I was stopped by DOT other day in Ohio..... im curious

I was 15 minutes in violation. I was headed home from grand rapids to Chicago for the weekend. I got pulled in at the wb I94 scale in Indiana. "Your weights are fine, just going to do a little inspection" I handed my logbook like it had been audited by Price Waterhouse. I started asking him about making a right hand turn from 2 turn lanes, if anyone remembers that thread. In short, I acted like everything was in order and he was not the enemy. I left with a clean inspection sheet.

 

It can definitely be hit or miss. Got pulled in for an inspection at a scale in MD on 70. First cop asks for my log book. I didn't run over the weekend but I forgot to add it to the book before I started my Monday page.

He asks me where they are and told him I didn't run and just forgot to add them. He tells me to update it before I leave and instructs me to pull forward.

The next cop (just about 30' past the first one) is all over me like white on rice. Freaks out over my book. Then the other cop comes up and completely covers for me so the crazy cop backs down.

It really is the luck of the draw out here. You can do things to help put the odds more in your favor but the bottom line is the house always wins. You will indeed lose no matter what from time to time.

Its just not worth it to gamble for me. I avoid scales like the plague. I always route myself around scales and avoid as many tolls as possible along the way.

I don't care that it adds time and miles onto my trip. At least I can plan and budget for them instead of rolling the dice with the government.

 

It's like any other job, you have nice people you work with and complete total ######## too. I can tell you as a retired police officer there were some fellow officers I couldn't stand..total pricks. For some reason folks act like officers are perfect..they ain't like in any other profession.
As far as telling the officer to #### off that's the wrong thing to do..DOT doesn't need probable cause to stop you... America is going to #### because of this attitude...this used to be common sense and drivers should know better. No it doesn't give the officer the right to be a weenie,.just be nice for God's sake....if he isn't complain to the supervisor afterwards ..

 

Absolutely not. If a police officer gives you a lawful order, you MUST comply. By lawful order, that means if they are in uniform and ask/order you to do something reasonable. They can't ask you to do the hokey pokey or pick your nose but they can absolutely tell you to roll down a window, shut off the truck, open a door, step out of the truck, show them your hands, etc.

Trying to pull that "I kNoW mY RiGhTs" routine is fast way to wind up in handcuffs. The side of the road is not the place to argue your point. Obey the officer and fight it in court.

 

In court 1500 miles from home? Good luck.

 

I'd rather be in court 1500 miles from home than in handcuffs 1500 miles from home.

 

You didn’t get taught in CDL class that the dot can pull your over for any reason or NO reason ?

that being in a commercial vehicle you have none of the few rights you have in a private vehicle ?

in a commercial vehicle they can Pull you over with no “reasonable suspicion “ that you have committed a crime , and inspect the vehicle and search it with no “probable cause “

Reasonable suspicion is required to pull a private vehicle but that’s easy , if they don’t have any they can make it up

same with the propable cause
If they don’t have any they can just make it up .
Right or wrong , they have the gun and the ticket book and you don’t .

cops are all gung ho tough guys until it comes time to confront a school shooter . Then they become cowards .
But on the side of the highway doing a commercial vehicle inspection , they are large and in charge .

 

I grew up five miles from there, it was the first weigh station I ever went through (as a teenager driving a tow truck). I just took a look at it on Google street view and can’t believe that Maryland hasn’t replaced it with something a little bigger. It’s a dumpy little shack!

As for the original post, only a fool gets shirty with the police. And only a total fool thinks that they have any privacy rights in the cab of a commercial vehicle.

 

As much as I get irritated watching these sovereign citizens waste their time, I also remember the Bill of Rights were written for law abiding citizens. I didn't forfeit those rights when I became a driver. The Supreme Court has held that drug dealers have the right to not have unwarranted tracking devices put on their car. In what equitable world do I not have the right to tell the police "no, you may not search my truck"?