72 hr shake down

Exactly, all the work we do, and the shaft we get on our pay sometimes. We drive, because we enjoy the different scenery. If you have been driving for a while. That scenery is the same as it was yesterday, and the year before. The scenery may change, but the road doesn't go anywhere.

 

Nope... 2 spots actually... Or was that 3???


It was more like 75 bucks.

 

Back in the 70's & 80's Arizona was that way,seems they have not changed, IF the mud flaps LOOKED to short, they would pull you over, if a marker light was not burning, they would pull you over, it seemed to many of us they were looking for any reason to pull us all of us trucks over so they could check us out.


The worse place I recall was around Wilcox, through that area I always made sure I was obeying every law, I saw many a truck pulled over through there. Back them Arizona, for me was the worse state.


I usually only ran the southern route. Once running I-40 it was getting close to midnight & not much traffic. At the time this happened there was not a single headlight in sight looking to the east. There was a set of headlights way back behind me, so far back they nearly looked to be a single headlight. Up ahead I saw the reflection of the taillights on a car setting on the shoulder of the road, I turned on my left signal light & went to the outside lane. After doing this lights started flashing way back behind me, & they were coming fast.


I rightly did not think the trooper was coming after me & I turned on my right signal & went back to the right lane. Right soon the trooper was right behind me & I knew he was after me for something.


He told me I stopped you because you did not sue you signal lights properly, that as soon as I trunked on my left signal light I started going to the left hand lane.


I asked him this question, “When I saw the reflection of my headlight in the car’s rear taillights I was rather close to it, & if I had not gone to the left lane when I did I would have passed within about 3 foot to maybe 6 inches of the car, plus, in my rearview mirror I saw one set of headlights, & they were way back behind me, there was no traffic around me, & I thought it best to hit the left lane than risk going so close to the car for someone could have stepped in my path, don’t you feel that was the best thing for me to do?”


His words after I said this, “You’re a ########, get your log book!”


I did & he could find nothing wrong, them told me I going to give you a ticket for improperly using your signal light because you’re a ########.” And he did, It cost me $45.00. Might have been cheaper if I was not from out of state & or he did not think of me as a ########.


I was sure thankful I was going the speed limit & my log book was up to date, if my log book was not up to date, & I had been speeding no telling how much that would have cost me.


This happened several miles west of Flagstaff

 

Wow..........^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Being on the enforcement side of your industry I would like to say there is no way this ever happened. I would like to say it, but unfortunately, I can't.

Just like there are bad drivers in this industry, there are bad enforcement officers. In my 22 years on the job I've stood on the side of the road a few times watching another officer deal with a driver as I become embarrassed to be associated with him/her. Just as I'm sure professional drivers can't stand the few unprofessional drivers out there.

I agree with many of you, that it isn't fair that these people treat others as sub-human, strutting around like they have any idea how hard it is making a living in this industry. The problem is not an easy one to solve. The attitude they have comes from the top down. From the directives to make a certain number of inspections in a certain number of days. Don't worry about why you stop them, just stop them, we are told. That breeds this kind of corruption. Making something up to get the inspection number, not making a stop to get a dangerous driver or dangerous equipment off the road.

Just try and complain about how you were treated. Good luck. Its bad enough that you were stopped for a stupid reason and your time wasted, do you have time to try and deal with the bureaucracy and complain just to be told the officer did nothing wrong? I think not.

When I'm told to make the numbers, and I make a stop on an obviously professional driver, I convince myself its good for the driver as well, to get a clean inspection report. Fortunately, I'm not scolded by my superiors when I turn in an inspection report with no violations.

I think (or hope) that everyone would agree that the dangerous drivers need to go. I'm no fool in thinking the bad inspectors don't need to go too. Unfortunately for the professional drivers out there that get targeted by the bad inspector, there is no recourse. The good inspectors can recognize a professional driver and move on to the dangerous one. Isn't that what we all really want? Getting unsafe equipment and unsafe drivers off the road.

The bad inspectors will treat everyone like trash, just because they can. It isn't fair, but nobody ever said everything in this life was fair.

In the mean time, all I can say is when stopped for an inspection, as always, conduct yourself professionally. With a good inspector you will do fine. With a bad inspector you won't be giving them any ammunition to use against you.

 

Sad for you, its true, it happened. But call me a liar all you want to. And if you were not there its best not to call someone a liar.


And its a fact, a truck driver can be on perfect behavior & things can go south in a big hurry.


Maybe you need more experience on our end.


Once a trooper stopped me, when he stopped me I was wondering why, for I was not speeding, yet some troopers will give the truck driver a ticket for speeding when they are not.


I wound up he stopped me for one of my headlights was out.


When we walked to the front sure enough the passenger side headlight was out.


While loading in California I had worked on that headlight, it had a bad ground, & thought I had fixed it, without thinking I hit the headlight with the palm of my hand & the headlight came on, without thinking I sais, “Its burning now!”


I want repeat what the trooper said, but I quickly apologized for I felt sure to him I came off in a bad way, & I told him about my having worked on that headlight & thought I had fixed it. After I told him that he was OK, & very friendly, wrote me a warning ticket. This happen on while passing Van Horn, Texas.


Them there was the time I was meeting a Texas State Trooper, & I was running the speed limit, it would be a stupid time to speed when you know that your fixing to meet a state trooper. The moment I met him he crossed the medium as if he was after a bank robber who had killed someone. he accused me of running 77 MPH. I did not ague with him, I was only polite to him. he took my drivers licenses with him, made me turn around at the next exit, go back to the 2nd exit & stop to go in front of a JP.


When I entered the JP’s office, the trooper had already gave him my drivers licenses & left. The JP had looked on my license & saw my hometown. he shook hands with me & was very nice, asking about the peach days of Nashville, AR. He had been to my hometown, had stopped in my father’s & mother's store asking where he could find peaches. We talked for a good bit.


After a bit he said I’m sure your wanting to get underway, so we will try to take care of this, have you anything to say. Only because he was so friendly I told him I was not speeding.


He told me right quick, “My nephew is honest, he makes not mistakes, & from there on it was down hill fast


I’ve got news for you, every trooper is not honest, every JP is not honest, & everyone that does the job your doing is not honest.


Now, you may be an honest one, I have no idea, but calling me a lair makes me think your one who will take advantage of someone else to try & make yourself look good. There sure are several of those kind out there.


Advise, be careful who you defend, that is if you have not witnessed the event, 7 be careful who you call a liar. There is people who will abuse any authority that they have, & they enjoy doing so. I feel 100% positive there's many on this forum who have been there & seen it.


And I’m telling you just as it is, adding nothing, taking away nothing away.

 

Thank you for your honesty and professionalism....

 

Yeah, well, some of you guys have been very lucky with the DOT, but with the potential for getting enough CSA points in one inspection to put you out of business. That's too much risk to take by driving when you know they are on an inspection frenzy. That's also too much power to give one DOT officer. If he's on his period; he may put you out of business for at least 6 months( when those points drop from a 3 multiplier to 2 multiplier).

Since, CSA, I avoid scales as much as possible and shutdown for the blitz every year. Truck maintenance is especially important. I even steam clean every bit of oil and grease off the chassis twice a year.

I've read some really stupid citations gotten by unlucky drivers. You know, those outlaws runnng junk. Right?

Wrong!

Here are some examples of DOT keeping America safe:
missing valve stem cap, oil leak at axle breather tube, oil leak at engine breather tube, visor blocks vision, GPS blocks view of road, no reflective tape on tractor musflaps, 1" crack on lower right corner of passenger side windshield...

There are many more. The point is no matter how perfect you try to be; these revenuers will still cost you money and maybe a few months out of a job!

 

I just went through a level 1 about two weeks ago. Aside from the slight initial arrogance of the officers interrogation, everything was good, no tickets. As the stop went on he became much friendlier, seemed like a descent guy, like he was expecting something less than my upmost professionalism. I'm sure he deals with plenty of bad apple truckers too. But all went well.
That being said, it got me thinking. The Truck inspection station is the only subject in the US Law that I feel you are presumed guilty until proven innocent. I understand that it probably is necessary because of the unsafe nature SOME individuals choose to operate their equipment. No where else that I see (and I may be wrong, I'm open to the criticism) is the system executed like this. It is entrapment. Cars and light trucks are subject to an annual inspection, in my state at least, but thats it. there are plenty of bad autos on the road. If you suspect a criminal is going to commit a crime you have to at the very least have probable cause to do something about it.
I run local with a dump trailer. I do about 330 miles a day average. 140 miles one way for my first run. Then maybe a couple local deliveries thereafter. I go by no less than 7 potential stops everyday. Many times there not open, sometimes they are. Seems a bit excessive though.
Just my thoughts. I'm sure ill get grief.


Stay safe out there drivers