DOT and the State Boys have gone Mad!!!!!!!

Generally, I don't mind being inspected too much because I keep my truck in good condition and I keep my log legal. I tend to get pulled around back about every 3-5 weeks, but that is largely due to a problem between the carrier I lease to and one particular scale.

Of the eight, or so, inspections I have had in the last six months, about half are perfect and the other half have one or two very small violations with no citations. When I say small, I mean something like one inspection where the only thing he could find was a rear, upper, marker light that went out. That one bugged me because he could have just as easily said get it fixed (and I would have ... and did), rather than note it officially. Was he "correct" to note it? Sure, so I can't complain, but to me, that's one of those things that can go a long way to making relations between drivers and LEOs better ... especially when it is apparent that I run a clean truck in good condition and everything else is squared away as it should be.

I get that LEOs are [mostly ] people just like me. I understand they've got a job to do, just as I do. I generally don't have problems with them as I treat them as I would like to be treated ... even when they're wrong. Unfortunately, just like any profession, there are hacks that shouldn't be on the job. However, no matter how much of a prick s/he may be, you'll never win a road-side battle of wills. That's what supervisors and courts are for.

As for the aforementioned "problem" scale ... it is a real problem and not one of perception. I have had one inspection there with four violations; three were blatantly wrong and one was questionable. After I had been given my paperwork, I was quizzing the scale master and he showed me the information on one of the systems dieselbear mentioned. It showed that of all the carrier's inspections in the last while, about 75-80% of them had been at that particular scale, and about 90% of the violations originated there as well. The carrier does have someone working on the problem and expects a resolution fairly soon. Unfortunately, until the problem is fixed, we look like a bad carrier to everyone else.

 

I wasnt asking for my own knowlege, cuz I will never run outta hours *ahem* at a shipper/reciever. I was curious as to how you personaly handled these situations. I figgured you must have had to act like the arbitrator, so to speak. Thanks.

 

Actually, if there was evidence that they were kicking drivers out that had no hours we'd explain the rules & tell them they couldn't do it. If it continued we'd cite that facility with civil penalties for causing the violation(s). What we'd do then is go to drivers & carriers that we determined had trucks there & ask if there were problems with that. The citation was for every driver we could find that the facility did that.

 

That's what I was lookin for. Again thanks

 

Is there a regulation or record of past violations you could post here that drivers could print and carry to show when these circumstances arise ? Now if we only had an attorney that would state he would name that party as a co-defendant in a fatigue related accident .

 

One consignee/receiver in MI when I was stationed there was cited for about 30 drivers, memory serve. When Washington, DC issued the citation from the compliance branch it ended up being something like $150,000.00. It could have been as much as $27,500.00 per violation which would have been $850,000.00 but I guess Washington decided to give them a break as it was the first citation/violation at that facility.

But that is the only one I remember. Usually the problem was corrected after we provided the facility with the rule, and warning.

 

Not to my knowledge. But if the driver fails to tell the facility there is a legal problem with leaving it makes it more difficult to prove and cite. Since most carriers record phone calls, and with Qualcom, that evidence becomes substantial.

 

They don't deserve breaks . That's like Crete getting a break when that driver killed 7 kids . That just tells other violators they'll get a similar break when cited .

 

You must remember that most "accident attorneys" are merely there for their 30%. But maybe one day they may see the light so that would add another 30%.

 

Are you talking about that incident in MN or WI....something like that..... where the driver paid off the IL examiner so he could get his CDL (that deal where former Governor Ryan went to federal prison in WI)? I didn't realize that guy drove for Crete.