72 hr shake down

Are you nuts? That's like bait! Might as well go swimming in shark infested waters with a bloody piece of meat tied around your neck! Everyone knows LEO can't resist the power of the mighty donut! Guaranteed stop!

 

No, not nutty, but I like to joke around, and pass on a few laughs to brighten our day out here.

 

Last time I had any DOT officers flag me down during roadcheck, it was in '96, my first summer driving and it was in one of those old POS Schneider 55mph cabovers. I was running north on 95 in CT when I was directed into the first DOT check point. There were about 3(was it 4?5? )DOT cops standing their, and I already had my logbook in hand, expecting the worst. Instead they handed me a bunch of pamphlets on seat belt use, safety, etc. I just sat there looking at them all confused, when the one officer waved me on: "ok driver, you can get out of my way station now!"

 

I got it in Joplin in 07. FMCSA officers working it. They were training a new girl, fresh out of college, so he went by the book. Everything was good, but i got shutdown because I just had new shoes put on, and somehow they didnt put two of the pins bsck in the slacks. My fault, I should have checked thier work...

 

Money - what money?

I (and my agency) make the same money no matter how many or how few inspections we do and tickets we write. Any fines go to the local school districts, and I do not care if they ever get another cent.

72 hour check around here is the same as every other day of the year - no different.

 

Ok so where does the revenue go? It goes to the municipality correct? I have no doubt there are honest DOT officers out there but when they pull you over for no reason at all or make up a reason like license plate light is not bright enough or "visible from 50 ft back" it's kind of hard to take you guys serious! Maybe you're one of the honest ones but I often wonder how you guys can sleep with a clean conscious at night. There is no reason other than "revenue generated" for every city, state, county and federal municipality to have a "commercial vehicle enforcement" division when there is real crime going on in the country. BTW, in 18 years of driving I have dealt with plenty of you guys and only received an actual ticket one time. All my time that has been wasted by you guys I couldn't even begin to add-up! If I would have been stopped for a moving violation I could actually understand it but.........when I get some chicken s excuse for a traffic stop it frustrates me..You are holding up interstate commerce. I'm not out there to have fun, I'm out there to make a living...I have tremendous respect for law enforcement officials but the laws you guys enforce in many cases are bogus and are selective enforcement! go ahead and use your authority, give another trucker a hard time. Many of you do it every day. Like the CVSA guy who stopped me recently...I asked him who he worked for and he said "I work for the CVSA, I'm one of the guys truckers hate." He said that with tremendous pride! How about trying to build a positive relationship with drivers instead of using your authority to spite them??!! Maybe you do that, and if you do I would encourage you to educate your fellow officers and help them understand that Me and many other drivers are not criminals and are tired of being treated as such. Have a little respect for the same people who probably moved from point A to B the same badge you put on your chest and gun on your side.

 

Your doing something wrong if you can't add up all the time you've been sitting waiting for DOT inspections. I haven't been driving as long as you. I only been at this 17 years and I only had 2 inspections and a logbook check on a scale in 17 years.

 

Sure they sleep with a clear conscious at night... There a bunch of billy bad azzez that carry a gun and badge but yet they are to scared to be out on the street dealing with the real criminal so they join to commercial vehicle sector... Its comical getting pulled in to the Iowa coops lately and seeing all the young heroes they have recently hired on who really think they are superman cause they have a gun that wont ever come out of the holster but for target practice... Majority of the DOT's particularly in the Midwest are decent but seems to me as of lately Iowa and Missouri have put on some real winners that are out to get the trucker... Maybe I've just been the lucky one as of lately to receive the attitude and ignorance from some of them, I certainly go in with my best attitude trying not to turn up any unwanted attention...

 

Sounds like you must drive around a lot of scales or strictly run the turnpike.