Got DOT inspected twice in one day. Have some concerns.

If the inspection was a level 3, you cannot put vehicle violations (tires) on a driver only inspection.

If the level 3 FMCSA roadside inspection said "no violations found" then no violations were reported to FMCSA and there will be no CSA points assessed to the carrier.

If there was no fine or court date information associated with the blue "warning ticket" then it was exactly that, just a warning.

Just looking at the pictures you posted of the tires, and not being able to stick a tread guage on them, I would say there are some tread depth violations. #4 axle left inside tire has several places where the tread depth goes to zero. #5 axle right outside tire looks pretty bad in the outboard tread grooves, and the inside tire is showing wear bars. Again, I would need to stick a tread guage on them, but from here it looks like you need some new rubber!

 

Just think about it this way, according to "SCALEMASTER" the guy cut you a break. Just push on bud, I had a very hard time when I first start out, I replaced what I could when I could. With replacing the obvious first, that way I would be that less likely to get inspected just from the officer seeing something as I am coming thru the scale. DOT thinks money grows on trees, with rates as bad as they are it is very difficult to do maintenance and feed your family as well!

 

If those tires are virgins, so is Linda Lovelace.

 

This may seem rough.....


But suck it up kid.


I bought my truck and trailer last July and have put $12,500 into it for maintenance. The first 2 weeks and 8000 miles I had to put kingpins and steers on. A month later, another $2000 into APU and an Exhaust manifold gasket.

It's a mechanical device that WILL break, not when.


You will have to put more effort into your truck than your family. Because without your truck, your family WILL go hungry.

That means your truck gets tires before the kids get Nike's. You shouldn't have to do a full 45 minute pre-trip inspection every morning. Because your inspections happen EVERY time you walk by the truck. You uncouple, stick your head inside the drives. When you check your tire inflation, you do a brake inspection also. You need to look for tire damage as well.

You can spot a tire issue without even looking at them. You simply rub your hand over the tire and you can FEEL it before you can even see it.

You need to learn your truck and become one with it, young padowin. (yeah, there's some dry humor for you.) Even just laying in the truck and feeling how the engine is idling. I've laid there in the bunk and felt a miss, subtle, but it was there. I got up, opened the hood and the fuel filter that night was now all the way to the top on my DAVCO, it wasn't there in the morning when I looked at it. I picked up bad fuel. But I sensed it.

It sounds ######, but it isn't.

Without maintenance on your truck, you are sitting on the side of the road.


And you had best get on top of it before it WILL bury you.

Preventive maintenance will cost you less in the long run than a break down or inspection on the road.


Do you REALLY want to sell that trailer now that you have done all that work to it? Tires are easy to move to another vehicle.


But you've also got to develop business goals and plans. There are times you will have to spend a little bit now to save something later.

 

Hey Scalemaster, are you a DOT Officer in a Trucker Forum?

 

He is. Well-respected and appreciated for his contributions to this forum.

 

Wonder what the lawyer would say in the event of an accident where a truck's maintenance is in question...

All the DOT guy was doing is applying the law. Wonder how many times he has heard "I was planning on putting new tires on." Like that is going to hold any water. Just because you think that a few bald spots is no big deal doesn't mean squat. Ask yourself, where would they draw the line between a good tire and a bad one? Would 25% of the tread have to be worn to zero to be considered OOS? These are the rules and we all have to play by the same. When I first started my trailer badly needed tires also. I would go through the scale and they'd sometimes come out and look closely at them, but luckily they were never written up. I had to put 8 new tires on my reefer, for a price of $2800. Guess what, easy to go through the scale now, they take a quick look over my truck and its have a good day. The DOT is there to get those that "take risks" or "planning to fix that later" people. Sure, some are all about the $$ but honestly, if you keep your s... together they will leave you alone.

 

....and she's dead. Not unlike a few of the tires in question!

 

well this may come off rude, and i dont mean it that way. but the law requires you to keep your equipment legal. the DOT is there to enforce that. Yeah it is expensive ...but when you buy trucks/trailers it then becomes your responsibility no matter the expense to keep them safe and legal. (yes i have owned my own truck)....i know times are hard right now and fuel is high and rates still stink....but unfort. thats part of it...(maintaining equipment)....you can sometimes let the little stuff go...but tires isnt one of them...IMO..just because the funds arent available right now to replace them doesnt make it any more legal....