Effects of the ELD

Spydie, correct me if I'm wrong, but I wanted to ask again. I think you will only receive csa points if you are ticketed or warned during an inspection. I know of drivers who received an overweight ticket with no csa points.

 

That's probably because overweight doesn't get csa points.

 

I've been an owner operator for 20 years, you know how many times I've been audited for my logbooks-zero!

Don't know why everybody scared of getting audited.

 

I'm not scared of getting audited, just don't wanna deal with the dumb things.

 

Yes you can only get them if law enforcement catches you. But it doesn't take many to get a high amount of csa points. I don't know exactly how many points a log book violation is worth but i bet it's a lot. Keep in mind a marker light being out is worth 30 pts. 30 freaking points over a market light! Technically its 10 but they are triple weighted the first year, double weighted 1 year later, single weighted at 2 years, and finally come off at the 3 year anniversary. I don't know about how other carriers handle it, but here at mercer 200 pts and your lease is canceled.

Edit to add: by inspection do you mean strictly at scales? That would be inaccurate. Any encounter with a dot qualified inspector can get you csa points. That would be every dot officer, almost every state Highway patrol man, and many County and city officers have gotten dot certified.

 

I started with a flatbed carrier that is only o/o and LP, no company drivers. In our orientation, there was one other o/o. His truck was newer, but it was rattier than mine. He failed inspection for stuff I could see without looking too hard. He finally passed inspection one week later, and on his first run he got pulled behind a scale in MO because he didn't tape the temporary plate in his window. He had no lights out, but got 75 points without oos. They terminated his contract!

 

I'm saying you can be pulled over for speeding by a dot certified trooper, he then decided to give you a level 1,2, or 3 inspection. You pass the inspection and gives a warning or ticket for speeding. That counts against csa vs just pulled over and given the ticket or warning.

The way I understand it is, you have to be given an inspection along with any moving or equipment citations for it to count, all other tickets given, do not count.

Like I said I know of drivers given an overweight ticket at the scales, they aren't penalized any points because they weren't given an inspection when called inside. Just issued a ticket, go in your way, pay it later, and its over, no points.

 

If you are pulled over by a dot certified inspector you will almost always get a level 1 inspection(I think it's called a level 1, it's the easiest level) Run your license and look at your paperwork kinda thing. You ever get one of those forms listing your violations (written warning) that you gotta give to your carrier to sign and send to the fmcsa? Anything on that form gets you csa points. Does not matter if the officer issued a rocket or not. If he writes it on that fmcsa form, it's points.

Over weight citation are coded as a civil penalty so they carry no csa points. Has nothing to do with if they were given an inspection or not.

 

Level 1=full
Level 2=walk around
Level 3=paperwork

 

Thanks. For what every reason I can never keep the order right.