Log book Violation

I have only had one seal broken on any load I pulled. It loaded in Laredo and the Texas trooper wanted to see what I had. Told him no problem as long as he noted the BOL that he broke it and that I had another seal and he could note that it was resealed.

I never care either way.

 

Road medic that is the usual response I get. Most drivers could care less. When the Department of Environment guy works with me, he pops every non bulk haz mat load, bolt cutters in hand to check if the mixed haz mat is able to be transported together & load securement. Driver's give him some crap cause it's hazmat, and like he tell's them come here and watch me break it open. Then hands them there old seal and says "Thank you."

 

You pop the seal on vans and reefers to check for "load securement" ???

GTFO

Personaly, I do not have a problem with you guys breaking a seal, if there's a reasonable suspicion of drugs or some other stupid sheet reason that leads you to believe a truck driver is doing something illegal. If so, tell the driver that. But don't BS a driver into believing the reason you must check their reefer load is for "load securement"...Every box in that trailer could be tipped over, but it's still contained within the walls, and thus legal to move down the road.

I could understand your need with checking load securments on flatbeds......Those guys have no problem with you busting their seal............(grin)

 

dieselbear,

Where do you operate? Whats your 20?

 

There are many types of loads that are unsafe when loads aren't properly secured like large rolls of paper and certain classes of hazmat . Haven't you ever seen trailers rolled over on ramps due to shifting loads ?

 

Winchester,

Why do you think they buy us so many seals. Part of our inspection is verifying the bills with what is being carried. Also part of the inspection is load securement. I do not know what you haul, or don't haul but there are loads in van trailers that if not properly secured, blocked or braced can come through the sides of trailers in various scenarios. Ever see rolls of paper slide forward or backward depending on the driving behavior of the driver. I had one last week that slid forward with rolls of paper that put 42,000 on the drives. I had one earlier in the winter slam his brakes on when I was out inspecting another truck, this truck was hauling barrels of methyl-ether bad stuff, 50 gallon drums just sitting there. Driver slams his brakes the barrells slide forward and break 3 valves on the barrels, thus leaking hazmat throughout the trailer and onto the highway.

I like your flatbed comment. It's kind of like asking a flatbed driver who is empty, "What ya carrying?" Driver replies "sailboat fuel."

 

Diesel, good comeback...LOL Hahahah. I got a chuckle out of the sailboat fuel.

But as far as a van/reefer trailer tipping over on say a sharp curve, that falls on the driver, way moreso than the way it's loaded.

You could break the seal and check a load of swinging beef, and find it okay, only to find it tipped over 5 miles down the road.

Aint pissin with ya ......just debating. Alls good I hope..

 

Well one swinging beef driver was happy I checked his load about two months ago. Popped the seal opened it up and found the reefer not wroking up to snuff. Driver wasn't paying attention to his temperature control and the load was thawing out. Haven't seen the driver since to see how he made out but by in large refigerated loads are not worth popping. Mixed frieght, haz mat, rolls of paper and any bulky freight is a good check. Yes I have heard of guys hauling dope and officers looking for it this way, but after 9 years of playing with trucks and inspecting over 10,000 trucks I have never seen dope just lying there in the back. Yes there are drivers that haul, but by in large the ones that haul dope are less than 1% in my opinion. Most guys and gals are like you winchester, doing what they have to do to make a living and get by, the honest way. When I go back there it isn't under the auspice of locating contraband, as I have never found contraband in the back when popping a trailer for a standard load securement/load verification process. And by the way, i talk to all kinds of drivers all day long, you hear enough B.S. to pick up some good one liners. The sailboat fuel saying i got from my father. I was a kid and we were in Ohio when a Trooper came up, and yes in a flatbed that was empty, trooper asked what you carrying? The old man without missing a beat "sailboat fuel." The trooper just walked away, I imagine feeling like a douche and just wrote him a warning for speeding.

 

So when you get in the drivers seat do you pull out the old log book since you have a class A and now you are behind the wheel of a CMV technically on duty not driving? Lol.... Seriously though what would be the reason you would have to do it? Any driver that could not perform that function is not fit to hold a CDL and every pre-trip that they have logged would be a falsification of logbook. Would it not?

 

diesel bear and truck inspector...

A few years ago, I used to haul scrap paper (bails, stacked 2 to 3 high) to a yard in South Carolina. At the guard shack where we checked in they always gave us a piece of heavy logging chain with hooks on each end about 18 inches long. The security guard at the shack would explain to fasten one hook to one door handle and the other hook to the other door handle before opening the trailer doors.

They had us do this in case the top bail on the back of the trailer had shifted and was resting on the doors, by hooking the chain to the doors before opening it, the bail (some of them well over 1000 lbs) wouldn't blow open the doors and fall on the driver.

Why did I tell you that little story? You might want to invest in such a chain and use that method of opening van doors from now on. Seriously, I'd hate to hear about someone getting hurt just trying to do their job.