Voluntary OOS

No, do not go by scale. You'll only be hurting yourself. Just pull into a TA with a shop and call your company listing all the problems, and record the phone call. Refuse to roll that truck another mile until it's fixed. If they fire you, you'll have an open and shut lawsuit on your hands.

 

I've been driving trucks for 6 years and was never subjected to a DOT inspection... until 4 months ago. It was my first day on the job as a dump truck driver (I drove tractor-trailers before). The truck is old and was supposed to be taken off the road this January (CARB), but the owner got an extension. However, since he though the truck was going to be scrapped, the maintenence had ebbed to a dangerous level. He didn't want to put money into a truck destined for the junk yard.

The inspection was comical because I'd never done one before. He had to explain everything to me. In the course of the conversation he learned that it was my first day on the job, and I'd never driven a dump truck before. I received a fix-it ticket for several items.

When I took the truck back to have the ticket signed off, the DOT officer asked if I just wanted the items I'd been cited for signed off or another level one inspection (if I passed I'd get a safety sticker). It was Friday and I was off work. I said, "What the heck? Let's make sure this baby is safe!" At which point, I embarked on a 2 month odessy of trying to get a very old, beat up dump truck to pass an inspection!

The truck finally did pass. The owner was forced to fix things that otherwise would have been brushed under the carpet. Since DOT was telling him to fix those things, not me, I wasn't labeled as a complainer or trouiblemaker.

I have no idea what this did to my CSA, but I'm confident in knowing the truck I'm driving is safe. And since I really like the company where I work, I don't think the CSA thing matters too much since I don't plan on changing jobs in the near future.

Maybe this wasn't the right way to go about it, but it worked for me and the repricussions seem minimal. I mean, seriously, I would rather have a few points on my record for a voluntary inspection than risk a major accident because I missed something or wasn't able to convince the owner it needed repaired. I also like knowing that the truck was recently deemed safe because I won't get held up at a scale after a long day at work.

I hope I won't have to eat these words in the future... Lol!

 

I'm with the first few posters. Driver, simple repairs like lights and pigtails are part of your job. If the trailer tires are really bad run over a sheet rock screw or two. You gotta have traction in the winter.
Ultimately it's YOUR CDL, your life and your living. If you are going to let an unresponsive company trash that and not do everything you can... well, I guess that's your choice.

 

prob gonna get my butt chewed for this but here goes, heck it's Saturday morning and i've got the day off so lets get this started.

1. before the OP gets drug over the coals and banished to the gates of hell, i'm betting there are some of us out there that when we were new, drove equipment that was close to what this Driver is in and prob for the some of the same reasons. like afraid to confront the boss, desperately needs a paycheck, i could go on, but i wont. so don't kill this guy for what he's having to do, he's asked for help lets start there.

2. yes a good bit of what is wrong with that truck can be fixed by the Driver, lights, pigtail, (try folding some paper up and placing it underneath where the pigtail plugs into the trailer, it will snug it up and might help) but again, esp if OP is a new Driver, they may not know how to get things working.

3. Now, OP, should you be driving that truck? eh, prob not but i can relate to where you are coming from. what would i do? not sure where you are located but you say that jobs are tight there, that sucks, cause just about every trucking company in the country is hiring right now. pm me with your details, bet i can find ya some places. (recruiting, it's a hobby of mine.) but if they absolutely refuse to fix the major things? well then you really don't have a choice. csa points are just the beginning. in fact safety of others on the roads doesn't mean a heck of a lot to me, what's important to me is the safety of YOU.

4. For the love of all that's good, DO NOT PULL INTO A SCALE AND SAY HEY THIS TRUCK SUCKS CAN YA GIVE ME A LEVEL 1. screw the company, think about yourself first there Driver.

5. company trucks can suck. heck i drove an 05 KW the other day with 1.2 miles on it. ( i'm slip seat.) actually i really didn't' drive it, i more tried to corral it as it went down the road. but, after pre-tripping it, it would have passed a level one. point is, i drove it when others at my company refused to because of how it looked. i worked that day others didn't.

6. each of us have their own limits as to what they find acceptable to drive and what they don't. would i pull a trailer that had a marker lights out in the daytime? uh, yeah, drive with the lights off. is that legal or right? NOPE. but in practical terms, am i gonna get caught? eh, prob not. now would i pull one that the brake lights didn't work, HELL NO! see the difference?

best of luck to ya there Driver in what ever you decide to do. like i said, pm me i bet we can find ya something even if it's a short term step to bigger and better.

teq.

 

This serious ? Y not quit ?

 

I bet reddaway would of have taken care of those issues..

 

EXACTALLY!

I for one, would walk into the Bosses office and demand the truck be fixed...or it sits. If he/she cans you because of it....guess what....the truck sits any way. I was looking for a job when I found this one.

 

Lol. The OP's issues are so minor. Most are quick fixes. He needs to gain some people skills and stand up for himself.

 

I know. You didn't get what you wanted.