Which States are the unfriendliest to truckers?

You know, I just love the good old US of A. I really don't have any major complaints except no idle laws. They are just plain stupid.
I do see a problem in the USA though that I think belongs in this thread. There are just too many cops of too many kinds in the country You have cops coming out your butts in the country. Almost every dept. of the USA government has it's own law inforcement plus all the different state agents then county, city and local cops. In Canada we just have one federal police force which also is the provincial force except Quebec and Ontario which have their own provincials. Only large cities have local cops. So we have 3 levels of cops and even that is a challenge to keep the buggers on the straight and narrow.

 

I think California is the worst! I had a blown tire and had pulled off a ramp with plenty of shoulder for safety, (near Weed,Ca) had just gotten pulled over and was talking to my companies road service on my cell when a CHP whipped in next to me and advised I was shut down until tire was replaced. Well, no duh! Thats what I was sitting there for! Then he advised me he would be back to confirm I had not left with the tire as it was.I had the passenger side door open, and was standing outside and as he walked away, he leaned into my open door just to survey the inside of my truck. Guess he was dissappointed to see that my truck interior was "spotless" as it always is. He must of figured he'd find beer cans or drug paraphanalia to give me grief about. Apparantly they think we're all a bunch of alcoholic, druggies. I dont know about you, but I try to be respectful to everyone as much as I can, and I think it should be mutual.

 

New York Pennsylvania and Michigan because they like to target out of state or more likely out of country trucks. I have known many drivers including myself who have been targets of these 2 states.

The worst was the Michigan cop who used to sit at the exit from the duty free going back into Canada at Sarnia, they used to give out tickets to drivers for buying alcohol, even though we were on our way over the bridge to Canada. Just a big money grab, 300 dollar ticket and it screwed us all from being able to go to that duty free.

As for California, well you will never see my trucks there ever again.

 

Ive been lucky in Cali, got stopped for 68mph going down 395 just past NV state line, gave me a hard time(jokingly) and let me go(i was 21, and driving a Schneider truck, it was a good hill), and had problems in W Memphis scale from Memphis(bob tail, going from kw to our yard 8am Sunday morning=log book ticket). but i have been lucky, only got 2 tickets in 5 years, but i am polite and try not to give them a hard time, my two worst states are AR and DE(no parking and other ticket)

 

I've heard lots of drivers complain about Illinois and Missouri. But I've had nothing but good experiences with these folks at scales. I got shut down because of the air bags on my trailer once in Missouri, but it was fixed in a snap. Guys were very professional and friendly. By the time it was fixed, I was out of hours. The guy told me I could park on the lot at the scale and bed down for the night. He even told me to use their bathroom if I needed, and that he would have coffee made in the morning if I wanted some when I got up.
Twice in Illinois, once for an overwight on the tandems. (my first solo load and slid the tandems the wrong way....Duh!) Corrected it and he pulled me around again to see if it was OK. He even gave me a print out of my axle weights. Really nice guy. Another time, had a headlight out and was told to pull around. Had just checked it on my PTI about 3 hours before. He looked my truck over and saw it was in good shape, gave me a written warning with no further action and marked it as 24 hours to get it fixed, in case I got stopped again. I drove to the Pilot 2 exits up, got a bulb, changed it out, and on my way again. California was never a problem to me, even idling. My home land areas of Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, seem to be getting a little too aggressive for my taste. I think they may have found a cash cow in the trucking industry. But so far, never had a bad incident with DOT anywhere.

Probably the most UNFRIENDLY place I've been for a trucker was Massachusetts. Unfriendly cops; low bridges everywhere; lots of tight loading docks designed for trucks way back when, by people who drove nothing but cars and didn't have a clue; if you want to park in the rest areas or service areas at night, you must chock your wheels. HUH? Who carries wheel chocks and uses them when they go to bed for the night or day? Unless you drive a 1945 Rio or something. They just don't want you there. They have signs at every stop and service area for "trucker don't do's". It's the equivilent of Dogs and Truckers keep off the grass. Many of the shippers and recievers are very cold and obnoxious. Even the Day Cabbers there hate truckers. They cut you off, pull in behind you to go around when your backing, yell at you on the CB to go faster and flip you off as they pass, tail gate everybody, (especially small cars) and won't even talk to you (for any reason) unless you're in a Union. Yep, Massachusetts is trucker hell and people there are the devil. I know it, I just know it.

 

Thanks to all who've posted to this thread. I've enjoyed reading it. I'm just a wannabe trucker, but I've driven school bus for a few years, so I'm very familiar with DOT spot checks. And at 64, I've had a few encounters with cops. Given all that, I have to wonder...

1. Why would anyone run with defective equipment, when you know it's liable to earn you a ticket?

2. Why would anyone speed when you know it's liable to earn you a ticket? My first year driving bus, I was in a large metro school district that sent people out with radar guns to clock school buses, and speeding got you anything from a note on your timecard to fired, depending. So I know it's perfectly possible to drive without speeding. Speeding is not a law of nature, and no, "everybody" doesn't do it. So why do it when it's your money on the line?

3. I've encountered maybe 6 cops in my life who I'd say had an agenda, or were determined to be ########## just for the fun of it. I've encountered many, many others who were not, and who responded very well to, "sir," to paying attention to them, and to not trying to BS them. If you're angry that you were stopped, that's going to come through loud and clear instantly, and it won't help.

 

Heh i can beat that 1 i crossed over the scales in Sacremento east bound I-80 1500 lb over on the drive and got a green light explain that 1 . Guess they were to busy eating a Krispy Kreems hey. The DOT scales in Indiania heading west on I-70 also was aroung 1200 over on the drive axles got a Red light so bring in me paper work and weighbridge slip fortunatly i'd just fueled up about 40 miles back plus she loved my accent let me go back to the truck and slide the axles forwards go over the weighbridge again green light woo hoo thanks IN DOT you guys/gals rock .

 

You know i spent 11 month driving OTR in the USA back in 05-06 was really impressed by the standard of roads over there and the way companies deal with there drivers its alot better than in Australia so guys i wouldn't complain to much . However the only thing i was amased at was the actual amount of idling trucks, drivers seem to be obsessed with idling i'd usually always switch mine off with the exception of servear Cold/ heat, interesting enough something like 1 billion gallons of Diesil are wasted from idling trucks a year don't you think thats a huge waste?

 

What part of Ohio touches the Atlantic, much less the South??!! Need to get yore atlas updated!

 

definately mich/ill/and oh
ohio is a bit better now---but i have seen them lots of time doing the 7 am wake up at the rest area and rousing everybody out of bed for an insp