Injun Got a TICKET!!

ghostrider1960 · May 8, 2011

Injun said: ↑

You can go over 12K to whatever your steer tires are rated for. In most cases, it's 6,175 pounds per tire, or 12,350 pounds total on your steer axle. My fifth wheel is set so that with full tanks and a heavy load, my steers will scale at 12,100. I only have to burn off 16 gallons of fuel (I round it up to 20) to be under 12K on my steers. That's about 130 miles. I figure 150 miles to be at or under 12K, which is kind of the threshold for raising eyebrows.. Reasoning behind that 20 gallons: about 90% of fuel weight goes to the steers on my truck. It's a good idea to know where your fuel weight goes. Find out by weighing both before and after you fuel then do the math.

Ghostrider:
Better watch out for Ms. Nana. She's got a pointy stick, too. And she knows how to use it. Just ask around some. People will tell ya.
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Well...I have a pointy stick too...oh, wait....thats my tire thumper..hmm...lets see...tool box....pliers...screwdriver...100mph tape....ahh...there it is...my stick...oops its broken. But, its pointy)

Injun · May 8, 2011

ghostrider1960 said: ↑

Well...I have a pointy stick too...oh, wait....thats my tire thumper..hmm...lets see...tool box....pliers...screwdriver...100mph tape....ahh...there it is...my stick...oops its broken. But, its pointy)
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*note to self* It's a family forum, so don't say it!

ghostrider1960 · May 8, 2011

Injun said: ↑

*note to self* It's a family forum, so don't say it!
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Well...i have a little more tact than that. The "stick" i was refering to is actually the stick i use to check my tanks now and then because i dont really trust my fuel guage. But thank you for being concerned)

Injun · May 9, 2011

*sneaks a bag of Hershey Kisses to Ghostrider and whispers*

Here. Go make friends with Ms. Nana....

ghostrider1960 · May 9, 2011

Injun said: ↑

*sneaks a bag of Hershey Kisses to Ghostrider and whispers*

Here. Go make friends with Ms. Nana....
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Lol...ok, will do

‘Olhand · May 9, 2011

I gotta tell ya--sorry you got popped--but I think y'all know--I rarely complain and/or start trouble--and INJUN--I gotta give you credit for saying how nice the scale lady is BUT--THIS IS TOTAL BS--a complete MONEY GRAB--you were almost 9kunder gross and she didn't let you--at least TRY to get it legal b4 she broke out that ticket book!
This probably would have been one of those rare occasions--where I wouldn't be the nice professional I am when dealing with normal everyday truckin TOTAL B******T--what nonsence!
Kudos on being able to keep your tongue and not make it any worse--I doubt very seriously I could have!

Injun · May 9, 2011

She had me dead to rights and wrote me only under Idaho statute...without placing FMCSR 392.2 (local laws) on te citation. She showed me the fee schedule. I'm quite happy, actually, with the $66.50. It could have been a whole lot worse, looking at that fine sheet.

I would not have had it right after the first try. And didn't. I was still more than 800 over. The fine would have been the same either way. She actually saved me some time by just writing it up. My tandem was already jammed to the front. I had to be very creative in how I moved that weight....and very careful. She could have written me for load securement, too....after seeing how I moved the weight. That would have cost me a whole lot more money plus an instant 30 points on my CSA. (10 times the multiplier)

There are times I can be a hothead. This just was not one of those times. I'm happy I kept my trap shut. It could have been far more costly than it was, both immediately in a monetary way and later on, when I have to explain to Swift why I took on 30 points, plus whatever it is for 392.2, violation of local laws. It may have negatively affected my career at that point.

‘Olhand · May 9, 2011

No question--you did very well--my point exactly--unfortunately I think my old crusty ##### probably would have been unable to exercise my RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT!

fairshake · May 9, 2011

Injun said: ↑

Yep. It's true. And it wasn't a ticket to the theater.

Okay, here's the story:

I loaded this morning at a scrapbooking supplies warehouse. "Romper-Room" is what I called it. Not a person there above the age of 25 and nobody seemed to know anything about my load. I had been backed to the wrong door for over an hour before they realized it. Maybe that should have been my first clue to double check everything. But I didn't.

I made a second pickup and got underway. Total load weight 37,700 pounds. Never had trouble with that before, so I just rolled with it.

I fueled in Willard, UT and then immediately crossed the Utah scale. I always watch my weights when I cross state scales and noticed the numbers just didn't look right. I was not pulled around back.

So, I hauled it off at West Brigham to use the scale. Weights were: Steers-12,120 Drives-37,140 Tandems-22,440 Gross-71,700. My tandem was set in the 12th notch back. Normally, you move 300 pounds per notch. I pushed it all the way forward, thinking I would move at least 3,300 pounds off my drives, bringing it close but legal. This is the way it has always worked before. And rather than check my work, I drove off on my merry way.

I arrived at the Rupert, ID Port of Entry. And rolled onto the scale. Steers, good. Drives....back up, Swift...Drives-35,560. Park, bring in papers. I received a ticket for 1,560 pounds over axle. Crap. How much is this going to cost me? And how many points against my CSA? Answer: $66.50 and as far as the officer knew, none...because it was an Idaho infraction, not a DOT infraction. My ticket was written under Idaho statute number....NOT FMCSR.

I had two weeks to either pay it or show up in court. $66.50?? Can I just pay it here? Yep. Paid it on the spot. No way to weasle out of that and not worth hiring a lawyer for. It'd be a waste of time anyway, and wind up costing me attorney fees, plus the ticket, plus an additional $129.84 for court costs.

I was asked to get it legal, could use the scale as many times as necessary to do so, but was not being shut down if I couldn't get it done there. Remember, my tandems were already pushed all the way forward. I needed to move 1,560 pounds with nowhere to go on my slider. Only one way to do it without a pallet jack. The ol' hands can tell you how. I don't want the responsibility if you try it and something goes terribly wrong. Which it can, very easily if you're too rough and it's a less-than-stable load.

Final weights: Steers-12,100 Drives-32,960 Tandems-27,040 Total-72,100.

Complacency is what got me that ticket.

Two amusing side notes: I had just advised one of our newer drivers in balancing a heavy load and told him to double-check his work since it would cost only a dollar at most. His weights were good when he rolled. and Monday, I bought an in-dash axle weight guage for my drives...and have not installed it yet. It and all the parts necessary for its install are still in the boxes.
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I did something similar once in Nebraska after picking up a meat load, it was plain laziness on my part for not scaling a 40,000 pd load that I picked up all the time. This time it had some different load layout and I didn't know till later. First scale in Nebraska pulls my truck around, and it was like 2k over on my rear, he let me pay with a comcheck on the spot and that was it, I think around $165 something under 200 is what I can remember. This does happen, paying on the spot.

rachi · May 9, 2011

so if you get a ticket for being overweight in any state it doesn't go on your csa ? What about your mvr?

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