Stopped for a Level 1 inspection, printed a Level 2 report

and fasteners can only be torqued so many times until they fail.

It's called Torque to yield. There is a service life on fasteners too.

 

not really. Every time you are pushing that fastener to the torque limit you are also setting it up to be closer to it's fail point.

Part of the reason if someone does an in-frame, you had best hammer them for new studs or head bolts on that block. They are supposed to be torqued to yield not a torque setting.

It's a most critical thing on a vehicle and it's the most abused item. Fasteners. Doesn't matter if it's in an engine, on a frame or an axle. They have a service life that's totally ignored.

Just an article I grabbed for more information on torque-to-yield, torque-to-angle and other related stuff on fasteners.
http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Item/2343/threaded_fasteners_torquetoyield_and_torquetoangle.aspx

 

Purely retrospectively pointing out the outlaw's POV.

(Where's a dancing around the subject smilie when you want one)

 

Doing what. He gave your driver a clean level 2 inspection. A level 2 can include more than a simple walk around but fall short of a full level 1 requiring a pit to check low trailers such as yours.

The level 2 will be counted as part of the vehicle maintenance basic if that is your concern.


I have had several clean level 1's without being issued a sticker. Never gave it much thought as I used to pull the gaudy dang things off until I received back to back same day inspections in Kentucky and the Officer got mad at me for removing them. His point to me was leaving them on allowed them to inspect different trucks instead of the same ones over and over.

Your story did jog a memory. I was inspected in Mn when I drove for Barr-Nunn. The Officer put a decal on the guy behind me while I was signing for my records. I asked how come he got a gold star and not me. He said my brakes while legal were barely so I was getting due for service at Granger and knew the plan was to replace them but understood his point. The other truck was in better shape over all and I guess he was using them to give that equipment a by for a couple months were as mine could stand looking at in that time frame.

I am not saying that is the case here, just giving an examp,e of how while biased there was a basis for it.

 

I got a level one at the scale on I-94 around Porter IN.

It was raining. I had received one on Tuesday in Missouri. This was Friday.

The inspector took my paper and did a level one and never left the car.

Kinda like alot of truck drivers pre and post trip insp

 

I could care less about the sticker as long as the paperwork showed the level 1

 

Why I keep a box of them, and every other tool for a quick repair. Their not ignored, whats ignored is being ready for anything. "Oh, that won't happen to me!" I even have spare airline heads and bits of the line, along with clamps that will last until I get it fixed right.

 

I would say no.

There is a huge difference between a driver sitting in a truck 24/7 and a DOT bear seeing a truck for a first time.

You or I can have a pretty decent idea what's happening with the truck just from driving it day and night. You learn that about at 5000 miles between oil changes, you need to almost put a gallon of oil in or you need to start checking it closer.

You know that when it's due a lube you can tell the way something reacts to operation. (So you tighten up the lube intervals)

A dot inspector knows nothing about the pulse of the truck and how it's operating.