New York State Troopers

April 18 2017

Dennis T. Colpitts, Badge 4917

New York State Department of Transportation, Truck inspections, 50 Wolf Road POD 53, Albany, New York




Driving an 18-wheeler down I-88 east bound, Worchester, NY. At the entrance to a rest area I saw a sign that resembled one of them diamond shaped work zones signs, but it was white and it said "All trucks" and had an arrow that I couldn't understand if it was pointing to the rest area or away from it.

I realized that I already missed the entrance to the rest area but I stopped on the shoulder right next to the rest area because I saw the state troopers in there and I figured it that they might be doing inspections in the rest area.

One of the three State troopers that was in the rest area DROVE to me. I said drove to me because he did not pull me over, I stopped by myself realizing that I misunderstood the flimsy sign they put next to the rest area's entrance.

Plus when the cops pull you over they're usually behind you, or say in front of you. This guy, driving the New York State Police Vehicle C87, couldn't pull me over because he couldn't even get to the highway because I happened to stop right next to the path that is some sort of shortcut from the rest area to the interstate. I repeat it's a path, a shortcut not the connecting road or anything.

I gave him all paperwork required, he came back in 20 minutes and told me he couldn't find anything illegal but still put a violation on the inspection sheet: 392.2 C-Failure to Obey Traffic Device.

He said: "I did not issue you a ticket but I put a violation on the inspection". I went ok, thanks officer, I was glad that I did not get fined, because really I did not think I broke any laws. I noticed that he did not make me sign his copy of the inspection, they always make you sign their copy.

After the cop left, I called my boss, and told him what happened and told him I was happy I did not get a ticket.

But... he explained me that because I did not get a ticket I basically got screwed.

See, he explained, when you get a ticket for something bogus like this or anything else you can hire a lawyer that can fight the ticket and the charge in court. You, he continued, don't even get a court date, your violation goes straight on your safety record, and on the company's safety record.

I looked it up. The 392.2c violation is considered a "Dangerous violation". No not a "Moving Violation " a Dangerous violation. It "puts" 5 points on your Safety Record and it puts 15 on the Safety Record of the company that you work for.

So now it will be hard for me to find another trucking job if I had to and it will be hard for my boss to get loads because we are deemed " unsafe".

After I hang up, I drove to the next exit, turned around, drove west, turned around at the exit right after the rest area, then drove east bound again. I wanted to see the signs warning drivers about the inspection site set up at the rest area.

And I saw them. There were three of them.
All diamond shaped, exactly like the temporary construction signs, or like the signs that warn you of mowing crew ahead.

One at about a thousand feet before the rest area, it was a faded yellow and it read "inspection station ahead". When I say faded yellow I mean it was yellow and faded. No wonder I did not notice it the first time.

The second sign was at about five hundred feet before the rest area. It was white and read in small letters " All trucks must stop". To my shame I did not notice this one either before the encounter with the cop.

The third one was right at the entrance to the rest area. And it wasn't at the beginning of the connecting road, it was at the end of the connecting road. Basically, by the time you can read what the sign says you done missed the entrance to the rest area, so you can't really enter it, unless you swerve hard and cross the two solid white lines that form that triangle between the interstate and connecting road.

I entered the rest area stopped in one of the marked parking spots next to Officer Colpitts's Vehicle(C87) and tried to gain his attention.

There were three Cop Crouisers or whatever they're called. None of them were doing inspections, or paying any attention to the trucks coming inside the rest area, they were all turned with the front of the vehicle towards the interstate and with the back of the vehicle towards the trucks parked inside.

It dawned on me, these guys were not doing inspections, they were waiting for people like me that will either not see the signs or will not understand them. For me it was a combination of both. I really did not see the first two(I can't explain how that happened, I might've been passing somebody or maybe it was the signs color that fulled me) and the third one I did see and read it but it was too late to enter the rest area.

I walked to Colpitts, told him that I turned around, checked out the signs they set up, found them and their placing disingenuous
and confusing. Also told him that this really smells fishy, like they're setting people up and I won't let it slide just like that. He seemed scared or maybe ashamed, I couldn't really tell. He sat there gasping or maybe trying to put together some smart remark and finally said "Do what you gotta do" .I spat on the ground, got in the truck and left.

I've been driving a truck for three years now, I've never seen "Inspection sites" like this one. Especially marked like that with almost makeshift signs.

Usually, they are called Weigh Stations and there are plenty of signs warning drivers about them beforehand. Most of the time there's a huge green sign that reads "Weigh Station 2 miles", then again a green one that reads "Weigh Station 1 mile", then a green one that reads "Weigh Station next right" and finally one that has an arrow pointing to the connecting road and reads " Weigh Station". What those guys were doing at the rest area is plain evil.

I didn't get a fine, and my boss will still get loads for me, because he has contracts and doesn't have to find loads on the internet where people look at your safety rating. But I still feel violated. And twenty minutes ago, being passed by a cop car, I wasn't feeling safe at all, on the contrary I felt threatened.

 

I wasn't on my phone but thanks for putting words in my mouth