Can An Officer Step Up On Your Tank Step Without Asking?

I have never had a law man step onto my truck, but then again I always work/drive in such a way so as not to give them a reason to. Seems to work well for me.

What bugs the crap outta me is when some smelly sweaty truck driver jumps up there with a big wad of chew in his yap, blowing smoke into my truck. Just so he can tell me some stupid joke or ##### about his dispatcher or some stupid thing. That irks me far worse than the thought of any respectable cop stepping up there to do his job.

 

I'd find a new neighborhood to hang out in.

 

Lol, yeah I wish. I am hauling in and out of Chicagoland almost every day so I always get stuck sitting next to some "colorful" drivers.

 

LOL! That sucks! I know the area quite well.

 

An Arkansas Highway Patrol officer almost lost his face when he jumped up on my passenger side step. My 100# dog doesn't take kindly to strangers poking their head in HIS truck.

 

I personally am not a fan of having all the gadgets attached to the windshield, not just because of the view obstructions but because of the backlights causing a distraction. But I won't criticize you for that. If it works for you and makes your job easier, all the power to you by all means.

As far as tools and other things around the cab not being secured... I have never seen a truck that actually had everything tied down. I know when an officer climbs up to "chat," he is looking around that cab and mentally taking note of the overall condition. Even if he doesn't say anything, I promise he is still forming some type of judgment about you, based on the condition of your cab.

 

My old Dobie almost caused a Jehovah's Witness to get hit by a car as he was running from my screen door in fear.

Dude was the most chill dog ever too. That's the only time I've seen him try to kill someone. He must have sensed he wasn't welcome.

 

First, they climb on the step to be able to smell for the presence of drugs or alcohol, something easy to do with smaller vehicles. It is part of their training to engage us in brief discussions to check our mental state, alertness and possible intoxication. As far as I am aware this is not unlawful although I am not a big fan of it. Had a local MCE officer in Lebanon, PA do this to me last week on 72, in the rain on a narrow shoulder. Routine level 3, passed, but it was both a dangerous spot for the contact and dangerous if the officer slipped off the step into traffic.

As for the GPS and tablet, it is not legal to mount any of that stuff in the sweep of the wipers or lower than 4" from the top of the windshield, look for the A1S line on the top left of the glass. Now, if it is dash mounted it may obstruct the window some, but glass mount at the bottom of the windshield is generally progibited except for dashcams, safety monitoring sensors, toll transponders and official decals.