.By having winter tyres on the ‘tag’ it just helps with a bit more traction and stability.As you know yourself it is hard to find a bit of straight road in North Norway so every little helps.
When i drive a snow plough it is a double drive rigid with sand ballast and studded tyres and i still have problems sometimes.
Imagine then how difficult it is for foreign vehicles with inferior equipment and inexperienced drivers.
One of the biggest problems is that people get odd loads for the North and are unwilling[or unable] to invest in the tyres and chains as it eats into the profit saying ‘‘oh,it’s only one trip,i’ll be ok’’.
hutpik:
Hi all.I Think the point that the Chris was trying to make was that the more good quality rubber that you have on the road in winter the better.Obviously in the case of lift axle this applies more when you are loaded,as empty you have already lifted the axle so as to transfer any weight you can to the driving axle.
As we have such long winters and quite severe rules in place regarding quality of equipment it is a way of working which you don’t even think about.Due to the length of winter here the transport is based upon having extra Equipment and so is reflected in the rates for the work.
Unfortunately for our EE brethren who come up here,many of them [not all], are driving as sub contractors for companys on lesser rates than the locals so are more constrained in buying the extra winter Equipment required.
Hear hear,well said ,well wrote 
hutpik:
Many trucks fitted with tag axles here in the North have an override switch or valve which enables you to lift the axle whilst being fully loaded.This will not lift the axle off the ground but will transfer a good percentage of the weight onto the drive axle.Whilst overloading the drive axle this does no damage for short distances and helps considerably with traction,in many cases avoiding the need for chains.By having winter tyres on the ‘tag’ it just helps with a bit more traction and stability.As you know yourself it is hard to find a bit of straight road in North Norway so every little helps.
see this is what I’m talking about - the trucks I drive are all tags, the trailers have set back axles so the weight distribution is even more towards the truck and the tag and the front axle of the trailer will lift clear off the ground via a switch in the cabin even with a 30t load. so the requirement to have those axles on winter tyres as well seems a bit of a waste to me, even if I’m not footing the bill.
Whilst i applaud that you have a truck which is equipped for winter driving unfortunately you are in a serious minority as at least 80 or even 90 percent of the EE trucks which come up here have single drive axle and a conventional trailer.If you add to this the fact that many of them have no winter tyres or chains and owner drivers with trucks long past there ‘‘sell by date’’.
By far,the majority have poor quality equipment and many of them little experience.As someone who drives a plough during the winter and helps the emergency services i have to say that the standard of driving from your colleagues leaves a lot to be desired.
Added to that is the language problem with the majority of so called ‘‘international’’ drivers from EE.
Last Winter i had a Hungarian driver bang on my door in the middle of the night asking if i could sell him some diesel[i live 2kms from the main road]as he had forgotten to fill up,[trying to save money in Norway].This in the middle of Winter with -30c outside. 
looks like the stupid east-europeans with their bald summer tyres are not the only ones unhappy with the new rules 
http://www.at.no/transport/item/8063-raser-mot-norske-dekkregler
If you read it you see that it is the Swedes who are complaining about the exta costs,as no doubt will the Finns.The diffence being that the Swedes and Finns already have a reasonable amount of winter tyres [to their way of thinking]and are irritated by the extra costs as they are already being undercut by your ‘‘stupid east Europeans with their bald summer tyres’’.
exactly, why put more financial pressure on hauliers who spend money on good equipment instead of enforcing the existing laws more vigilantly? doesn’t make any sense to me.
Maybe if your EE colleagues had not caused so much chaos over the last few years with their driving and ‘‘winter equipment’’ this situation would not have arisen
Well if that makes sense to you, good for you…
hutpik:
Maybe if your EE colleagues had not caused so much chaos over the last few years with their driving and ‘‘winter equipment’’ this situation would not have arisen
Again,today,3 East Europeans stuck on a slight hill in a bend,they had chains,chains that are too small,one guy didnt even know how to lift the boggi axle,thus putting more weight on his drive,we up here are totally fed up with it,the Buzz is that a Law will be passed so that NO EE drivers are allowed into Norway without the proper winter driving course,and about friggin time i say,
And again,EE ■■■■■■■■
well you would have a point, if there never was a norwegian lorry in trouble due to bad weather. but as it seems, having a single thought of your own is too much to ask for, so personal insults is just about as far you are able to get
anyways, I’m on my way to stavanger, 6 axles on brand new winter tyres and 7 chains of the right size in the side locker, off to create carnage I go 
I see your talking crap again in defence of you EE colleagues…The article relates to the neglect and unroadworthiness of the vehicle not the question of whether he has ‘‘winter equipment’’.Any semi-competent driver does a daily check which ould include checking Wheels and nuts,especially if it is your own truck which is quite possible.
hutpik:
Whilst i applaud that you have a truck which is equipped for winter driving unfortunately you are in a serious minority as at least 80 or even 90 percent of the EE trucks which come up here have single drive axle and a conventional trailer.If you add to this the fact that many of them have no winter tyres or chains and owner drivers with trucks long past there ‘‘sell by date’’.
By far,the majority have poor quality equipment and many of them little experience.As someone who drives a plough during the winter and helps the emergency services i have to say that the standard of driving from your colleagues leaves a lot to be desired.
Added to that is the language problem with the majority of so called ‘‘international’’ drivers from EE.
Last Winter i had a Hungarian driver bang on my door in the middle of the night asking if i could sell him some diesel[i live 2kms from the main road]as he had forgotten to fill up,[trying to save money in Norway].This in the middle of Winter with -30c outside.
While i like the new Norwegian tire laws. They should newer put it on a Tag axle. With winter tires on the tag you crate all the bad habits of a 6x4 but get none of the good back. You crate a dangerous under steer and make the truck even more harder to turn at low speeds. If I would get to chose I put F1 tires on the tag.
Same on the first axle on the triple. Because that axle is meant to slide on the ground when you turn. And we have had MS on that axle sometimes but it just wont last. No problem to ruin a tire in just 30 000km.
Girteka taking a rest. The road was almost straight and wide as hell where he had gone out. (sweden)
Btw, hows it going with the action against salting e10? Will it succeed or is it better to go up through Finland Pello, pajala, Svapavaara Kriuna?. I hate Salt!!
Hi Icee.It seems they are going to salt\sand the E10 again this winter.We have just got a new salt mix tank to fit in one of our plowing trucks.It seems they will salt\sand from Töre up to Kiruna and from Svaapa to Pajala.Personally if your coming from the South i would stay on the Finnish side from Tornio to Kilpisjarvi,it’s always been a good road
Oh look another EE having a rest,the last line in the report says it all,
finnmarkdagblad.no/nyheter/a … 676645.ece
"Traileren skal, ifølge politiet, ikke ha hatt kjettinger på. "
Or in English,“according to the police the truck didnt have chains on,” this happened not far from my house,it was slippery so he should have chained up,but due to his total lack of experiance he took a chance and nearly paid for it with his life,the worrying thing is that he could quite easily have taken out a car full of young people,this is the problem
hutpik:
Hi Icee.It seems they are going to salt\sand the E10 again this winter.We have just got a new salt mix tank to fit in one of our plowing trucks.It seems they will salt\sand from Töre up to Kiruna and from Svaapa to Pajala.Personally if your coming from the South i would stay on the Finnish side from Tornio to Kilpisjarvi,it’s always been a good road
From Svapa to Pajala? whyyy■■? The mine trucks don’t drive there anymore, at least not Northland. ■■■■ 
, seams like it’s impossible to avoid it then.
Not much of a choice if I’m going to Narvik, VesterÃ¥len/Lofoten although we do go over Kilpis a lot. Since it’s never closed and it’s not so much longer going to Lofoten.
hutpik:
I see your talking crap again in defence of you EE colleagues…The article relates to the neglect and unroadworthiness of the vehicle not the question of whether he has ‘‘winter equipment’’.Any semi-competent driver does a daily check which ould include checking Wheels and nuts,especially if it is your own truck which is quite possible.
my deepest apologies for I couldn’t be bothered to read it really… as for colleagues, I have no respect for people driving around in vehicles in such despair, no matter the country of registration. and still, what does it have to do with the new laws in norway? if you don’t have an answer to the question asked (why the need for winter tyres on liftaxles), then blaming the person asking for trucks ill-equipped for norwegian winter is just sad
why should the companies who send them over there, even care about the stricter laws? they won’t, but hauliers who want to run legal will be eating the costs. politics at its best. thank you Icee for your point of view.
icee .They always do the road to Pajala even before northland was there,my boss has one of the routes.
You can always go via that wonderful road at Riksgrens 
After many many years of this the stupid EE still amazes me