Forced to drive unsafe equipment

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/396.13

 

Your company knows the laws.I doubt they'll even read it after you priint it out and hand it to your boss.

 

4/32 is legal according to dot. 2/32

you are correct that it is not to safe a tread depth but the law is gonna fall on their side even though the tread depth would be listed as a contributing traction factor if you hit something.

rules are what they are

 

Is there a safety and log dept where you work?

 

The Driver has the right to refuse to drive or operate any equipment they feel is unsafe.

If the Company retaliates, they have the right to file a Complaint or Sue if they are Wrongly Terminated.

Fill out the DVIR with the known defects listed, sign it, turn it in and make a copy of it and that's that.

 

Had that issue a while back ago. My tires where bald enough to be unsafe, but not bald enough to be deemed illegal. Every day I was forced to drive the truck, I wrote up that the truck had bald tires. Each following day management had to sign off that they were aware of the issue but that the truck still met legals requirements. My hope was that if I ever wrecked, I would at least have two weeks worth of DVIR for the safety office to refer back to.

If you are honestly that concerned about it and there are as many spare trucks as you stated, I would look at other things that may be wrong with the truck to put it out of service till you at least go back to dry weather. There are alot of different things that could just start to "fail". Airlines develop holes, fittings start to crack, and mandatory lights tend to "go out". Happens all the time.

 

Deeper tread is not going to give you any more traction. Ice is ice and snow will fill the tread anyhow. The only thing deeper tread will do is allow you to throw more mud and snow.