what can a driver do if his boss says drive a truck that will not pass a dot inspection

well it would get fixed might get fired

 

It is amazing what people pass off as "advice" isn't it?

 

I take it you pay the driver for fixing your truck

 

It's not a stupid question at all. A cammed over brake isn't common any more but they happen from time to time. They seem to happen more to the trailers than the trucks but they're still rare.
Wear is one reason, and improper adjustment is another.
If one of our trucks is in the woods thirty miles from the pavement and maybe seventy miles from the nearest town and he gets a cammed over brake it's good if he can get it loose himself and head for town. The rig then goes directly to the shop.

I

 

Yes we do. We pay hourly and that includes breakdown time. They're not required to work on the truck but all of them do if need be. If it's a major safety item we'll have the truck towed or bring it in on our lowbed.
Usually we're just like everybody else that runs mostly local, the driver writes it up at the end of the day and the shop fixes it overnight.
And, honestly, we'd rather pay the driver to fix a minor problem that gets him back on the road than pay him to sit along side it.

 

If you're for sure the trk isn't safe then you flat out say NO.

 

Sounds fair to me. So how does one go about fixing the brake in the field? I'm assuming you have to get the brakes spread apart using some means, perhaps using vice grips to clamp them to the drum?

 

I got to the point i wouldn't hire anyone that had less than 10 years experience, was 40 or older, and married with children. That weeded out 98% of the undesirables but every once in a while you'd get a guy that just didn't get it. They had what i call union mentality. Gotta put the truck in the shop cause changing wiper blades ain't my job.

 

A few things will lead to a cammed over bake. A guy never adjusting the slack adjusters is one, however auto adjusters have been on the market long enough that its rare to see manuals. Which sucks for guys like me. I much prefer manual slack adjusters, absolutely nothing to go wrong with them.