Can I be put OOS, fined, have points accessed for this?

In my opinion, which is worth what your paying for it.

Yes, I think you could be placed OOS for faulty gauges.

They MIGHT present a hazard to you and the rest of the motoring public around you.

 

Especially if you do not log it on your vehicle inspection as an enroute failure. Gauges after all is on the pti list.

 

Calling safety, may or may not get you anywhere. I would no try to "force" them to give you another truck.

Personally, I might start by checking the battery connections for corrosion. Than look to the other obvious, weather exposed electrical connections.
Possibly a loose ground at the fuse block, or a couple loose\corroded fuses.
These could cause the issues that your seeing, they are also easy fixes and can be done just about anywhere.

Though, you might want to ask a company mechanic to show you where some of these things are located to CYA, if this is what it is.
Even if you already know where the fuse blocks, and batteries are located.
In events like this remember to CYA, at all times, and document the issue.

 

Its dropping a ground somewhere, trick is finding it

 

You'd have to have a pretty intensive DOT for them to check your gauges though.
And statisticly they'd have to fail just AS they're checking you out.

Your odds are pretty good about not getting caught.

As we used to say in the cab buisness when dispatch gave us a dog to drive
"Act like:
1.) you've got a bloody knife on the passenger seat,
2.) a bag of weed in the glove box,
3.) a dead hooker in the trunk."

 

Gauges?
On PTI?
OOS for gauges not working?
The ONLY gauges I remember being on the PTI were air pressure and they are NOT activated by the CPU or power except for the lights, they are manually activated UNLESS they have changed the FMCSA drastically since Aug 2009 and truck dashboards too!

Yes, the DOT does climb up onto the running board after doing the brake check and will look at the air pressure gauges to see where the AP is and then tell you to operate the brake pedals until the warning alarm sounds and the emergency brakes set but any other gauges they could care less about!
They can't tell if the Speedo is working at a stand still,
they could care less about RPM's
the same with how much fuel,
if your alternator is working
if the lights come on in all of the gauges and
what the weight gauge shows
or if the radio works!
Being put Out of Service for gauges other than AP just isn't going to happen unless some moron tries to get that put into the FMCSA!!

In other words you're good to go intil they get the short figured out and in these new trucks that can be a PINT if the CPU isn't recording what and wherefores! It can be so much fun watching a shop pull the wiring harness out of a dash!

 

That is the part that would worry me the most.
Even with a back-up paper log, is the DOT officer going to have an issue with the conflict between the paper log and the e-log?
Would they want to know why the e-log is wrong and that brings in the rest of the electrical problems?