Anyone ever had trouble with I 65 NB SCALE at AL/TN S.L. in TN?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Jimmbuds, May 4, 2015.

  1. Jimmbuds

    Jimmbuds Medium Load Member

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    Apr 20, 2009
    Daytona Beach, FL
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    Recently I was driving north on 65 out of Alabama into TN and as usual PrePass blinks red as I approach the new supercoop. I pull in, it is early morning so I get pulled up on static scale. I sit and wait and finally get a message to go to "Inspection Bay 1," which is no big deal, get my med card, DL as well as logbooks out. The officer comes out after a couple minutes and was very nice, told me he was going to do a LVL 1, pull in and do all the stuff you normally do on a LVL 1. He comes back out and tells me to pull around to the parking lot and bring you paperwork in which I do. Once inside I am told I have no issues, everything looks good. He asks me if I have PrePass and I reply yes. I get my inspection report and go on my way.

    Well it just so happens the next week (same day one week later) freight worked out to where I get to take the same route and as usual get red light to pull in. I get to pull on the static scales and get the message to go to "Inspection Bay 1, so I go to Inspection Bay 1 and park. I just so happen to have my inspection report from the week before right there on the paperwork binder so I grab it and get out of the truck to wait on officer. After a couple of minutes officer emerges from the building, and I immediately realize that it is the same officer that inspected me last week. As a result I start smiling. As the officer approaches he realizes I am smiling and thinks that I think this is a joke. After a second it dawns on him that he inspected me last week. He then ask me if he inspected me last week and I said yes. He then went on to tell me that when he was approaching me and seen me smiling that he thought I thought this was a joke and things were about to get real hairy real quick. Again, he was real nice to me. This time I asked him "why he chose my truck to be inspected is it because it is older?," he said "yes because it is older." I also asked him "why they always have PrePass on "all in?"" He told me because trucking companies are abusing PrePass as a way to skate by scale houses with trucks that are not up to standards (here we go with trucks abusing PrePass giving it a bad name). I also asked him if in the foreseeable future if they expect to turn off the "all in" on PrePass. He said not any time soon.

    I know my truck is in pretty good mechanical shape and I told the inspector that I realize I have an oil leak on the bottom of the engine (between the bell housing and the engine on a Series 60) but I said you didn't give me a violation for it. I told him I have no intent on fixing the leak in the foreseeable future due to the amount of labor involved in getting to the area to replace the gasket. I realize my truck is older and cosmetically it looks rough, I would love to do some upgrading and change the look of it but right now it is just not financially possible as I spend most of my money on maintenance and as a result the cosmetics take the back seat.

    So my question is anybody with an older truck ever had issues with this scale?
     
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  3. 8thnote

    8thnote Road Train Member

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    Tennessee is in the process of renovating and upgrading all the scale houses in the state (I-24 westbound at Manchester will be opening very soon) and I'm just guessing that they figure they need to start generating some revenue to justify the huge expenses.
     
  4. Lite bug

    Lite bug Road Train Member

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    Columbus Ohio
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    They have stopped me coming into Tenn. and leaving on the same day. One week apart same DOT guy but I run hot shot get inspected a lot. Every time they have been very respectful just the way they are.
     
  5. rollin coal

    rollin coal Road Train Member

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    With some scales it is just best to seek an alternate route. Not necessarily because you run shoddy equipment but really what is the point in needlessly being hassled day in and day out? Pre-pass can be set up to randomly pull in trucks with a few points and clicks. They're building these new coops with mile long ramps so they can have every single truck go through without the exit ramp clogging up. Makes you wonder why even pay for prepass if all they're going to do is red light you every time. I suppose every scale has their own policy most of the other ones I get green lights at. Might be something to complain about to state representatives so they can straighten out some power hungry scale master.
     
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  6. Al. Roper

    Al. Roper Road Train Member

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    Bakersville NC
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    When I ran a hot shot I expected to be pulled in and inspected every time I crossed a scale. Tn and Ms were the worst. A buddy said the new spot just north of Chattanooga was now open for business. I have prepass, and about the only scale I get pulled into on a regular basis, is the supercoop on 65. I'm running an 07 Pete, but they really don't seem to discriminate much. Have newer trucks as well as older trucks getting the once over.
     
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  7. mc8541ss

    mc8541ss Road Train Member

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    So now just because your smiling he wants to play the azzhat. I guess he isn't having a good day unless he ruins someone else's.
     
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  8. Jimmbuds

    Jimmbuds Medium Load Member

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    Daytona Beach, FL
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    He was cool about it after realizing who I was but just something to keep in mind, might not be a good idea to smile at officer.
     
  9. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    Have you bothered to look up your company's safety rating? You do realize the officer gets that info within seconds of you pulling on the scale. I'ts very possible that is why he is inspecting you.

    Another thing to keep in mind, every safety blitz finds over twenty percent of the trucks out here have brakes out of adjustment. That is a ridiculously high number. That alone is justification for any truck, at any time, to be inspected.
     
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  10. MrEd

    MrEd Road Train Member

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    I would bet that scowling when he walked out wouldn't get you any points with him either. And if you had a generic blank look, he'd say you "looked fatigued" or "under the influence of an unknown substance"! One of them "can't win for losing" situations for sure.
     
    91B20H8, mitmaks and Jimmbuds Thank this.
  11. Jimmbuds

    Jimmbuds Medium Load Member

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    Apr 20, 2009
    Daytona Beach, FL
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    My safety record is impeccable. I have had 2 LVL 1 and a LVL 2 in the past 5 years. I have nothing on my record in the past 3 years and a marker light in 5 years. Just one of those lights that happened to "go out" going down the road, it happens. I don't skirt the safety blitz by staying home, I am out there. It just shows that maintain my truck the way a truck should be maintained. But my truck doesn't look the prettiest. (I.e. Well first and foremost the fact that it is a FL Century and not some big long nose Pete, Rusty frame, pin striping fading, I don't keep the wheels polished, old rusty storage box mounted on the side) I plan to work on the frame and an oil leak I have this fall as long as freight keeps going. But still the fact that he said he is pulling older trucks in bothers me.
     
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