How is it like being weighed or checked by DOT?

I have been inspected at least eight times in the last three years and three times this year alone. The last time was a roadside random in South Carolina over the Memorial Day weekend. Here's how it typically goes. You pull into the scale and while you are still on the scale an officer comes out, jumps on your top step and asks if your log book is up to date. He then asks for your license, med card and log book. By this point he has decided on a driver only level 3, driver and truck trailer walk-a-round level 2 or a full blown level 1. He will then instruct you to pull into another area and either he will meet you at the truck or tell you to bring your registration, insurance card, trailer registration and bills either inside the scale or to his car. On a roadside he will typically leave you in the truck and take everything back to his car. In my case I've never had any violations (knock on wood) so they give me a copy of the inspection report and all of my paperwork back. I put everything back in place, update the log book and I'm on my way.

Some suggestions. Don't let your truck, especially the inside look like a pig sty, there's a difference between clutter and filth. If your truck looks organized, but cramped is different from trash all over the inside of the cab. Keep paperwork neat and organized. Crumpled up bills aren't very impressive, bills, cat scale tickets and related paperwork on top of a clipboard with your log book inside tells the officer you care about staying on top of things. Fix things that you can fix and write up the rest. A burned out taillight or headlight that would have taken ten minutes to fix sends a subconscious message that you either don't care, or are not aware enough to find larger issues. (Yes, I know sometimes lights burn out while driving, I've even had it happen to me. Carry spares, if you fix it during the inspection they will usually note that it was repaired on site.) Make sure you scale your loads as soon as you can after getting loaded and don't move something that isn't legal both on gross and axle. Some states love pulling in every truck, Florida especially comes to mind and at times Illinois. DOT officers are salaried state workers and just want to go to work, do their jobs and go home. Don't make their lives difficult and usually they won't make your life hard either. The last inspection we managed to make a few one liners back and forth.

 

You'll never win an argument with LEO. Let them do the talking and keep your answers short and to the point.

 

yes sir
no sir
dummy want a doughnut?

 

HAHAHAH!

When I had my safety audit a few weeks ago, I asked the officer if a clean cab and driver had any impact (I mean we all presume it will) - she told me flat out that it carries a lot of weight - but that if she opts to still give me a Level-1, there will be NO free ride.

I have never understood why guys drive around with a trash can full of crap on the dash...I love the crumpled Fritos and Doritos bags. Usually those guys also have Cheeto's and orange dust all over the steering wheel and dash

 

Do ladies search truck drivers? Do they? Do they? Do they,huh.?

 

Keep the dash clean and clear. A messy truck signals a lack of pride, and therefore a possible lack of maintenance.

Keep the windshield clean. For the same reason.

When entering the "chicken coop" (I still don't know why it is called that) there will be signs for the speed and the distance they want between trucks.

If it is night, turn off headlights so you do not blind them. Leave marker lights on for safety.

Turn off all radios and roll down windows. Sometimes they give instructions over a loudspeaker.

Mikeeee

 

What is a "Prepass", please? I mean, it seems obvious what it *is*, but more what types of companies or freight would have such a thing?

I'm out of school, but a couple days away from being picked up for OTR, and I've never heard of Prepass (in alllll my days of school, lol.) Is it common?

Also, school paints DOT as these huge monsters out to eat you for lunch, and I'm getting a different picture here. (What I imagined was pretty identical to what y'all have been saying, but still: school instructors really put the fear of DOT into us.) I'm not sure of their (the instructor's) reasoning for the Big Scare, when they could have just gone with teaching us to respect them and such. I appreciate y'all's stories here. Moar, please.