Broken shock mount - told to pick up load

OK. I'm not stirring the pot. But. If he feels the company is pressuring him to drive an unsafe truck. Link and brief from fmcsa website. And phone number at bottom.

Truck drivers often ask me how to report motor carriers that require them to drive over hours, with unsafe equipment, and in violation of one or more of#the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. I#had just such a call yesterday, regarding a Florida company, from a driver.
The FMCSA understands how tricky this is for a driver and allows anonymous reporting of safety violations. You can go to the website and review the system by clicking HERE. The phone number, toll free, to report an unsafe trucking company is found here:#

1-888-DOT-SAFT (368-7238)

 

Used to be a good idea, but the CSA 2010 changed that.

He will have it charged against him personally.

The only choice he has is the phone call to the DOT or FMCSA. Not drive the truck if it is unsafe.

You can be put out of service for an oil leak. A broken shock is worse.

 

Pretty simple. As long as the shock isnt installed its not an OOS. Shocks are not mentioned in the OOS criteria directly. That said, there is no effective and legal way to secure the shock short of removing it. Unsecured shock, OOS and UNSAFE. Missing shock, front end vibration and rapid uneven tire wear. Given what I've seen on many company and shoestring o/o trucks, the shock is likely shot anyway.

 

I do not disagree.

It is just a problem with the way CSA2010 is now.

 

Comparison of Appendix G, and the new North American Uniform Driver-Vehicle Inspection Procedure (North American Commercial Vehicle Critical Safety Inspection Items and Out-Of-Service Criteria)

The vehicle portion of the FMCSA's North American Uniform Driver-Vehicle Inspection Procedure (NAUD-VIP) requirements, CVSA's North American Commercial Vehicle Critical Safety Inspection Items and Out-Of-Service Criteria and appendix G of subchapter B are similar documents and follow the same inspection procedures. The same items are required to be inspected by each document. FMCSA's and CVSA's out-of-service criteria are intended to be used in random roadside inspections to identify critical vehicle inspection items and provide criteria for placing a vehicle(s) out-of-service. Avehicle(s) is placed out-of-service only when by reason of its mechanical condition or loading it is determined to be so imminently hazardous as to likely cause an accident or breakdown, or when such condition(s) would likely contribute to loss of control of the vehicle(s) by the driver. A certain amount of flexibility is given to the inspecting official whether to place the vehicle out-of-service at the inspection site or if it would be less hazardous to allow the vehicle to proceed to a repair facility for repair. The distance to the repair facility must not exceed 25 miles. The roadside type of inspection, however, does not necessarily mean that a vehicle has to be defect-free in order to continue in service.

In contrast, the appendix G inspection procedure requires that all items required to be inspected are in proper adjustment, are not defective and function properly prior to the vehicle being placed in service.

Differences Between the Out-of-Service Criteria and FMCSA's Annual Inspection

8. Suspension

Appendix G follows the new requirements of §393.207 which does not allow any broken leaves in a leaf spring assembly. The out-of-service criteria allows up to 25% broken or missing leaves before being placed out-of-service.



http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/Fmcsrruletext.aspx?contentid=3702