Truck Check Stations

They'll 've standing there waving and cursing at you and generally trying to get your attention.

 

If Arkansas wants to they put together a team of 10 highways enforcement officers. Specifically trained for Commerical Motor vehicle enforcement and drug interdiction. They will open up a dirt patch next to I-40 east of little rock and screen everyone coming through.

Don't worry, they are around and active. Ive been inspected three times here while a dog sniffed my 5th wheel among other spots. (Poor thing, all that grease and oil right up the toot chute. ugh.)

When you consider a life time of trucking, however many years and how few times you got inspected properly in all those places. And how you were never inspected in many states of the USA.

If the Nation had a will and desire to inspect all trucks in all states day and night no one will get around enough to make any money.

Washington DC has a scale house called Dumfries. Next to that scale house is a rest area in one section and a inspections yard in another.

I have sat in Dumfries so much being inspected while time ticked away against me to fight that rush traffic now stacking up all over the Mixer. I finally said enough is enough and started using either US 15 or US 301 bypass the entire city. No washington, no inspections. Burned a little fuel and make some time without rushhour traffic. Problem solved.

 

You mention Arkansas, it's about to get serious in West Memphis. I noticed that they were building an inspection barn at the scale on 55 coming out of Memphis

 

She was just a container hauler's daughter, but she sure had a classy chassis.

 

On 55 too? Finally realized what they were building at the one off 40...same thing. Might have to give up going to Memphis if the heat gets turned up too much. I just don't have time for that crap.

 

It's been serious for decades. The last time West Memphis inspected me I was less than three hours from Little Rock and home at 2 am and they asked me to fix my logs. Which was pretty good for them bad for me. I managed to fix the logs and sign it and present them to recheck. That time it worked out well. (A couple of minor on duty stuff went away in the revised last 4 days from error point against the 70 hours) If they were to ask for the PA Pike tolls out of Lancaster westbound the previous 7 days it would have come up against me to OOS. (Time stamps on the tolls I told them I ran through the woods to visit family back home then)

You never really feel good knowing the logs is a pile of ... compliance that wont stand a moment of real forensic investigation. Memphis is indeed a tough Coop.

There is one thing I always did from the second week a trainer taught me to do. We are coming up on the scale house. I might be empty and tons of hours no violations anywhere. I'll add 40 ton to the mack about two miles prior to the platform or inspection Coop and begin to pretend there isnt much engine and shifting below torque which pours smoke telling the world I am working hard in those days. (No emissions anything. You could in those days examine what is coming out of a big truck and pretty much estimate where he is on his engine based in whatever situation we are in.)

While my speed dropped to 45 everyone passed me to fill up the entire Coop, fill the parking spots to be inspected, fill the ramp off the interstate, fill most of the shoulder by the time I get there. Get the wave off. Gwan driver, we are full.

Ok ty. (Right about visual range I had put the engine back into the sweet spot and empty rolling easy without trouble or smoking etc)

There is however one thing I stress about. Bathroom Scales (Portables) as in Raton NM south of Denver, NW of Childress TX on what I remember as US 287. they always like to put me on there after running me down late at night when no one is supposed to be around at the area of the I-25 Raton Pass. Those DOT agents sure know how I like to run those quiet little roads (Legal...) away from any attention of that sort.

 

That is the other thing.

Im not here to stir the pot, but the Yankee girls have some competition here in the south. It is good that the Lord sees fit to allow the women in these parts the beauty that fits them well. It's a joy to behold.

 

Greenwood becomes a option if you can work in there via Sheridan, Pine Bluff etc. Just be careful on the old 530 around Pine Bluff, that road has been under construction forever and the potholes are something else. I have not been down that way in 10 years for that reason.

 

Yeah man. It sucks because I live in Memphis and most of the time when I leave home, I'm almost always going to have to cross either scale. Then on the other side of Arkansas, in Alma, coming out of Oklahoma, they are going to build that portable on US 64. Arkansas is on a mission to nail all trucks hahahaha

 

The seat covers in Connecticut, Alabama, and south Texas are spectacular. Not necessarily in that order.