Hey Diesel Bear

Well I have never heard of that. But, hey maybe some State does that. It's simple, if I am at a scale, only the trucks that cross the scale are going to cross. You can't make that number up. I know the scales that I have been at in the past are monitored electronically and capture how many cross, how many are over weight etc. Inspections, they get done as I get to them. Some days I get 10 to 12 inpsections, some days I get 4 or 5. Some days are better than others. But as far as needing to get a set number each day or each month, that's not true, at least where I work. I try to get 8 a day, which makes the day go by a lot faster. If I was to sit on my rump for 8-10 hours and did 2 inspections, I would be sleeping in the corner out of boredom.

 

they have them here in pa regularly....couple weeks ago they targeted water trucks
running to and from the natural gas well sites

 

We are paying attention. I don't usually do an inspection just to do an inspection. I look for something junky, someone driving over the speed limit, dipping and diving thru traffic (anything that draws my attention to them, following to close etc.) I enjoy finding junk that does not belong on my highway and removing it. As my signature says, highway trash remover.

 

When I was a Freshman in High School I had a teacher that was an city LEO. I don't remember if he was Retired or a reserve,but he told us while there wasn't an official quota the supervisors and on up wanted to see at least a few traffic citiations on the daily reports. It wouldn't surprise me that some states want their DOT Officers to so many inspections per shift. Some are probably like DB and do so many a day to keep form being bored if they aren't on something else. We all know and I bet DB can back me on this DOT Bears can find something to put a Driver/truck OOS if they wanted to look hard enough.

 

Hey DB how many times have you pulled somebody over with the intention of just giving them a warning and they talked themselves into ticket. My guess more than you can remember.

 

You're right, but that is a double edge sword There has been plenty that I have said to myself this d*** is getting a ticket. Then after I made my initial contact with the said driver, his first impression has made me change my mind and issue a warning. Honesty goes a lon, long way with me. And not just me, I was talking to another Trooper from a Southern State tonight and he relayed the same information to me. We had dinner and he was telling me about a guy he stopped last week that he was intending on writing a citation and the guy was a man and manned up and was honest. He cut him a huge break, and yes it was a trucker.

 

Well, the out of service criteria is what it is. You can't make that up. The violations are what the are. The regulations are what they are, and most folks are in violation of something, some State law or local law. So to a degree I would say if you look and know each and every regulation or rule, you may be able to find a VIOLATION, not out of service though. Out of service is exactly that and not every truck has an out of service defect.