Refusing to help a officer perform a inspection

Being cooperative and cordial has gotten me out of a few tickets in my life. You can read the attitude of an officer from the beginning, and if they are an AH, best just to shut up and follow their requests rather than making things worse.

I had a very nice DOT officer in Oregon write me an OOS ticket last month. As he approached my diver window to ask for my license, I took off my driving glasses to talk to him. He saw me do it and saw them around my neck, but wrote the ticket anyway with a big smile on his face. Sometimes you'll get a ticket no matter what you do.

 

If I get stopped driving my personal car and am asked for drivers license and insurance what do I do. Do I help the officer by getting them out of my wallet and glove box or tell them to get them. I may not have my drivers license with me and don't want to in ruminate myself.

Just a bunch of crapp. Cops are like everybody else. There are aholes. Most are fine.

 

Where was that? He put you oos for 10 hrs?

 

i was only inspected twice, and that was in my earlier years.. all other times, it was (like in CT), roll onto the scale, hit the brakes, while a DOT cop watches them light up, and then GO.

i see no rhyme nor reason to at least turn on any switches they ask of you or push down on the brake pedal.

simple things that do not require too much effort.

 

Seems to me that OOIDA’s argument about ELD’s getting tossed out of court should be an indication to these truckstop lawyers that citing the 5th amendment may not get you far when you’re working in a federally regulated industry. This isn’t driving your car up and refusing to roll your window down at a sobriety checkpoint. It seems to me that it’s easier to cooperate with the officer and get the inspection done because the next step if you don’t could very well be getting placed out of service until you get a mobile mechanic out to inspect your truck. Especially if your truck doesn’t appear to be in top shape as the officer is walking up and he thinks you’re hiding something by refusing to assist him so he can check brakes, lights, etc.

 

What was the end result in this matter? In the videos the guy posted it wasn't clear to me what happened in the end, or did I just miss it?

 

Good job driver.
Now every time one of your other company
Trucks roll thru the scales they can be harassed
To know end.
Making his coworkers job miserable thru
No fault of their own.

I would love to know what the owners of
The company would think if they saw his video.
I would terminate him immediately for bringing
Unnecessary Heat on my company.

Nothing good can come from this.
Now you put a target on your company.

 

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Yeah, I just bought one them fancy ROKU t.v.'s down at Wal-Mart and don't know how to use it, can you send an officer over to help me?"

Crazier things have happened.

 

SMDH there’s one born every minute.

You do understand what the difference between discovery of evidence and self incrimination means don’t you? In which case do you think the officer had reasonable cause, and clearly written procedure to follow?

Don’t answer. You’ve already said enough.

 

OK here is what I am told by a few lawyers. not internet lawyers, these guys practice law in this area of rights and such for regulated industries.

YOU as a driver are responsible for the truck and its safety equipment.

not the carrier

not the shipper or receiver

BUT you as the driver.

YOU make a declaration of the condition of the truck every time you drive it or change shifts and this is either done by reporting defects by creating an MVIR or reporting the truck has no defects by not creating it but either way, there is an assumption that you have declared the truck safe.

YOU also have an obligation to demonstrate the truck is meeting the safety regulations during any inspection, either law enforcement or when you do a pre-trip.

If you are asked to demonstrate a safety feature or asked about something that may be defective - YOU ARE OBLIGATED to demonstrate it or explain it.

There is no "regulation" but there is a requirement to uphold your responsibilities as a driver.

The thing is, to me it is counter productive for all of us to act like an ******* to any officer. This is a regulated industry and the more crap we DON'T do, the less CRAP WE get. The officer can screw with a driver, god knows what crap they put up with when they deal with the dregs of our industry, so anything we can do to get passed an inspection and out of there makes everyone involved happy.

I had two drivers who pulled this crap on officers, had is the keyword. The first one screwed with an officer I know, she pulled the truck over as a routine, he was belligerent and told her he doesn't have to do anything. I saw her a month after it happened and she just mentioned it in passing as if it wasn't a big deal, he was fired when I got back to my Indiana yard. The other I got so pissed off over (long story and a bunch of lost money), I had my floater and his wife fly out to Arizona to get the truck, he was fired right there in the truck stop with his personal belongings sitting on the concrete.