ALL Reefer Fuel Stolen Overnight! PLUS Level-1 Inspection!

Dust covers are not very common in the lower 48.

 

I questing how you got your license if you don't know how to properly inspect a truck and trailer. Hopefully those 3 citations are a wake up call and you move forward by making the time to learn how to properly inspect your equipment.

 

At least that DOT guy pointed the problems. I hate when they inspect the truck and trailer and never say a word then write some violations in a rather encryptic style and then leave you staring at it. I always want them to show me all their findings.

 

I ran the lower 48 most of my life and had a repair shop for nearly 10 years, yes they are very common, we installed new ones when they were damaged, except for trucks that were out of town or some that didn't want to spend the money. Personally I like having them. I did not know you could even buy a new rig without them.

 

And I've owned over two dozen trucks and worked on countless more yet have only seen them a handful of times. Its all about what the truck or trailer was built to do. Speccing a truck to pull in and out of knee deep muddy jobsites? You want them. Speccing a truck to run the highway and rarely get off the black top? They will cause more problems than they prevent by holding in heat, keeping you from seeing wheel seal seeps, and increasing the difficulty of inspecting brake shoes

 

Run the red-dye non-taxed stuff in the reefer. That way, if someone steals it to run in their truck, you can at least hold out some hope that they'll get their tanks checked before it's completely flushed out. That'll make that "free" fuel some of the most expensive fuel they could've got. Hell, the fine for having red-dye fuel in your road truck can be worse than the penalty for gettig busted stealing fuel...government don't like it when you steal from THEM!

 

My 84 cabover didn't have them, My 94, 2000, 2003 KW's all had them, my 96 pete did have but rusted off. None of my flatbeds have had them.

Maybe you bought the cheap trucks?

 

Maybe so, but all my modern trucks have had them, and my shop was on I 40. so most I worked on was road trucks. I had to pull the plug all the time to check brake thicknesses on lots of trucks and trailers.
You are the first I have heard of talk about them causing problems. The only problems I have had is breaking them and having to replace them. My helper did twist off a bolt in one the other day, groan.
My international was strictly a highway fleet truck with full fairings, even back in 97 it came with dust covers. Like I said I didn't realize they even sold them without them anymore.