Being a Truck driver back in the 80, and now, for the 2nd time in my life, I'm getting ready to crawl back into the big rig. During that time, I have sat on the side lines watching our road ways grow more & more each and every year.
Just in the past 5 years, here in NC, I know of 8 major highways that have gone from what was once 4 lanes to wopping 8 and 10 lane highways. Why? Not just because of the growing population, but also because more and more industries are relying on tractor trailer drivers to supply their products.
Due to these increasing demands, what was once adequet for their time, more often than not, todays current weigh stations are no longer adequate to handle the huge masive amount of traffic they encounter each and every day. while their staffing is still based upon dates of way back when, more often times than not, they keep comming up with excuses as to why then are unable to supply the much needed man power to run todays DOT Weigh stations along our country's major arteries.
They've tried comming up with a few great ideas, (EZpass, Rolling Scales, Automated enter & by pass scale systems, etc) But is this enough to help protect our fellow drivers and motorist that share these roads?
How many times have you come up on a scale and the ramp is full & the green light is still on telling you to enter? If you are able to stop, you are either stopped along side the interstate with other motorists wizzing by you, or, if there is a bridge between you & the Weigh Station, you are stopped on the interstate, holding your breath & praying that those comming up behid you can see that you are stopped and will adjust to go around you.
This is what happens more time than any:
http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12743672
Why? God forbid if you try and by pass that Weigh Station. Because chances are, you are not going to get far before Mr. DOT is going to be right behind you with his big fat fine book ready to rape your wallet. Does he care about the fact that you chose to go on past that huge line of stopped trucks that is posing a huge life threatening danger on the Highway? Chances are, the Answer is NO! Does DOT have anything in the works to help prevent such disasters along our interstates? Not according to upper federal DOT Officials here in Raleigh, NC. Their reason? Get this: "It's not in the Budget".
This was the answer they gave back in Feb of this year during their anual meeting to discuss federal HWY funding for the State. Even though the issue had been brought up during those talks about how dangerous the various locations of the Weigh Station on our Interstates. Take I-85 both North & South sides. The North bound is just after the Catawba River Bridge, in which was just widen 8 years ago to help accomodate the massive flow of incomming tractor tailer drivers. Did it help? Yes & No. Yes, it provided and extra lane to the right for those big trucks going over the river before their 1000 yards entrance point. ....NO because they tied that lane to a north bound entrance ramp from Hwy 273. By doing this, drivers are sometimes forced back out into the main stream of traffic just to allow room for on comming traffic.
http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12743672#
The South Bound side of I-85 - They've done nothing to lengthen the entrace to the station since 1984. It still has a total of a 3/4 mile length from the time the driver gets over to the off ramp to the time the front wheels enter the scales. ---Not a lot of room for the more than 10k + trucks that roll through there every day. And if the scales are full , most likely drivers are sitting along side the interstate, sometime over a mile back up close to the I-485 interchange.
The weigh station's exit ramp to enter back onto I-40? Drivers have less than 3/4 of a mile to get up to the cruising speed of the on comming traffic, that is normally wizzing by at speed of excess of 70 mph. It's either that or they end up sitting there at the end of the ramp waiting for traffic to let up. WHY? Because there is the South Bound side of the Catawba River bridge that just hasn't any access for emergentcy parking etc. It's either hit it & git it, or, you sit & wait.
So, What happens when you have excessive traffic from either holiday drivers or those comming from near by ball games or Race tracks? MOre time than I care to count, a Serious accident, many times killing innocent people, all because those at these DOT weigh stations are not staffed enough for one person to sit & monitor the cameras and to be able to flip a switch to permit drivers that my end up being placed in a comprised situation, to go on and by pass the scale. Instead, they'd rather send a trooper out & site the ones that are not stopping.
I'm sorry for going on & ranting like this, but this really chapps my backside as I know that it's just not happening here in NC, it's in many states across the nation and I feel that it is time for us drivers to stand up & do what we can to get them to take note that we, the profesional drivers of our nations highways, are tired of being set up or being placed in these kinds of comprimising life threatening situations. It's time to stop the madness.
Lets here your views. What do you think? (I know, I've opened up a can of worms, LOL)
Are New DOT Regulations Needed?
Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by THD, Jul 5, 2010.
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It is extremely dangerous to stop in the roadway or heaven forbid on the shoulder just to go through a scale house. The best thing to do and this is what I have always done is if the ramp is full, I bypass the scale. I have never been pulled over. I can imagine that there might be a DOT out there going to come after you, but highly unlikely since they are being tied up with all the incoming traffic to the coop!
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Try screaming by those on I-85 while it's full & that light is still green, & see what happens? Those guys at that coop don't play. Heck, I've seen many times where they have both State & Dot officers sitting back up on rap ways further up past the scales just waiting for one of us to fo sceaming past them & their lights are still green & the coops slamed to the gills. Heck, just last week I counted about 8 different drivers on teh side of the road within a 2 mile streatch just pass the coops. All were recieving tickets, NOT A GOOD THING!!
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NOW you just ask a question about my favorite people THE DOT you ask why they do such things? well the answer is simple MONEY ,hasn't got a #### thing to do with safety it's all about money , what can we do about it ? not one #### thing , the DOT , BIG BROTHER just does not care your there own personal ATM machine and they use you anytime they need money.
concerning the new 2010 regs, no we do not need new regs BUT the government needs money. we are more in debt now then we have ever been so the government god bless them creates more regs so they can increase revenue to pay off the debt, why? cause the trucks have plenty of money thats why everyone knows that and were easy pickings for the government , every county and city in the nation and every year the same thing happens they spend to much we pay to much nothing new about that been going on for years.
look at all the new fancy super coops o there fancy and the have a big parking lot and most have an inspection facility out back, now imagine what that place cost, now think who do you think payed for all that, TRUCKS that who WHY? cause we have plenty of money and we are an ATM machine they can make a withdrawal any time they choose.
is it right? hell no it's not right but since when does BIG BROTHER HAVE TO BE RIGHT. they do it because they can and nothing or nobody can stop them and my friend it's only going to get worse OBAMER is in charge now and your going to get change alright and change is all your going to have left, you will be lucky to have a job period. why? because ALL OF US ARE UNSAFE thats why , don't believe it , well ask big brother he can tell you real quick he may charge you for the information but he can tell you.
he has never drove a truck, he docent have a CDL he has been spoon fed all his life, his advisers don't have a CDL , they have never drove a truck BUT there going to keep us safe, yea right , you believe that i got some swamp land in fl id like to sell.
can we do anything about it ? o yeah we can but first you have to have the will to do anything and when you get that if you get that it doesn't happen overnight it takes a long time .
the only way it can change under our system of government is threw election, vote the crooked politicians out , get rid of the liberals that have no idea what the hell there doing, vote for those that are trucker friendly and they are few and far between but they are there but it takes a lot of willpower and patients and it docent happen over night and it may be to late already by the time the next election rolls around e just might not have a country left to change , but everybody wanted change , well by god they got change alright, but funny thing is most seem not to Like that change WONDER WHY?
but what can i do about it? not one #### thing , I'm just an old red neck truck driver all i can do is ignore the new regs and wish every body luck we are all going to need it and the best is yet to come they have only just got started .
best of luck to all. southernpride
THD, Blue Screen and ptropixxx Thank this.
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