Voluntary DOT Inspections

Ok...If any of you would like to volunteer....Go to the Cabazon (I-10 W/O Palm springs) coop W/B when trucks are backed up to the factory stores.....

Let us know how that went won't you?

 

Here's your sign :smt021 here is my offer to the d.o.t. just a lil humor there Dave. I never volunteer for anyone to try & find something wrong with my equip. I got pulled over just over 2 weeks ago. the local d.o.t. said the reason he pulled me over was #1 the name on my door had high amount of violations on equip maint, & # 2 my 95' coe, wich he said he does not see out on the road much. my 1st response was yeah I know about the safety rating cause I looked up co just 3 weeks prior & I told him my truck may be a lil older than most out here, but the fact that the truck was paid for when bought & I do not have a large payment, I can afford to fix anything that is needed, some with large payments may not be able to when needed. I got NO violations. because of that my co paid me $250.00 the local Officer was polite. honest & would have no problem dealing with that type ever. when my co mentioned recently that they would terminate any o/o with so many point in a year, I do not even think about volunteering for any points against me.

I knows some think if you keep your equip up you have nothing to worry about.I disagree. once stopped on shoulder of construction zone to have d.o.t do inspection. went thru all the checks, thruout he never said a thing & went back to his car, while I waited. 30 min later, he apologized for taking so long ,but his printer would not work, had to figure out why & got it working. he wrote me up cause 1 marker light on top of cab was out. aug around 2 p.m. bright sunny day. I responded, why did you not tell me? while you were in your car for 30 minutes, I could of got spare bulb out of my side pocket & had fixed. he said, it does not matter, if when I check light is out, you are in violation. I asked o.k. I understand that I can look at my tires or brakes & see when they need replacing, no excuse there, but how can I tell when a light is going to go out before it does? everything has to go out sometime. he just said I dont know what to tell ya, except if it does not work when I check it & it is required to work, then I write it up. i.m.o. at that time, the state wanted to show whoever that look how safe we are keeping the highways. look how many violations we found on big rigs keeping the public safe. sounds, good, looks good on the news e.t.c.

 

It's all about revenue enhancement..."Safety" is the excuse to pull you in.....


I have been pulled in right outside solid fill dumps by CHP......I received citations for not having legible markings on the tractor and trailer valves......and also my stacks were turned at a 45*....Apparently DOT claimed mitered stacks must either be at a 90* angle (perpendicular to the tractor) or facing 180*......
Meanwhile friggin' NAFTA rigs with busted or missing headlights, cracked windshields or; other obvious deficiencies were going by and the DOT was waving at them....

 

Exactly what I was thinking. We got pulled over in OH for a level 2 due to a headlight out. It was about 09:00 clear and sunny. That was all that was noted, everything else checked out. The light was burning at the 05:30 fuel stop walk-around the last time the truck had been stopped, and was burning until sunrise. He had all day to make it to a truck stop for an $18 replacement if he didn't have one on the truck. Doesn't matter.

Seems like asking for an inspection isn't too smart, unless you're pulled for one that's a pass and they don't want to give you the good report. Now if the voluntary inspection came with a free pass on roadside fixes, that'd be different.

 

IN Trooper scared me to death with load speaker. Wanted me to know I had a side signal out on trailer. Almost ran him off the road when I heard him say my name when he was next to my door at 60 mph.

Red, I run with my lights on during the day. Learned the same leason years ago with light out at one in afternoon. Now I turn my lights off when going into scales during the day.

Agree, will volunter monthly if it comes with free pass.

 

I seldom ever cross a scale much volunteer for an inspection....

 

I`ve been pulled for inspection and tried to get the officer to change the level of inspection so I could get the CVSA stickers-to no avail.For a while I carried a creeper and when the DOT would go under the truck I went under the other side.The look on their faces was priceless.Still not brave enough to volunteer,though.

 

...........

 

I think that volunteer inspections are a good idea. I have had a few. If you go over your truck to make sure it's legal, you should not have to worry about it.

What we all need to realize is that the more "good" inspections you have the better. It amazes me how my drivers I hear say they have not had an inspection in years. If you do not have any " good" inspections and you end up with a "bad" inspection, you will have 100% "bad" If you had several "good" inspections they would dilute the "bad" one.

Also, if you have a current CVSA sticker ( and the inspection report) that counts as your annual federal inspection.

Safe travels!

-scott

 

I have had a current sticker only 2 days old and got inspected again. The officer DID NOT treat it as an annual inspection and pointed out that mine was coming due in a couple of weeks.