Thoughts on fines

Also too aside from the DOT fines you got to watch out for other public entities like the California Highway Patrol. They come to mind for big fines. If you ever are in that state and are going down the back end of I-5/grapevine be careful not to go over 40 mph.

That happened to me where I was doing 55 and didn't realize that the speed limit cut down to 40 and by the time I saw it the #### CHP pulled me over as I was bob tailing down the highway.

I got cited for 54 in a 40, and actually he was being nice to me. The fine only turned out to be 300 bucks. If he would have cited me for 55 or over then it would have turned into a 2000.00 fine and my CDL would have been revoked. Not sure for how long but still that in itself would have been a nightmare to deal with.

I was able to pay off the fine and all but it was not a fun thing to deal with.

What sucked was I thought that I was ok because the normal speed limit for trucks on I-5 is 55mph unless your on a grade of course. They are all out to make money off of the truck drivers and the companies. Sad but true!

 

The large trucking companies dont fight back because they belong to the different public interest groups that helped push to get the majority of the laws passed.

 

Trucks accidents are decreasing mainly because of government efforts. But how far can you go?
I think everytime they pass a law, they should give a driver a raise.
The public hates big trucks because they get in their way. You can see disgust in their face anytime they have to deal with you. Alot of laws are powered by this.
From restricting us to certain lanes to bypassing their towns to not using safety devices like jake brakes because they decided to build their house beside a major truck lane.
Pawtucket Bridge on I-95 in RI is a perfect example. The bridge is old but deemed safe for all traffic. The bridge is scheduled for reconstruction. Yet they restrict trucks from crossing it because they want bridge deterioration to slow down. Duh! They are rebuilding it anyways. They have fined 7400 truckers over $3,000,000 for crossing that bridge. The locals are fighting for a piece of the cake because trucks are detoured by them. It's all about $$$$.
You try to stand up against these things, you are treated like you are a dumb ### just because you are a trucker. You are something that comes and goes and they want to get there hands in your wallet as you go by.

 

From Smerritt08:

I'm not a trucker either....my time's coming though. "Not enough pay and too many regs" is the hue and cry of every regulated industry. My experience with regs comes from home-building and real estate, two industries that are also heavily regulated. I've dealt with the regs that pertain to those two industries and there are many of them but I'm convinced, at this point, that the regulations that drivers in the trucking industry face are 1) more numerous and 2) driven by, in many cases, the need for governmental agencies and appointed hot shots to justify their positions and their existence.

Listen to your dad!

If you want to go absolutely stare-blind with statistics, go here: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/ltbcf2008/index-2008largetruckandbuscrashfacts.aspx

One statistic that literally screams out for recognition is the fact that, while it is true that the number of deaths contributed to CMV-related incidents hasn't changed much over the last 30+ years, if you consider the fact that there are at least 60% more CMVs on the roads today, which translates to a buttload ("buttload" is a technical term) of additional miles (billions) traveled, I think the drivers who have been out there at any time during the last 30 years should be applauded, not criticized!!!! (Sorry for the run-on sentence from hell)

 

It all boils down to money, it is cheaper for the trucking companies to pay fines, and pay after accidents rather than to pay lawyers to change the laws or fight the battles in court over accidents.
What really gets my goat is that the fines that are charged to drivers. Some of those fines, if they were directed to the compaines the drivers worked for, would result in improvements in safety and working conditions. Other fines that are the driver's responsibilty, are in some states so high, that they border on cruel and unusual punishment in my mind! What other occupation can you be fined around 10% of your annual pay for making mistakes? I have always wanted to know, what the allowable error percentage or level is for a driver's log book. I know that it is ZERO! So can the Judge's and everyone else in the legal system be held to the same standard? Of course NOT!