Tips to avoid trouble with DOT officers?

I am a new CDL graduate.

What tips do the veterans have for avoiding trouble with DOT officers? I want to have all my ducks in a row each time I pull into a weight station so I never have to go thru a head to toe hassle session.

 

When you cross the scales, have a clean dash. Some drivers dash looks like a trash can was dumped on it. That's a signal the driver is may be fatigued or just sloppy with everything else such as pre-trip inspections or paperwork or logs.

 

Clean dash is a great one.
My mentors said that everything should be strapped down, nothing flapping, and not looking like granny should be riding on top!
Do a good pretrip, know your equipment, and be current on your paperwork. That way you will be confident and that will show.

 

1. Every company gives you the green and white bible. The DOT regs book. Most of what you hear about the DOT is fearmongering tales, and lunch counter talk that's nowhere near being true. Want to invest in yourself? Read the bible. Can I get an amen, @Pedigreed Bulldog?

2. At least once a week, find a clean section of pavement somewhere and crawl under the truck and do an inspection of the brakes and the air hose. Check your tire pressure. Look for wheel seal leaks (you will see a wet, greasy spot forming at the bottom of the brake drum). Every day, check your lights. All of them. Especially your license plate light on the trailer.

3. Good pre planning. Don't be one of those empty head Braindead non driving steeringwheelholder that just jumps in and drives. The better you are prepared, the more knowledgeable you are, the less you worry about the DOT. They have a job to do. So do we? Our job is to get freight moved from point A to point B safely without issue. If you are having problems a lot, odds are pretty good that you didn't prepare.

4. Read the signs. ALL of them. Anyone that's driving a CDL and cannot read signs is a danger to everyone and should not be driving. Someone started a new sidewalk sissy thread about that stupid girl that went over that 6ton bridge and dropped the bridge. No simpathy. She didn't know? She should have educated herself before proceeding. All you have to do is verbally ask your smart phone how many lbs is 6 tons. People who think they can go through life being stupid are Darwins and Darwins get no simpathy.

 

The overall appearance says alot. Both you and the truck. They open the door to speak to you and crap falls out it tells them there is more. Treat them like you wish to be treated. I think I have been asked for my log book once in the last 3 years. Its not like you will have a lot of contact with them

 

I like to ask a dumb question.

How can I check the push rod travel distance by myself. I can build the air pressure and hop in the cab and step on the service brakes, but I cant hold the brake peddle and hop out the cab to check the travel distance of the push rod at the same time.

I have to ask someone to assist me every time I do a PTI?

 

OP, what Six says about reading signs is just the beginning...what do I mean? As an example in my town the exits and entrances to the interstate are a little misleading to some people on the west end. Many times a driver will turn out of the flying j and head toward downtown thinking the entrance to WB I-80 is near the spot where they got off. They end up going down the hill and panicking because they are suddenly in a neighborhood with houses and the street gets a little narrower. Then they start looking for a place to turn around and end up in places they don't belong. What they don't see is the signs that say business loop 80. If they understood what these signs mean they could just stay on it and end up back on the interstate. Reading the signs without understanding their meaning can lead to trouble.

 

Checking rod travel isn't something that any one I know does everyday or even once a week.

 

A few years ago a trucker got a violation on a DOT inspection in MN for having a sleeping bag on his bed vs sheets and blankets. Hopefully this was just one instance of DOT being overboard. Don't miss going into a scale if one is open and sign says all trucks, even prepass sometimes does not let you run by without stopping in
Also, follow the speed signs when going to a scale house, is what the husband says, and stop the way you are supposed to stop on the scales, he's seen trucks not follow the rules and get sent around back for more detailed inspection. Some states will have portable scales and DOT will setup at rest areas, NY state is one of them.

 

I wouldn't check it everyday, maybe once a month is good enough. But how to do it alone without asking for assistance. Ever seen someone mount a camera to check the push rod travel distance alone?

Guess I am just over analyzing.