DOT and the State Boys have gone Mad!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong I'm not sticking up for these guys. It's just the harsh reality of it.

The thing that does PMO is when you see DOT checking out a clean kept average looking truck and some POS is going up the road with the fenders along with other things falling off and they don't stop them!

 

Less paperwork, hassle and chance of getting dirty ... the illusion of doing a job, rather than actually doing it.

 

One of the points 89 Pete made in the initial post, in a round about way, was of the aggressiveness of the many diesel bears, to a degree not seen before. I see it all the time in Georgia.

Anderson, I won't begin to argue "safey" here sir, as the law states things quite clearly. However, I would like to hear you agree to one thing - that the aggressive and additional enforcement is primarly revenue based.

 

I absolutely agree. But the inspection process takes on many forms. First it is a random selection process. That can be every 3rd truck, or every truck that's dirty & says "show me your teets" on it, or every truck that fails to have the proper information posted on it such as a KYU number. Then there's the obviously defective vehicle. The problem with this however is while the randomly selected vehicle is being inspected, the other one gets by with being crap at least at that inspection station.

 

I would agree that it probably is from a state perspective but I'm retired. As a former federal official we NEVER had any requirement for economics. It was all safety related. Yes, we issued federal civil penalties. But those didn't even come close to paying our salary let alone those critters in Washington, DC. When I inspected, be it truck, shipper/consignor, receiver/consignee, trucking company, or railroad I'd much rather show them the mistakes and expect them to be corrected. But the next time I inspected & the defects weren't corrected........look out Snoopy!!!!!!!!!!

But under state criteria, yes, I could tend to agree especially in these bad economic times. But I was never a state official. I was just one of those bums that had to come in and clean up the blood, guts, gore, smell, & everything else after fatal incidents, that is after we did the accident reconstruction as well as the autopsies which we were present, and found the brakes that were inoperative in many states, the loose steering gears again in many states, the burnt bodies because someone was too lazy to have the fuel tank properly secured and it fell off in FL, the driver that had been driving illegally for the last 3 or 4 days & fell asleep in MO & crossed the median on the interstate & 2 cars went under the fuel tank & that leaking fuel caught on fire burning the drivers of the other 2 vehicles, the cop that parked over the top of the hill in PA and couldn't be seen until right on top of him where the redneck gun rack that was left in those cop cars and the cops brain was half ripped out because of the gun rack after the truck hit it, the truck driver that lost a drive wheel & didn't know it and the tire & wheel went across the interstate in KY, through the window of a car & decapitated the car driver, and many more like. Yes, I remember those very well!

Paul Sanderson

 

Thanks for the comeback, Anderson.

My angle on the additional revenue generation comes from seeing it, and hearing from those in the know. I talked to a scale master in Florida the other day who told me that he used to have the random pull ins set at 30%. (random pull ins from the 45 mph WIM bypass, to the static). Due to lower truck volumes right now, his boss the scale Sgt has ordered the random to be set at 60 %. This percentage varies from scale to scale in Florida.

To further clearify any possible assumtions here as to why I was chatting it up at the scalehouse, it was cuz I was 3,000 overgrossed I had 38,000 and change on the spread. Partly the shippers fault, and probably ultimately mine in the end. But it was cheap - only $152!!

This fine has nothing to do with my take on extra and additional enforcement.

Lastly, I trust you about what you say was the case in Ill, but it does shock me to hear Ill isnt/hasnt gone the extra enforcement mile for revenue.

 

That does happen . I know an expediter that had an inspector come right and tell him that . Expedite O/O's keep their trucks clean and well maintained and easier to check 2 axles than 5

 

Dot every vehicle on the road not just pick on truckers! What the other vehicals cant cause serious injurys?????

And pressure on officials to to ticket is ridiculous i've even seen right out lies done to serve a fine by dot,and for what,,, just to make there coffers grow and keep the guys boss off his back, that's why you have some laws being looked at as to limit how much money from fines can be kept in the government coffers.
Presonally i think they should be alowed to keep $0.00

I think the goverment needs to set min freight fees, either get the goverment 100% into it or 100% out of it!!!

 

FYI: The government can't set freight fees. It's called deregulation and happened before you were trucking but probably gave you your job but you haven't been trucking long enough to remember. Also, the federal and state DOT's cannot inspect every vehicle on the road. These entities are mandated by law to inspect commercial vehicles only. And after seeing some of your posts I can't help but wonder how conversant you are Re. the rules.