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That's good, so some good may have come out of this, Nightwolf, but this still doesn't change the fact that YOU the driver who are responsible NOT to drive an unsafe vehicle, did so, knowingly. Be glad they didn't fire you too, for driving on the bad tires.

You have to understand, in the old days before even the CDL, those of us with Chauffer's licenses didn't have near the ammunition to force a company to maintain their equipment as you do now. We essentially had to quit, in order to not have to drive a death trap.

The CDL was the first codification that required a class of license stipulating the difference between a chauffers license of a state (a less rigorously tested commercially used license), and a Federal standardized Commercial Drivers License requiring the training and testing of a driver's knowledge of the safety requirements to properly operate a big rig. Prior to that, anybody with a chauffer's license could drive something they weren't trained for.

I often laugh when new drivers say they weren't properly trained or told how to do this or that. In the old days, some of us, were thrown a set of keys and told to try not to hit anything or kill anyone. That was our training, other than maybe a quick lesson in clutching and shift pattern. Everything else relied on our own common sense, sense of self preservation, practice and this goofy green and white book that they kept giving us when we started working for a company, getting a physical..etc.

--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Motor_Vehicle_Safety_Act_1986
Notice there's nothing in this description about companies and carriers. Drivers were the weak link in the chain in enforcing FMCSA Regulations, and it is still so today.

Prior to CSA, the carrier still had no incentive to maintain their vehicles, enforce HOS, etc. Oh, they may say they were trying to DOT, all the while blaming it on the driver and their lack of control, while at the same time, talking out the other side of their mouth something different to the driver. Intimidating them, squeezing them, mostly using the drivers own desires (getting home, making money, etc) against them. You didn't think those heart to heart chats and discussions to get to know one another was for your benefit did you?

Prior to CSA also, some of the law enforcement community understood the driver's plight and may have tried to help them, by ticketing the company for obviously faulty equipment and violations that companies had more money to pay for. It was discretionary for the officers then. Companies, of course, complained again this was the driver's fault, they had no knowledge ... blah, blah, blah. Because BFI's and less scrupulous carriers were just filling seats with bodies that didn't know how to read let alone comprehend regulations, the Feds took the next step

Well, everyone was passing the buck so much, they had to stop it somehow, so... CSA comes along and....viola, now a driver's violation (who does get the ticket and fine and points now) and the company gets points. Because of the threat of becoming a high risk carrier that may be shutdown, shipper's start paying attention to these ratings and now a carrier gets hit where it counts. Money. Now they have an incentive to maintain their vehicles and make sure the driver's they hire DO THE RIGHT THING.

The regulations require everyone working for a motor carrier :

It also requires:

Before they could ignore you, pay the fine and be on their way. The new system weights and changes scores and for the first time, HIGHLIGHTS their problem areas, so much that a shipper would be mad not to heed the threat to their cargo.

When you hear the term grow a pair, this is what it refers to. You have to realize, unless you're a total jerk (abandon loads, always late for appointments, etc...) you are an in demand commodity AS LONG AS YOUR PSP STAYS CLEAN. Driving bad equipment and getting popped for it, killing someone...are what will truly keep you from being employable.... so grow a pair and DEMAND they do their job, like they demand that you do yours. Otherwise, getting fired will be doing you a favor in the long run.

And yes, I've quit jobs based on equipment, had to get home etc... Yeah it sucks...but jail time sucks even more, and I ain't gonna be Bubba's plaything, so even though you think we're getting down on you, accept that you screwed up, and take what we're telling you to heart. The thing these companies don't do is tell you how to face them down over safety issues, but they want you to be safe. Grow a pair.