Drivers License at Shipper/Receiver

I may be wrong, but isn't in the law that the operator of a commercial vehicle must have his or her dl and med card on his or her person whenever operating said vehicle? Those who are reluctant to just refuse handing over their dl could use that as a reason not too.

Me, I'd just politely refuse.

 

Since we haul chemicals, we are sometimes required to provide our license to them for a copy. I simply black out my address and return it to them. I really don't like giving out my info but in this day and age, it is almost mandatory. There is a new program out there called TWIC I believe. The company wanted us to pay for it but we balked. I they want us to have it, they can pay for it along with paying us for the time spent doing it. The company took a step back and told us that they were looking into it and that no one should go and do it on their own. Exactly! Our condition of employment states that we maintain a class A license with all endorsements. They pay us for random tests and DOT physicals so this should be no different.

Drive safe

 

Most places had begun asking to see & record your CDL because of 2 significant news events.

The 1st was the 9-11 Twin Towers attack. A terrorist can sneak into a facility & do some damage by passing themselves off as a trucker coming to pickup or deliver a load. This nation's network of food manufacturing & distribution had been declared a possible strategic target by the US Dept. of Homeland Security, & had advised all businesses to begin keeping track of all non-employees coming onto the property to document their identification. Its possible a terrorist will somehow contaminate our food chain to gain the news publicity they had achieved in 9-11. Terrorist do not kill just for the hell of it, they do it for the shock value it creates on the public, and the news publicity!!

The 2nd event is the Newhall pileup on Oct. 12, 2007. On this Friday evening, 30 semi trucks slammed into each other on the southbound side of I-5, going through the blind-curve tunnel. The tunnel is the overpass of the I-5 freeway, & it detours trucks to save wear & tear on the overpass bridges. Of the 30 truckers, 9 drivers (that's 30%) had fled the scene; & to this day, the CHP never found out who these drivers were. The only reason a trucker would flee the scene is because he either didn't have a valid CDL, or/and he had warrants outstanding, & was subject to immediate arrest had the CHP ran a check on their CDL.

The Newhall pileup incident implies at least 30% of truckers driving today do not have a valid CDL !!! My company requires drivers to either furnish their CDL info, or turn the truck around and leave our facility. The security guards working at our gate had been advised of the 10/12/2007 Newhall incident, & will assume the driver doesn't have a CDL, or has felony warrants outstanding. My company does not allow fugitives from the law onto our property, and our insurance requires us to ascertain that only licensed CDL truckers enter our facility.

If you have a problem with showing your CDL, and allowing the guard to record this info, I strongly suggest you seek another profession. Maybe you should talk to your company about becoming a dispatcher instead.

Or do like the Mexican truckers in my area. They buy fake CDLs in the black market. Obtain a fake CDL with your name, but a different address and CDL number on it. Just go to any bars where hookers & drug dealers hang out and start asking around. It would probably cost around $100 or less. This is how illegal aliens secure jobs in California. They buy fake state id card, fake social security card, & fake birth certificate. A set of genuine-looking documents will set you back around $800. The documents will pass a background check because the SSN belong to people who are already dead, or children who are too young to work at the moment.

To steal your identity, its your SSN they need, not your CDL. The only people who may steal your CDL number are illegal aliens who use your CDL to forge a fake CDL.

I hold a fake CDL to show the guards at the gate, so they're happy because they collected the (useless) info on their record books, & I enter the property to do my job.

When asking around about buying fake IDs, keep an eye for anyone who speaks with a strong European, or Russian accent. The Russian Mafia are the best document counterfeiters in the black market. They're the reason the US government began putting UV & holographic images on the new currencies. They're the source for illegal aliens to secure documents, and getting jobs in the USA. My company's warehouse is staffed by Hispanics who speak little or no English; and they pointed me to whom I should talk to about getting a fake CDL.

 

The 9 drivers who abandoned their rigs and fled the scene of the accident in Newhall, (southbound side through blind-side tunnel overpass) on the evening of Oct. 12, 2007 were all owner-operators. From that incident alone, we should be suspicious of all owner-operators. When a company driver gets his/her licensed revoked/suspended, or fails a random drug test, the insurance company immediately notifies the carrier, who in turn orders the driver to park the truck immediately until they can send another driver to take possession of the truck & trailer. This is not the case with owner-operators. When their license is revoked/suspended, the insurance company doesn't realize it until its time to renew the insurance policy (to evaluate the risk-factor of continuing to insure the O/O). With company drivers, insurance companies routinely lookup the driver's MV record every 2 weeks to make sure there are no DUI or any alcohol-related charges that may indicate the driver has a drinking problem.

From an insurance company's perspective (and risk-factor evaluation), alcohol-related offenses (like open container) is a sign the driver is possibly a heavy drinker. When he/she is convicted, its likely he/she had committed the offense repeatedly, and had just gotten caught that one time.


BTW, on the quote from Rokk, I made spelling and punctuation corrections.
You really should be conscientious of the red underlines as you type out your replies. Your grammar use, spelling, punctuation, and other grammatical errors are an indication of your educational background. I spoke to my terminal manager about the possibility of a link between drivers' intelligence, and their risk in getting involved in a chargeable accident. I brought this up after reading a news article about a driver who loss control of his semi truck because he bent down to pick up a music CD that had fallen on the floor while he was driving. It was stupid enough that he took his attention off his driving to pick up a CD, but to actually TELL this to the investigating officer !! I would've lied and said some 4-wheeler had cut me off, and lost control when I swerved to avoid the other guy. When you make a serious critical error, you initiate DAMAGE CONTROL to reduce the detrimental consequences of your negligence (or is this a concept you've never heard of ??). Anyway, he's considering to include a word-problem question test on the application process. When he calls a driver to interview them, if he feels he/she is a good candidate, we ask them to look over the question, and see if they can answer them correctly. I'll post these word-problem questions at a later date to get your feedbacks.

 

I carry my passport in my shirt pocket, when I'm asked for ID I show my passport, I will show them my CDL if they insist, but I don't let go of it and they don't get to write down the number and copy it. If they have a problem with that I tell them, "Take your #### off my trailer!"
I tried to fuel at a Loves in IL. this week, the card reader was down and I went inside with my Loves card and fuel card. The cashier asked for my License, I said, "No one gets my license."
She handed my my fuel cards and told me to have a good day. I went down the road.
This seems to be an on going battle, especially when hauling food, I pull refridgerated, and everyone wants ID.
I refuse to give my SS number to anyone, which is a problem in Ohio when you get stopped. The trooper insists he can take me into custody if I fail to give him my SS number. We have the option of not haveing our SS number on the drivers license, Vermont DMV will not supply my SS number when someone runs a check on me. I tell the trooper he doesn't get my SS number, and if he takes me into custody I'll tell the judge the same thing.

 

It bugs the heck outta me too. I give my company ID most of the time. Sometimes if they simply ask me what my lic# is I make one up. One time I asked the snooty girl behind the window if I could write hers down in exchange. She didn't like that.

 

I've only been asked a few times to see my CDL, it's irritating, and I don't care for it, but not worth the hassle of arguing with some clerk about it. But I have just found one shipper who wants my cell #. and my CDL, it's high dollar freight, but come on, where do ya draw the line? Brokers are getting bad about this too.

 

This reply is to passingtrucker...what is your problem with o/o? Although I do understand you are from California and I do realize that there are many o/o that don't speak the language in that state that is probably why they fled. For you to categorize every o/o like that is frankly quite stupid and you have the balls to correct someone's punctuation and grammar useage? Pleeeze who do you think you are? This is a forum for truckers and the like to post their gripes without being judged on how pretty their words line up to a man? like you. As far as intellegence is concerned you are not the one to judge anyone and if you were a true driver, you would not be so critical on how anyone speaks or how they wish to post their views. This is not a written communication class.

Rosebud

 

Hooray for Rosebud your right about that.

 

Must have been the one wrecked the truck and smashed up a frontend loader.