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........
Overweight Violations
Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by MotorinMomma, Mar 30, 2011.
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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??? -
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. -
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. -
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. -
If it was as you say, they would not allow you to continue. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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scottied67 Thanks this.
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