POLL: Are you working during DOT blitz?

That's true, and just because you did a pre-trip, and I mean actually did one, doesn't mean something couldn't break along the way. Shocks don't go bad sitting still, tires don't run over bolts when parked, lights don't burn out when turned off, etc, so you can even get legitimate violations after you checked. My point was purely to the attitude of people. Hell, I've been caught knowingly, and admitted to knowingly, breaking the law and managed to get let off or let off easy based on my attitude with the officer. The LEO doesn't write the law, he is just paid to enforce it. If you have a dispute on how he interpreted it, well, judges are paid to interpret law. Does that mean there aren't crooked cops or crooked judges? Of course not, but for the people painting a broad brush and calling them adversaries, maybe your attitude towards them is the reason you reap the outcome you do. Also, you can try to hide your attitude, but distrust, hate, or any other emotion can be conveyed in many ways, not just verbally.

 

I know inspections don't normally take all that long. But I have been held up for a couple hours over them, usually waiting for the officer to get to me, or back to me. That's uncompensated. I can't count the times I've realized I had a tire go flat on the road, or pull into a stop and find one has gone flat riding down the road. Or just started losing air because a fitting cracked or a hose got a pinhole in it. You let a an o-ring rupture in a fan clutch, and it'll work your compressor overtime. If you know what you're doing, none of that stuff is going to cause an accident. But you can't tell that to Mr. Trained Inspector. They make road service come to you, instead of getting it fixed reasonably, or if you aren't lucky enough for it to be something you can repair yourself on the spot. Then beyond that, they'll document it, and gets held against you for three years. All of this over something that couldn't be reasonably avoided by anyone, that isn't going to cause an accident in the first place. It isn't about safety anymore. It's about dotting i's and crossing t's, and rejecting stuff over aesthetics. They're like toddlers that want to throw their toy firetruck away because it got a scratch on it. That's why I will always try my best, not to be on the road when they're doing the blitz. It's a hassle I don't need.

 

Its the newbies on the force that scare me, especially the county cops who are now active in commercial truck enforcement in some towns. I had the pleasure of sitting down with one whom I know and he wanted to impress me with his knowledge fresh out of training. Lets just say I was cringing. Like RC said though, an unjust ticket is no big deal for them but can be a whole lot of headaches for us. Regardless of what some may think, there is more than a few with an axe to grind.

 

Well, to reflect on a few points you made:

Warnings with inspections are worse than tickets. Based on the post you made here I'll conclude you are leased to a company paying mileage, and therefore aren't affected by negative csa points that accrue from events such as the two you described. You didn't get a fine, that is more important than the csa points in your situation. Not the case for everyone else.

I won't say that safety and compliance are overated: much to the contrary. I see equipment daily that at 65mph appears scarily inadequate in the areas of safety and legality for road worthiness.
I don't see those trucks being stopped however.


I don't intentionally take time off for the blitz. I feel this week vs any other time of the year has equal likelihood of an inspection occurring.

If people call and are willing to pay me to truck: I'm working. Day or night, weekday or weekend. Blitz or no blitz.

I've had decent officers inspect my equipment, and I've had officers looking to impress someone, somewhere with being able to find a problem no matter the equipment, paperwork, demeanor of the driver, legality of the operation.

I am out here to work and make a living. I do so professionally, and appreciate seeing others doing the same with their careers: regardless of what that career may be.

Some people drive trucks in an unprofessional manner.
Some people write tickets/warnings over trivial things.
Some people can't make a coffee properly.
Those are the people I avoid. They waste precious moments of my life with their poor attitudes, negative outlooks, and their belief in their own mediocrity.

Those people are rarer than average folk~ but more common than true professionals.

Let's all do our best to be true professionals, at all times. Regardless of the "uniform" we wear.

 

If your scared get a dog

 

I think the last time I was checked during one of these "blitz" things was in the mid 90's. Over the last several years since running pre-pass, I have gotten green light most of the time during these little events. I see states implementing their own little blitzes at irregular times, like the recent one in Nebraska a few weeks back. Many states know that the best time to actually catch stuff is when people are least expecting it.

 

WHAT???? That's ridiculous. Everyone knows the best way to catch someone doing something wrong is to officially announce when you are going to check for specific items 6 months in advance. It's even easier to catch them when that just so happens to be the exact same time you do it every year.

 

Why does the annual dancekrieg get so much media attention? Maybe, and I'm not a conspiracy theorist, there really were men on the moon, maybe it's to tighten up the truck community a little bit? I don't really care, I don't do it for them, although, I do wear my seatbelt because of enforcement, pretty much most times. Rain, snow, sure I cinch up.

Ruthless, good post. I don't understand the first few lines. For one thing, I don't think drivers get CSA scores, we get PSP reports. And yep, those warnings were registered there. But why would a warning be more damage than a citation, I don't get that? I've looked at a couple of good companies that have lanes I'd rather run than the 48, and their attitude was, "nothing here I'm worried about." Nothing moving, or drug fails, log fails, like that. ?

I'm out here to make a living, do my best to be the "true professional" you mention. I like that way of thinking.

One thing about those drivers who are worried or taking time away. When I'm stopped at a truck stop overnight, in the morning when I'm getting ready to set out, I'll observe how many drivers are actually doing a pre-trip inspection. And it's pretty crappy to see 9 out of 10 drivers just fire it up and drive away. (approx) Maybe these drivers are among those who are living in fear of the DOT? Just asking. I know they're more at risk and more likely to have a problem than drivers who catch problems with early discovery in their inspections. It's the attitude, that "I don't care" attitude that's so destructive, I think.

Thanks again, Ruthless.

 

Yeah, it is pretty sad how many don't even do a simple walk around their truck first thing in the day. I have caught a lot of stuff over the years doing simple quick checks beginning and ending of day. Even when I stop to go in somewhere, I am looking over the entire truck as I return to it and do a quick walk around. Worse equipment violation I have been cited for in almost 4 decades was a marker light out.

 

Cowpie, been a while. I've caught enough items to do it every time I set out. My thinking is about safety and compliance, sure, but mostly I drive to make money and I concentrate on things that will stop my. Ticktets, tires, lights, leaks, fluid levels, voltage, there's a nice list and that's where I pay a little more attention. I don't really know how a driver would ignore the things that will shut down their income stream, that doesn't make sense to me. It's like trying to go north on the 85 thru Atlanta on the 285 at 4pm, not such a good idea. That merge northbound? No joy.