How is it like being weighed or checked by DOT?

NewNash, If they have a shake down and have about six drivers inside the coop and you get called in. Carry all your paperwork in and let out a big cabbage fart. You'll be on your way shortly as they evacuate the building.

You are right DirtyBob. There is a lack of consistancy and can be confusing to some. But one can figure it out. When in doubt, STOP. Most will yell at you across the speaker. Watch other drivers. Look for stop lines, etc. It's part of becoming an experienced driver.
I use to stop and visit the ones at the Manchester, TN scales. Most drivers are scared of them scales, but the guys inside are actually some of the nicest people you will ever meet. From their perspective, you see all kinds of stupid things.

 

That's part of my point. They have to do a certain number of inspections. Get a bunch of easy ones out of the way in a hurry, sit back, relax and watch for the trucks that raise a red flag. You don't want to be in the middle of a truck with no issues when a rollin wreck hits the scale. That happened to my brother at the Banister scale. They harrassed him when a hazmat load came across the scale and the inspector had to let it go since she was already inspecting his truck.

By the way the equipment is getting better and better and there are fewer and fewer crashes due to equipment failure. Every year Roadcheck is placing fewer and fewer truck out of service. The number one issue is log book violations, not equipment.

 

You got it right. Some of the first hard core drivers hauled chickens, floor it or the cargo dies. The early weight stations were not the large productions we see today (more: Truck, Laws, & Money to make) The average weight stations was just a a scale on a concrete slab with a little booth for the officer to sit in. The booth looked a lot like a small chicken coop on the farm. Early drivers used code phrases when chatting on the CB to keep "The Bear" (Highway Patrol) in the dark.The name stuck.

 

In North Carolina the DOT Officers are State Troopers with extra training.


I've only had 1 Officer that was a total jerk. I was pulled in Essex, Ca. for a mudflap bracket that broke off. I had a mudflap in the truck but the TA in Kingman, Az didn't have a working welder. I was going to stop at Rip Griffins in Barstow. I got a fix-it ticket that means if I fix it it's just $10. I had an old CB cable that I tied it off with and fixed it so it would not sail to high. We made our delivery in L.A. then headed up to Northern California to start our pickups. The Fresno scale pulled me around back. I had woman doing the DOT inspection. She was not able to find anything wrong with the truck except the mudflap and accused me of falsifying my logs. When I asked her what was wrong with the mudflap she said it was the way it was mounted. Well I asked for her supervisor he then explained it was OK because it only says we have to have one. It was mounted safely and then she said I marked a town on my log that does not exist. I asked her what town was that she said Essex. I told her yes it does she was getting mad then I gave her the ticket to sign off and pointed to the towns name I was pulled and maked as a DOT inspection on my logs it was Essex, Ca. She was not happy, her Supervisor was still there and when she looked at him he shook his head yes. I got it signed and was on my way.

 

A friend told me about a local that pulled him over and was giving him a hard time. The driver was refuting everything the LEO was misunderstood about the regulations.

Well the LEO told him to shut up or he will take his license away on the spot! He happened to be hauling a hazmat. Then he added that he could not do that, it would be leaving a hazmat unattended. The LEO got even more upset and started writing all sorts of tickets.

SO the driver called the state police while sitting in his truck waiting. The state cop came and talked to the driver first, then went and reamed out the local!

SItting in his cab he could hear the state yelling at the local! At one point saying, "You know nothing. You leave my truckers alone!"

(I sure hope there was not too much driver embellishment to that story....)

Mikeeee

 

I remember getting to the weigh station in Shiprock, NM. They had a sign to park and bring in your permit (back then NM issued the tax cab card). They looked over the permits and said I was ok. I asked if they wanted me to run over the scale. He said, "Nah it hasn't worked in ten years!"

 

This happen while i work for crst as a solo driver, i just got a load of feathers 123 totes full going too washton, np, i got my load scaled, i always scale every load, that's just me, no matter how light or heavy, that way i got my butt coverd, my dad taught me that, anyway super light, i had a cabover bus eagle, really was a nice truck for the day, i got too oregon up by meacham, i get on scale's , red light , please pull around back, now i was totaly confused, i just stopped and eat, so my log book was updated, everything was perfect, so i did , brought everything in, she slid it over away, the reason i brought you in, you have a the red plate on your tractor, will you please go out and take it off, sure np, then you can back in here tell me ok, now this was a older lady, so i came back , grab my stuff, just as my hand hit the door handel,she said i noticed you bout out of hours on logs , i said yes, i planned too spend the night at next truckstop, why dont you stay here , i thought o know she put me outa service for that plate , so asked her, nope, but kinda lonely here not much trucks here, you wanna play some 500 , sure, i cant pass up a game, so i wacthed the truck's roll thru, few came in, it was neet too wacth the numbers light the panels, but she was a very nice lady and we even wrote a few times, i think she wanted too get even on cards, but yes most scales are just doing there jobs , keep everything neet and in order you be fine.

 

That pic look's like the one off hwy 71 in mo @harrsonville.

 

I saw someone had mentioned the speed limit and distance signs at the coop. Whatever the speed that is posted happens to be, DO THAT SPEED. Don't do under it or over it. For the rolling weigh that is set up in most of those, that speed is the optimal speed for an accurate weight reading. Pay attention to the signs, as they usually say 'MAINTAIN' XX MPH.

 

The exception to the speed thing is if you have a short trailer. We used to pull 40' dumps and if we went the posted 30mph it would show us as speeding and pull us over the scale every time. We needed to be 5 to 10 mph under the posted speed. Other than that Lilbit you're right and I had forgotten about that little tidbit.