Logbook language; inapropriate or illegal?

Ok, I'll make this as short as possible. I drive flatbed and was recently pulled over (way out in the countryside) by a D.O.T. officer and cited for not having a red flag on the back of my load. For those not familiar with the rules, a red flag is required during daytime hours and must be lighted at dusk for any load extending beyond 4 feet of the rear of your trailer. The load I was hauling was 60 foot material that extended 3 foot 8 inches beyond the trailer......for the most part. The material wasn't stacked perfectly even and one piece of it actually protruded to 4 foot 1.5 inches, thus the citation.
In talking with the officer I explained to him that I haul this particular load several times a day everyday and haven't ever noticed it extend beyond the 4 feet. He said, yes I know I see you out here everyday, but today you looked to be hanging off a bit too far. I agreed that 4 feet was 4 feet and that I was indeed beyond the four feet even if only one piece of the 120 pieces was beyond the four feet. He gave me a citation that cost more than I was being paid to haul the load. Not wanting to fail the attitude test, and technically bull you-know-what as it was, I was still guilty. Before I pulled back out, I updated my logbook reflecting the time to recieve the citation (on duty not driving of course) and made the follwing entry on my logbook:
thistown, state....cited by d.o.t. for bull**** reason.

Yes, I was angry at the time. Yes I was looking at him in my sideview mirror when I wrote it. Yes it was not very professional. And yes it did make me feel better!

So I get back to work and explain what happened to my dispatcher, even showing him a picture from my camera phone that I took with a tape measure showing the exact distance. His comment was, "Well that was pretty chicken**** of him." I agreed, however the next day he wrote me up (a disciplinary form) for not following the rules basically. Fine, I felt I was punished enough by having to pay the fine and then to get wrote up by the company for the same incident was frustrating. I took it well though, thinking to myself 'lesson learned the hard way.' Now I flag every load, even though I know it's only 3.5 feet or so.

I thought this was a done deal, it has been 4 weeks, I have paid the ticket (which the court knocked off $12 at my request) and I signed my disciplinary form. Now I get called in for another disciplinary form signing session...what for this time? For writing "Bull****" on my logbook entry. Actually, it says "using inapropriate language on a federal document."

Now, as I said earlier, I agree this was not one of my more professional choices for grammar on my logbook, and it IS a federal document. However, it is MY federal document and if I write something distasteful or inapropriate on it and the D.O.T. officer auditing doesn't like it, wouldn't he come talk to me? Or if it is illegal, he would write me yet another ticket right? Why would my company write me up for this? I haven't been written up for ANYTHING in my 22 years of working. Now I have been written up three times in the last 4 months two relating to this extended load and I can't remember the other. You don't suppose it has anything to do with me asking for a raise a month ago and still not getting any response do you?

Now, frustrated as I am for being ticketed, and written up twice for the same incident (although differn't aspects of it) I have asked for a copy of any and all disciplinary forms in my personel file from the human resources person....TWICE. The comment I got the first time was, "I'll have to check with the owner to see if I can let you have that." The second time I asked I heard, "I haven't been able to talk with the owner about this, and I'm off tomorrow, talk to you on Monday."

What do you all think of this fishy situation? Something doesn't add up to me. Thank you for letting me vent!

 

The driver policy handbook does NOT state anything about this...this is a very small company made up of mostly owner operators. I don't want to fight them on anything, I was just curious for my own piece of mind to know exactly where I stand on this issue. It was always my understanding that the logbook was my property and my resonsibilty. Of course I have to submit a copy to the company, I believe within 7 or 14 days, but what the logsheet says or doesn't say is ultimately my responsibilty and as far as I know, other than being professional or not, the language written on it is at the discretion of the writer. To my knowledge there is no "law" against inapropriate language.

I'm not looking to make a mountain out of this mole hill, but I am a bit frustrated with the situation, and am thankful for your input and opinions.

 

No, I'm not an owner-op, I am one of the few company drivers they have.

I should also note that at the tine of the second write up (for the inapropriate language) I did, against my better judgment but in an effort to neutralize the situation, did offer to "correct" the grammatical errors on that log sheet. They of course were happy to have me "correct" their copy....that's what made me mad I guess. I fixed what they perceived to be a problem and assumed that the write up would go away and I would receive a verbal, "don't do that again" kind of thing. Nope...the write up, along with the original is in my personell file.

I'm wondering to myself now, why do I always have to learn things the hard way? LOL