Inspecting Cargo - Rookie Question

Those are the Billy Big Riggers. They are the same ones who text and talk on their handhelds while driving, try to beat everyone in rush hour traffic, and aggressively tailgate you. You get the point. "It wont happen to me"

 

Differ all you want. In your one year how many van/reefer/tanker drivers have you seen actually walking around their truck and trailer? In my 9 years I see very few. I don't see hardly any even doing a pre trip before blazing out of the truck stop at the beginning of their shift. I don't know, maybe you drive in the areas where drivers do things different.

Checking the light on a reefer is hardly inspecting the load. I understand that a sealed trailer cannot be opened to inspect cargo. I stand by my statement. Very few drivers will stop to inspect. That's just a fact!

 

In all my years of van, I never even thought of wasting my time to open the doors of the trailer when it was not sealed.

Corect, stand behind the left door, not the right one, as you will have some protection of any falling objects.

Correct. The manual may say to do so for the safety of the cargo, which leads me to ask this question, suppose the freight is shipper loaded, and it is very heavy, and if it falls over or leans to one side. If it took a forklift to load it due to it's sheer weight, what strengths do we have to right side such heavy loads? I will not now, nor ever put my back into possible harm just for a load. Once I get to the receiver's dock, and the load shifted? Well I hope they too have a fork lift. As for me, I drink very little soda's over coffee.

 

Ok listen up, I'm only going to say this once. Read the manual as you are indeed in school. If you read the manual, the answers are in there. If when you go to take any written test at the DMV, remember, they want to hear what they want to hear, not some message board opinions, otherwise, you will not pass. When you get out here in the real world, you will see where much of the book reading can be tossed out the window.

Well you maybe perhaps haven't seen me. Whenever I pull over to water the spare tire, I do indeed a very quick walk around to make sure all my lights are still working and that I have no flats or that I am not missing any mudflaps. At each of my 4 regular stops, as I leave the building, I do the same thing. In fact, this is the only time when I actually get to check the contents of my trailer, for the next stop. Even at the fuel island on my way back, I check out the same things. So I do check frequently, but that is me. Yes as far as a reefer, and only from what I have been told, as long as the green light is on, that is all the "cargo" checking one does, unless he/she needs to "pulp" the load.

 

Awesome man!

 

Why are you jumping into my shyte? I only went to say what I do, why do you have a problem with me saying what I do?

 

That part of the manual is referring to flatbed, step deck, hoppers and hazmat loads.

 

No it means any unsealed load on any type of trailer.

 

You know, I was going to respond to his posting (regarding flatbeds), and I have that little green DOT book here, but not the CDL manual, and I did think it did mean unsealed/sealed loaded trailers, which many times, is indeed a van type. Glad you clarified that. The little green book does not cover that issue.

 

Typically in a van trailer... if you secure the load properly( straps and or tight load locks) it will stay that way.Just refrain from panic stops,(which can shift it on the pallets and get the load refused at the customer.If DOT wants to look in your wagon THEY WILL. You dont want one of those expensive " Failure to secure load" tickets.