So if I refuse a load due to a failed pretrip ......

Here is a post from you 4 years ago - I apologize for this, but I don't believe you are money hungry, and it seems to be a repeated trend.

And yet, here you are. Take a good look in the mirror.


Company driver here sitting at unilever receiving. I arrived on time and they tell me they don't have anyone there to unload me. I ask when I can expect to be unloaded and they tell me they are uncertain, "just go wait". I asked if they will sign a detention form and of course they refuse to sign a detention form. I call dispatch and dispatch tells me to put in for detention. I told dispatch don't talk to me about detention unless its going to be paid in cash because every time I put in for detention I never see a dime. I told dispatch to have the csr contact the customer to get clarity on when I will be unloaded.

I cant believe truckers put up with this BS, I cant believe some guys actually think of trucking as a career. And continue to do this work for 5,10,20 years ....What a joke. I feel sorry for anyone putting up with BS like this for 20 years. I am quitting trucking as soon as can.

 

Are you sure about that? It says 'some of the FMCCRs.' I doubt a missing license plate is one of them.

"The Coercion Rule explicitly prohibits motor carriers, shippers, receivers and transportation intermediaries from coercing drivers to operate in violation of certain FMCSA regulations, including the drivers' hours-of-service limits, the commercial driver's license (CDL) regulations, the associated drug and alcohol testing rules, HMRs, and some of the FMCCRs."

 

sometimes you gotta play the odds a little bit. if you have some minor problem that isn't a safety issue and you are going somewhere you rarely have DOT pressure I'd definitely roll with it. Same situation and you have to cross a scale you've had extreme DOT pressure before then maybe yeah don't roll.
I ran my new truck without a license plate(it was sitting on my floor board) for 3 months. why? because I haven't seen a DOT in 4 years.. I used to cross the scale near Fremont NE dang near daily and trucks would roll across there all the time with missing lights or wire holding the truck together and never got stopped. in a couple hundred times crossing I only got pulled in once because I was overweight.
Play the odds

 

"Money hungry." I wonder if this is the old "Run Hard Get Paid" guy from years back who made the video about dispatch trying to force him to drive when he was sleepy since he had worked 20 minutes in the middle of his 20 hours of break time.

 

I dunno - if you go back in a members forum posts, you usually find trends.

When I started - heck even to this day, you just find a solution. Keep at it until your head bleeds from the brick wall, or you get through and learn what led you to the bricks.

 

Details, this is like if someone asked a question "I have a truck I need parts for my bus but the tires have a flat spot on the bottom"

 

I ran with a missing plate for 6 months at least. Wa issues two plates, my rear plate fell off. Never had an issue. I don’t even think this is a csa issue, I may be wrong on that though.

obviously you’re not that hungry. And you do have higher standards then DOT if you’re putting trucks out of service for simple fix it ticket violations.

 

I like your post.

If a tag isn’t on a vehicle, and a LEO blue lights and notifies you, what happens next? LEO will ask for the vehicle registration. Whose responsibility is it to make sure the vehicle registration is with the vehicle? On a CMV, it should be part of your pre trip. Every desk jockey I’ve ever dealt with, even the crappy nights and weekends chump, has been able to send me a copy of registration. For every DOT cop and LEO I’ve ever dealt with, the registration has been sufficient.

“But Six, what happens if the LEO is having a bad day and writes you a ticket?”

Hand the ticket to your company, they will deal with it, no sweat. It is not a safety violation.

There will be problems, we look for solutions. The thing that we cannot do is to draw a line, and be prepared to battle to the death over every issue. Wayyyyy too dramatic. People can feel that vibe. If I am unreasoning, should I not expect other to become unreasoning?

 

I have two thoughts.

First and most important you really don't want to drive for a carrier that places low priority on their CSA scores like that.

Secondly, I have encountered a lot of brokers/load planners who can be very vindictive when one of their loads is either picked up or delivered late. I have seen drivers sit for days at truck stops being punished.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Trucking!

 

I’ve learned that in this game, there’s battles to pick and battles to avoid.
A plate missing? No big deal.
Your trailer should have docs aboard to cover you.
Report it, run your day.
Failed tug test? Oos. Report it, let dispatch find the solution and continue your day.
Light out? Report it, find a way to get it fixed, roll on.
We’ve all got fuel cards. They work at truck stops. Pre buy fuel at the desk and add on the light. If you get pulled for inspection, you have the light and no tools, and a receipt with time stamp showing you at least made efforts to remedy the issue. I’ve never met a dot cop that would hang a company driver for that. Unless you’re “that guy” that is impossible to deal with and makes their life difficult too.
OP, honestly, i think you shot ourself in the foot with this one.
You picked a minor issue to die for, and it bit you in the back side.
Now you live with those consequences, and starve your family for it.
Right or wrong, that’s how i see this scenario.
From dispatch perspective, you screwed the team over something minor, and jacked up their program for the day’s loads and’s the customer needing that product.
Now dispatch has to shuffle things to cover you and that load, make nice with the customer both shipper and receiver, make excuses and apologies to prevent losing the account, and keep everybody rolling.
Were i in dispatch shoes, I’d certainly hook you up like you hooked me up. Bone me in a load and I’ll return the favor.
I like making money.
I don’t make money sitting, i make it rolling and delivering.
Choose your battles wisely, and you’ll not have to worry.
The follow on to your situation is you’ve damaged your reputation with the people that make you money. You caused them issues unnecessarily. You made your bed, now you lie in it and accept the consequences.
I’ve run missing my tractor plate, a light out, mud flap missing, etc, and gotten it fixed as soon as possible.
Was i rolling dirty? Yup.
Kicker being none of it was safety related, except the mud flap.
I grabbed a spare and had it on the truck if o got stopped.
Pick your battles wisely and consider the follow on effects of your decisions.