Where in the FMCSA regulations do it say about drivers being stopped without reason?

Pretty much this. They dont even really need a valid reason. Hell ive been pulled over and inspected before for everything from my shirt and seatbelt matching colors and the officer not seeing my belt on me. To because my truck was covered in mud from being offroad to get a load and thinking i had wrecked or gotten stuck shortly before the inspection.

CMVs are heavily regulated and as long as you are as legal as you can be you shouldnt need to worry about it.

 

Brand new trucks get stopped too. I was bringing a new T800 down from the dealer and got stopped for a "random inspection". The CHP guy said he liked to inspect new trucks 'cause he always found something. Sure enough, two nuts on an airtank bracket were loose and one cab marker light was out. And yes, he wrote me for that stuff.

 

I thought they liked them because it was a quick clean inspection.

 

I got pulled over recently in IL.
Low and behold my airlines had defects and I was put out of service.

About 6-8 inches below the glad hands the airlines (both red and blue) has an odd wear that exposed the cords.
There is no way it was from rubbing on anything; it looked more like the hoses were shaved down with a sharp blade.
I was inside the truck while the officer was 'inspecting' things.

This guy was all smiles and friendly during the whole thing.
He offered me a choice of heading to the rest area a couple miles down the road or he would escort me to the Love's at the last exit (the on ramp of which he chose to pull me over from).

I have no actual proof of foul play on his part, but I have suspicions.

 

That's what I encountered one time...got a level 1 on a new bobtail, and he appreciated that I had disc brakes.

 

They like that, too. They also like to inspect trucks with a two or three month old sticker. They figure that on a newer sticker like that the driver might be letting a few things go, thinking he's not due for another inspection.
On an older sticker a guy tends to keep everything up to snuff, knowing he's due to get pulled in. That's the way the local creeper cops see it anyway.

 

Tell your boss that if he doesn’t know they don’t have to have a reason, then he needs to seek another profession because he’s too stupid to own a trucking company.

And yes, I’m serious.

 

Y’all have to love coming to SC when I retired DOT had to inspect 4 trucks a month. They would sit at a paper mill here because 90% of our logging trucks shouldn’t be on the rd. It’s that bad. So 4 quick inspections and unless they had scale duty they would call it a month.

 

This is incorrect. He can INSPECT your vehicle with regards to FMCSA guidelines. He cannot SEARCH your vehicle without probable cause or a warrant. You do not waive your right to unconstitutional search and seizure just because you drive a CMV.

 

Miss typed inspect