Overweight Violations

Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by MotorinMomma, Mar 30, 2011.

  1. 123456

    123456 Road Train Member

    10,555
    5,743
    Oct 22, 2010
    32179
    0
    Follow-up is very important.

    Make sure the ticket gets paid.

    Or it may become your problem.

    And Yes, they can and will suspend a drivers license over an unpaid overweight citation........
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Grouch

    Grouch Road Train Member

    2,018
    4,035
    Feb 3, 2009
    Between here and eternity
    0
    Respectfully disagree. Take hauling milk. In the state of Va. a truck goes on a farm to pick up the milk from the dairy farmer, you cannot take "part", you must take it all. If the driver has been to 2 or 3 farms before reaching his last p/u point and he already has 40,000 lbs in the tank and the last farm has 12,000 lbs, the driver must take the whole 12,000 lbs, period!

    Lets say that the p/u driver is only going to pull the load of milk back to a "yard" or terminal and a "road" or "transport" driver is going to take it to a processing plant(dairy). The p/u driver probably is driving a "day-cab" and he can scale the 52,000 in the tank, but the transport driver is driving a sleeper cab and he cannot scale the load and you better not be "messing" with the load or FDA will "hang you rear". Once a load of milk is in a tank, it is only through an emergency that it can be transferred or pumped off.

    Now then, to get back to your statement, "there is no reason a driver should get an over weight ticket". Do you stand by this remark???
     
  4. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

    7,031
    8,621
    Sep 3, 2010
    0

    Yes, I do. I understand your dilemma. If you think you are over weight, then don't cross a scale or don't take the load. With the new rules, it may require that a driver not make that last pick up or be prepared to pay the fine. I don't like going around scales. However, if I know that I am over weight, then I am NOT going to take a chance on getting a fine. In your situation you may need to make a decision as to which law you will break, FDA or DOT.
     
  5. Grouch

    Grouch Road Train Member

    2,018
    4,035
    Feb 3, 2009
    Between here and eternity
    0
    I will "dodge" some scales and there are some scales that I will not "dodge" and as far as refusing the load, I don't think so in the milk business. The milk business is a world of its own. I had a DOT trooper make a comment to me one day; "every time I see a milk tanker, I see violations".

    The more milk that a tank has in it, the better it will ride and you have less slosh and movement. In my opinion an overweight milk load is safer than one that is around 40,000. One of my best load was 63,000 lbs in the tank, no movement at all. One of the worst load was 32,000, this load almost killed me.
     
  6. ronin

    ronin Road Train Member

    2,928
    1,710
    Jul 22, 2008
    San Antonio, Texas
    0
    Running overweight cannot be filed away with "they made me run it". It's still on the driver. I hauled milk, I hauled chemicals... I refused a few loads after scaling, and wasn't given any flak. The company didn't want me getting nailed for being over gross, either.

    I don't think some are looking at the big picture... if a car cuts you off and you end up in an accident.. and you're overweight - you'd better PRAY no one is seriously hurt or dead.. or you're going to prison. The other side's lawyers will have a field day with you. Your company, too, but mostly you.
     
  7. Grouch

    Grouch Road Train Member

    2,018
    4,035
    Feb 3, 2009
    Between here and eternity
    0
    Wrong! If it was that way, then pray tell me why after receiving a ticket for overweight, they will allow you to continue. If you receive an overweight ticket in Stephens City, Va going south on 1-81, you continue on and at Roanoke scales all you have to do is show the ticket. You have 24 hours to get out of state without receiving another overweight ticket in Va. Same in Fl. you get a ticket at Yulee and all you do is show the ticket at Flagler Beach and be on your way.

    If it was as you say, they would not allow you to continue.
     
  8. ronin

    ronin Road Train Member

    2,928
    1,710
    Jul 22, 2008
    San Antonio, Texas
    0
    There's a huge difference between having an infraction, and having something wrong with your truck in an accident. Police officers aren't the lawyers who get to rip you apart and take your house...

    Just like if you're driving your car at home, get stopped and blow a .02... and the cop tells you to go home - true, an .02 isn't "drunk".. but if you get in a wreck on the way home, you're fragged, and so is the officer.

    Let's say you go through a DOT inspection and get a fix-it ticket for a leaking wheel seal. You're released, of course, because it's not serious enough to shut you down. Later that day, before hitting the shop, your axle comes out of the housing and the tandems hit a car... now what? You think that just because DOT didn't shut you down, you're off the hook?

    Having blinders on is the first step to having narrow-minded views... got to see the big picture.
     
  9. passingthru69

    passingthru69 Road Train Member

    Yep, I know the hard way about Va.
    Hauled a multi piece ld. out of there one time and got nailed on an overweight ld.
    Paid the fine and they said you are good to go.
    Kinda weird though as most other states make you get it legal before leaving..

    I also have seen stickers on some trks. in Va. that they are allowed a certain % overweight on the roads.
     
  10. Rat

    Rat Road Train Member

    You should try doing what I do. I run Bulk potatoes from the growers/farmers storage to processing facilities that make them into frenchfries and other products. 99.9% of them do not have counters or scales in the yard, 99% of the local elevators will not let you just pull in and use their scale and 99.9% of the towns in ND do not have cat scales.

    You just load to an imaginary line in the trailer and hope for the best.

    We are lucky in that the DOT in our area understands that it is just a guessing game for us and they give us a cushion of 1000 lbs or so. The boss gives us a cushion of 2000 lbs which means that if you are 2000 over then he will pay the ticket. But get 5K over and you are the one at fault, especially if you have been doing this for a few years.

    I have been working this particular job now for about 5 years. At current I have one over axle violation, was 2500 over axle on my tridems.

    We get paid by the 100 weight or by the bag (100 lbs=1 bag).
     

    Attached Files:

    scottied67 Thanks this.
  11. MotorinMomma

    MotorinMomma Light Load Member

    83
    96
    May 5, 2010
    Clinton, IA
    0
    I know of someone who's brother was going around scales, running 95,000 lbs, lady ran a red light, two children in the car killed..he is in the pen for manslaughter because he knowingly pulled the overweight load.
     
    scottied67 Thanks this.
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.