Hotshots Requesting Accurate Info From DOT Officers Who May be Here...

I have said many times, if they have them I ask to see them. If they don't have them........well I can't get blood from a turnip. But as foran audit, you better have them at the carrier. When I have gone in on audit the auditor will dissect everything. I mean everything. By the way it's not 30 days, it's only a few days before hand they notify the carrier. I don't know what the allowance is if something is not there, but the ones I have been on, they called a few days inadvance and the carrier had everything the auditor was looking for.

You ask some of the folks on here who have been through a compliance review, it's not a task that they would like to do again. The last one I went on with the auditor was a few days before Thanksgiving. A O/O, one truck operation. The guy I had stopped a few times. His criminal history was colorful to say the least. He had a wreck and at the scene, he acted like a complete arse. He argued with the other truck driver he hit, to the point we had to seperate them and tell both of them they were going to get locked up if they continue to cause a scene. The settled down for a bit. The O/O was having finacial issues, which is understandable and now his only truck was cracked up, it was his fault in the collision and he had some other issues from a DUI in his pasenger car he was dealing with. So the world was giving him a lot to deal with when he had the wreck. I understand that, and the driver finially settled down at the wreck. The auditor was not comfortable going into this guys house to ask for this and ask for that with his confrontational demeanor. So I went as well to maintain the peace if the O/O would get out of hand. The guys wife was baking for thanksgiving , and we are sitting at their kitchen table going through the records. It was uncomfortable for me, so I knew what it had to be for the O/O and his family. I like being on hy highway where it's my office, sitting in some owners house going over all of the log sheets for one month, matching his bills, fuel and receipts was very time consuming.

You are right the supporting documents will be used in the event of a audit. At roadside if a guy has them and gives them to me I do compare them. If a guy tells me he doesn't have them but they are right there on his dash, I ask to see them. The point is dont piss on my head and tell me it's raining. If a guy lies to my face what do you think he's doing with everything else. I may not be able to find something in his log book that day, but I can dissect that truck a little more closely.

 

Well some of these guys make it hard on themselves. I match my logbook, rate sheets and fuel tickets match, then I check it with PC miler. As far as everything else I don't have it. There again even though I think most of what is done is redundant and useless like ucr,ifta and irp could be taken care of under one group it's not. Have you ever read the UCR mandate just BS to take more money. Now I don't run out to give the police no hard time unless they give me one to start with, then I settle it in court. The roadside is just a place to get your ##### whooped and maced by the police, court is the most effective way. How did the guy you mentioned above turn out?

I wittnessed a truck in norteast Md. tear the front end off another guys truck and police wouldn't even come out to the truckstop. The hitter drove to other side of lot and hide in truck and when he came out said it wasn't me and nothing was done.Lesson here is don't park in the end parking space.

Let me end this with this thought for those cowboys who may read it. Officers are entitled to repspect of their title and posistion and I extend that to them. I do exersice my rights though and never agree with anything that may cost me money. Number one rule never talk to the police or as little as possible, most people tell on themselves.
Keep your papers close and have logbook current and you will have few problems.

 

I don't think it went well for him. Many false log book entries. No drug/alcohol test after the wreck and some other violations. As far as the collision on private property, is probably the reason they would not come out. Where I work, we don't do accident reports on private property. As for talking to me, I don't ask much just what is needed. If I get someone who appears to have something to hide, I'll ask more. I know people don't like when the police are nosey. That's my job to see something that not quite right and inquire further. If you are law abiding, there is no worries. How do you think we catch drug runners, wanted felons etc. If we didn't ask questions no one that was doing illegal acts would be caught.

 

Glad I pull flatbed for that reason, don't leave much for the imagination.
Must have been a towaway accident that guy was involved or injuries? I was told during my safety audit several years ago only injuries, fatalities and towaways required post accident drug teating? And i think thats what I read last time I was online. Some of the guys don't need no authority anyway couldn't run a fruit stand much less a trucking business.
Not sure what state your in? But fact is in ohio at the time I took them through court, your were 75% more likely to get pulled in for inspection if you had a hotshot vs. class8 . I reviewed over 1600 reports and come up with that number for just one officer and he testified to the same.
It also came out they never performed real level ones.
I couldn't afford a lawyer so I did it Pro se
It went like this :
Question:idid you file this report
Officer Yes
question what type inspection did you list on report ?
officer Level one
question did you do a level one ?
officer NO
qiestion then you lied ?
officer No, well,well you don't understand we was all doing them like this and we learned it wasn't right
question how many years did you do them wrong
officer 23 years
question you mean you've never done a correct level one on a hotshot?
officer NO

It went on like this for a couple of hours, I had great fun.
When I sued the state of ohio I got this guys employee file and his
rating went down real good on his next review, I would imagine some truckers really suffered cause of this guy.
He was a real turd anyway i beat he thinks twice about next driver he was to holler at and threaten and call names.You can always recgonize the type that will give you problems. They generally look misreable and couldn't buy sex with a thousand dollar bill and have this messed up facial expression.

No loads today so it's hi ho hi ho off to house empty I go.

 

In Alabama you can run under 26,000 without IRP. It's a X3 or 4 plate.
No Ifta either . If you going to do that you should lighten your trailer.
Just don't go over 26,000 or you will have a problem. Med card, logbook and all the other stuff still applies. My personal opinion is a true hotshot is good up to 33,000 gross and no more. Even the 4500 and 550 hundred I would rate the same plus they ride rougher than a 3500. And you will get weighed twise as much from what I been told they run up out of the scalhouse for under cdl rigs.

 

Here in Texas you must have apportioned or combination plates and token trailer plate. I'm apportioned for 36,000 LBS. I still see Hot Shots all the time with regular Texas Truck Plates, I have no clue how they get away with it.

 

As long as I am under 26,000 lbs, I do not need apportioned plates in any state I run in.

However, gain a lb and then apportioned and ifta come into play.

 

Is it worth it though? I can only haul 7500 lbs. and be under 26000.
I was considering cutting my trailer to 30 foot at one time.
But my tag only runs about 400-430 a year last four times and a alabama 33000 plate alone is 325 . Only diference is the nagging ifta form every 90 days

 

Hey rev, are you still running a lowboy?