ok got a insecure load ticket

Interesting question.

I have wondered that in the past with many of the sealed trailers we had to pick up.

 

I don't think you are going to beat that ticket. You were pulling that trailer so you were responsible for it.

 

If you pick up a sealed trailer at a customer/drop lot and the load shifts it is not your responsibility if that happens. The company should pay the ticket. I always carry extra seals with me and if I pick up a sealed load at a drop yard or a customer, if at the drop yard I immediately break the seal and look inside and replace the seal with one of my own and change the seal number on the paperwork noting seal broken by driver at shipper for inspection. If at a customer I break the seal and still look inside then ask for a new seal. I've never had a problem with a customer after doing this. Notify your company first when breaking a seal, however, and if they tell you not too then ask them to qualcom you that they will be responsible for any overweight charges or tickets if it shifts. If you do not have a qualcom then just do it.

 

First question is what does your company say about it? Will they fight it or pay it for you? Second question is (and I am not trying to be offensive) if the officer noticed that your trailer was leaning so much why didnt you? I think your company should be backing you on this. Snowman I agree with what you are saying but at many places with a food grade load, if the seal is broke and replaced then it's an automatic refusal of the load.

 

If you are driving the truck it is your responsibility. Doesn't matter if it is a wheel seal that is barely leaking,an air line that is rubbed somewhere under the truck that you can't see withou sliding under it, or a load that shifted. If you did not check it and you get a ticket for it that's yours. Might not be fair but that's the way it is.

 

rockee is correct, automatic refusal of load with food at many places, the ticket will stand in a court of law, the thing to fight is "who" is going to be responsible for the payment of the ticket, and will it show up on your psp report, it doesn't say, did he also do a DOT inspection on you since he had you pulled over? The thing that you want to fight is that you don't want it to reflect on your record since it was sealed, also, was the liquid starch "food grade", preventing you from breaking the seal?

 

The questions is .. "what if you broke the seal and inspected the load?" would you have drove different? would you have refused the load? would you have been right to refuse the load or would you have been right to take the load, and drive a little more conservatively?

That said, totes should not be loaded down the center like that with no boards nailed down the sides. Totes are "slick" to begin with on a good, smooth floor.