Inspections - Which state ?

Not too long ago I was pulled over for an inspection.
He found both airlines near the glad hands to be worn down enough to put me out of service.

This was in an area that never touches anything, but both showed the cords.
It looked like it had been shaved down with a razor.
He had me remain in the cab while he was inspecting things, then he showed it to me.

I have my suspicions.

 

what state was that in ? i wouldnt be surprised if they did something like that. i had my suspisions about a guy that wrote me up for a chaffed airline when the line wasnt touching anything .he showed it to me and at the time i just said ok and moved on. started thinking about it later when it dawned on me that airline doesnt touch anything else and it looked like it was nicked with a knife blade. i will stand outside and watch when they do inspections as much as i can. could care less if they tell me to stay in the truck. its my equipment , im gonna watch.

 

No. There are a few different scores.

Most commonly that would mean the CSA score, which has time weighted points per violation. Clean inspections lower the average by factoring in as a zero. Then there is a SAFER rating, which is the old system and the rating is produced by an audit.

ISS is the Inspection Selection System score, a criteria used by scales to figure out how random your random inspection will be. The embedded link takes you to an article describing it in more detail. A carrier has to log into the FMCSA portal to view it. It's not public. I'm glad you asked your question, since it's been a while since I looked into it. Turns out what you heard was right, and I remembered it backward. It's like a golf score, low is better. Since I'm perpetually in the "insufficient data" category, my current score is 70. That puts me in the "optional" category. I think I have 2 inspections, and it takes 3 in most categories to get an OOS percentage. One more clean one would probably drop my score into the "pass" category. Being honest, the current score isn't creating any issues at the moment, so I haven't given it a lot of attention.



That said, it's not a sure thing. Just guidance. One of several criteria to get attention on you. My equipment is late model and clean. I try to be the low blade of grass. Probably why I get the bypass all the time. Or maybe the Jedi mind trick I use is working. "This is not the truck you're looking for." I may be misled about the prepass green light, as I know I've gotten it recently at open scales. So the red light may be overridden by the scale master. For example when the scale is getting backed up and they need to clear out some trucks. Or if he needs to eat, poop, or go cuss out a driver. Always an element of mystery with law enforcement.

 

Random roadsides are determined by your ISS.
Every time the DOT officer puts a DOT number in it pops up and is used, at that monent, to see who's next...

Better said as:

76 - 100 "Go get 'Em!"
50 - 75 " good propect if no 'Inspects' show
1 - 49 " well if you are bored...."

Helps them choose the most productive target for his next inspection UNLESS he se a red flag like more than 15MPH over, etc.

 

maybe . but its kinda hard to see a dot number on a truck moving at 70mph. i know in the scales the sensors read your license plate. because mine was flagged in the system from the previous driver that had my plate. i know the guys in montana they pull you over if they feel like it. the one guy that works i90 just over the hill west of exit 96 is random and actually a great guy but an annoyance as well... guess it just depends on the state.

 

Sheridan, Wyo. will also inspection on demand, as @D.Tibbitt mentioned, be careful of what you wish for

 

If your ISS is 50, would it be worth looking into PrePass?

 

It was in IL.

 

Based on recent experiences, I'd say yes. I've been running heavy 90% of the time and only got the red light 2x in the past couple months. Both times they sent me to the bypass lane. There's an OOIDA discount if you're a member. The first few times you use it, you'll get red lights. Being new in the system, diesel cops like to put eyes on the truck.

 

How could he leave the scale if he was OOS.