DOT at rest areas and truck stops, will they wake you up?

Maryland has always been more aggressive versus trucking. Having started trucking in that state it was easier to not be around when they get on their tears.

One morning I was over on a 40 foot tanker with short mack R model which I think was supposed to be around 77400 but was at 80000 exactly when loaded plus fueled before starting new day so its over gross. (Maybe 30 gallons on a 60 gallon tank, not too much...) 4 am.

New Market scales were open. Why I did not go through the woods to the north I don't know. Probably because of that ridge near Union Bridge being a problem. I planned Mt Airy then north. anyway I pulled onto the scale and found 20+ Police trainees in white shirts and ties no hats lining that scale bay window. Big hat was pointing everywhere on his computers and then started pointing front of me to back. point point point.

By the time (All alone, no traffic nothing.) he finished pointing I had figured on a how many police can stuff into a clown truck cab kind of inspection and working on my exit from the industry because there were a few things that probably would have been tickets for the sake of DOT school. He let me go on green.

I was at 70+ coming off that ramp.

That's not the worst of it, but it's a good scare if you were on the bubble.

 

Well, you just know that rest areas in Ohio and Pennsylvania are no-zones

 

New York State baby this is a everyday occurrence.

 

I believe.......you can be “On Duty” 24 hours straight if you want to, butt you have to be “off duty 10 hours before driving.Soooooi yes they can force you to go “On Duty”Now,do you log “On Duty”,and start your 10 all over again?

 

Me too, seen quite a few. There were 4 or 5 of them at the 1st toll plaza on N I 294. Heard of them in the Oasis' too.CB was a very useful tool yesterday today and every day

 

could that be because everybody at those oasis’s double parked in the lot and parked on the ramps next to the hundred of no parking signs

 

Troopers will ask you to move if your in a no parking zone. But yesterday they were picking off trucks who didnt have the Ipass and came thru the cash lanes

 

Some drivers try to park at the far end of the rest area close to the exit, just in case the DOT does come in and set up

 

if the DOT is already in the rest area, and using the rest area as a portable scale, you will have to pull in.....

if the DOT pulls into the rest area, long after you have arrived, they don;t usually bother you. this happened to me only ONCE, that i can recall. when my 8 hour break was over (back then, we did 8 hours, rather than 10) i simply pulled away...

 

as far as I know they stay in the median a mile a way and wait for a victim and pull into the rest area or they get you on the way in . they are not supposed to bother you if you are legally parked. ........... i pulled into the rest area north of Columbus on 71 and they were about 12 of them i told the one I walked by it was a tough choice risking an inspection or peeing my pants these are new pants so I risked it .... he just laughed and didn't bother me