what can a driver do if his boss says drive a truck that will not pass a dot inspection

Good point!

 

Its not a complaint about you specifically. Its a complaint about society changes. A couple generations ago nearly everyone had basic mechanical know how. The kids from the country grew up around tractors and 4 wheelers and 4wd trucks. Not just the farmers but everyone in those rural communities. by the time they hit high school they atleast got how an internal combustion engine worked so knew what a stuck injector sounded and felt like.

The kids from the city helped dad with the family car, and at least had changed out a set of plugs and rebuilt a carb or three. 99 percent of them had fixed the lawnmower engine a dozen times.

Its just not like that today. The majority of people don't even change the oil in their car. They got no idea what a spark plug is cause dad, if they even know who dad is, doesn't maintain or fix the family car or lawn mower. Cars get taken to the local Wal-Mart tire center and lawnmowers get replaced instead of fixed when they start running rough.

 

The best advice I can offer is to do what I did. Go to work for somebody else with better equipment.

 

Well, you're right. Dad doesn't show kids how to do stuff these days. Mine grew up building and rebuilding muscle cars, I got my first apartment barely knowing how to do an oil change and replace my own brakes. Some of it has to do cars that don't need the same level of maintenance, but the older generations do need to show the younger guys a thing or two.

 

That was your father's job, not mine. My job is to make sure your paycheck doesn't bounce.

Obviously i don't mean you specifically.

 

I can't get past the idea that people think pulling in a scale house and tattling will make the DOT your new best friend and give your employer a whole new attitude. Try that out tell me how you fair, I'm sure it will be quality entertainment at best.

 

If you have to ask that question, you have no business driving a commercial vehicle. Enough said.

 

Aw wore out, you know how it is. People don't know what to do, so the most severe punishment they can think of, is pull 'er in. Volunteer, if you will, that will show 'em. Truth is, the cops will probably grill the driver, and maybe go after the owner later. It's best to move on, there are better companies. Been my experience, companies that scrimp on maintenance, usually go belly up a short time later. ( if their trucks don't kill someone in the meantime)

 

The lack of common sense, and being able to think for one's self and make simple decisions really has me amazed to say the least

 

Yeah, that reply is thrown out there a time or two every month. Blows my mind. If someone has that mentality there's no doubt I would not even be able to have a conversation with him about the weather.