Just some of the stupid things I see

This is where I have a problem with the regulations. I run 11R24.5 LRH drive tires. The maximum allowed pressure marked on the sidewalls is 120 psi, however according to Michelin's load & pressure chart, if I were running 39K on my drives (5K overweight), the recommended pressure is only 75 psi. If I am running a "legal" load, the recommended pressure is even lower. 800 pounds per axle (1600/tandem) increases the recommended pressure by 5 psi in the recommendation chart...so doing the math, that's roughly 15 psi less, or 60 psi. In other words, running at the manufacturer's recommended pressure for a tire at the legal maximum load, I can be placed out of service for having a flat tire because it is only inflated to 50% of the MAXIMUM pressure for the MAXIMUM load as marked on the sidewall of the tire. If you want me running 120 psi in my tires, I should be allowed to carry 52,880 pounds on my drives....because THAT is what the 120 psi is recommended for.

 

Excellent point. I had been thinking about a thread on that exact topic. For a while I did run pressures consistant with the same load & pressure information, but I didn't do it long enough to properly gauge fuel mileage and tire wear.

 

A couple points of clarification (reg check).
You said:

Now let's check the Regs:

I believe if you stop DRIVING to perform a tire check or load check (ON-DUTY/NOT DRIVING), that qualifies as a change of duty status.

Yep, you do have log em.
OK, how about:

I could not find a clarification from FMCSA on exactly what their definition of a "safe place" is, but here is my $.02 worth.

If you blow a tire a couple of miles down the road and pull in here to the scalehouse, you may get DOT'd and the flat recorded on the inspection, but you will not be ticketed by me.

However, if the tire blew or you knew it was flat/low several towns, or states, from the scalehouse, then you passed a lot of "safe places" (towns, exit ramps, etc.) and are likely to be ticketed.

 

If you stop for over half of 15 minutes, unless they reprinted every log in existence while we weren't looking.

 

Kaji, he's not saying we have to log time for it. Only flag it, as said before.

 

When you say, "just flag it", you are putting the time spent on the stop in the remarks area, right?

 

Ya know, when I was doing paper logs, I'd just do the flag and location, but not annotate the time spent doing whatever task it was. I never did get dinged for it, but I suppose you could get written up for form and manner because of something like that.

 

I haven't always noted times. Your guidance says may be noted, not must be noted. Therefore, it is not required.