Passengers in sleeper berth?

The sleeper restraint system looked so goofy in my truck that I removed it. But, the truck is not moving whenever I am in the sleeper berth. Not one of those drivers. Been inspected once and no one gave a rip.

 

got level 1'd in iowa. they went into my truck and checked to see if my sleeper had the harness. told him, "wow that's a first, never got checked for that" he said, "yup, if ya didnt have any type of restraint, would of hit you with a violation for that". hmph.

got level 1'd in other states, including iowa .. they never checked. only one that checked was that scale on I380 in Brandon, IA. little scale but slick ########! called me through the intercom.. "DRIVER!!! PULL INTO THE LANE AND GET YA PAPERWORK READY"... he came out running with a creeper and wasted no time LOL. 35 min later, gold sticker on my truck and trailer.. quickest level 1.

so yeah.. long story short ... i guess it depends on the officer.

 

JJkid........Are you driving NEW-er equipment?

Im Old, My truck is Older, And my patience is far too gone

If I get a level 1 (Which I never do because when they see my equipments age,They assume "He knows whats going on" Last level 3 was in South Dakota 3 years ago...

 

No sir. Got myself a 2007 freightliner. Tip top condition and excellent maintenance. I've received 4 level 1 inspections in 3 years, 3 of them at a weigh station (2 of them for overweights..proceeded me in the garage) and 1 random. Last one was a roadside in Wisconsin... took me to their little crack house (so i call it..lol), small place with portables. All 3 were pass with no violations and sticker received... but one of them -- received a violation for rubbing airlines. ########. My separator between the lines fell off..

Never ever received a level 2 walkaround....only had one level 3 which was 4 years ago.... would love to get paper checked verses a complete full blown inspection.. but i guess it ends up good.. knock on wood LOL.

 

2014 Volvo here with restraints on both bunks. I use the top one to keep all my stuff from falling down at me during breaking maneuvers.

 

Ok am I understanding this correctly even as a solo driver you have to have the harness system on you bed even with no passengers?

 

Yes. According to the little green book the restraint system must be in place. It is not conditional on whether there are passengers or it is a team truck or not. However, I removed the restraint in my truck.

 

No, it doesn't have to be there if you have a solo operator.

The same goes for a non-driving passenger.

The discretion is with the officer who is inspecting the rig if they want to cite you for the lack of a restraint.

The purpose for the restraint and the regulations is because of the creation of an upper bunk and the possibility of someone flying out of it during the hard stop - getting killed is more like the result of that event.

 

An enforcement officer may well exercise their discretion, but there is no distinction in the regulations.

Part 393
PARTS AND ACCESSORIES NECESSARY FOR SAFE OPERATION

§ 393.76: Sleeper berths.

(h) Occupant restraint. A motor vehicle manufactured on or after July 1, 1971, and equipped with a sleeper berth must be equipped with a means of preventing ejection of the occupant of the sleeper berth during deceleration of the vehicle. The restraint system must be designed, installed, and maintained to withstand a minimum total force of 6,000 pounds applied toward the front of the vehicle and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/393.76 ​

 

that seems like a text book trucker &$#er rule right there but that's my very unprofessional opinion