Where is everyone #5

All something to do with how air flows around the truck.

 

Parked at the #72 MM on I-10 westbound last night when I was done. Found out that the little Shell station had a dirt lot out back for trucks so I pulled around back and shut it down for the night. The gas station and the little Mexican restaurant next door close at 10:00PM on the dot.

Walked in to Angie's for some breakfast burritos and they did not disappoint. Bacon, Egg and Cheese was good but the Chorizo and Egg was awesome. Two big burritos for $6.00 and I was off to Chaparral, NM to deliver this morning. What I didn't realize in the dark was that there is a DOT substation across the street from the gas station. ####-it. I look across the interstate and DOT was waiting for me. I made the turn to get on the ramp and he flagged me down.

Where things got interesting was being told I was going to be placed Out of Service because my load was a hazmat load and I did not have the proper placards in place. I explained in vague detail that the load was considered non-hazmat and that I did have a hazmat endorsement. So, before anything else transpired he contacted the lead hazmat instructor for the state of Texas for clarification and to help him interpret the law.

He put the lead hazmat instructor, Steve Smith, on speaker and let me talk to him. I just happen to have a "Letter of Interpretation" from USDOT that clarified why my load was considered non-hazmat even though it was marked as a Class-9 material. See, I was hauling Tesla-built lithium ion batteries. I had 5 pallets and each one consisted of an 8' tall steel enclosure and inside this enclosure was a large lithium ion battery. Since the load began as an international shipment each pallet was classified as Class-9 bulk hazmat material that does not require placards or a hazmat endorsement for the driver while the shipment is being transported domestically. The inspecting officer did not know this. So, after about an hour on the side of I-10 it was finally determined that the load did not require placards.

I told the officer that these came from a warehouse at the Houston City Docks/Port and that there were several hundred more of these batteries on their way westbound on
I-10. As I was telling him that two more trucks passed by hauling the same batteries from Houston.

He handed me a copy of my clean inspection and I was on my merry way. After thinking about it for a while it could have turned crappy real quick with an OOS Hazmat violation because the law is open to interpretation. I think things would have gone very different had I not had the USDOT letter of Interpretation in my possession that explained the regulation along with citations to the FMCSR. Glad it got worked out with the best possible outcome.

Now I'm headed back to San Antonio with a load for United Rentals to drop on Monday morning with a good load going to Ohio.

Note:

If anyone would like a copy of the USDOT letter of Interpretation I can post a link to my OneDrive account and you can download it for your own use later if you ever experience this situation.

 

oh cmon Chester

Even the bar stock here at Quaker’s in steeles tavern is larger than that



you can do better

 

That is a strake fence. The idea is to make the air flow in a straight line. Probably a freightliner. They put them on the pillar to keep the the turbulence down between the pillar and mirror. Keeps the mirrors cleaner.

 

Can never go wrong with a nice cold one and some Southern Rock on a Friday night.

 

Pure prairie league, Did you know they are from Ohio?

 

Seen them on Freightliners and Volvo both today.

 

Parked in Laramie now. I was cruising along and passing box Jockeys left and right. Which really isn't anything new. However, I'm doing 80ish (speedo stops at 80) and I'm passing guys like they are standing still. Wtf is going on? These guys have their flashers on and they are driving on the shoulder. I can't figure it out. Then about 5 miles or so up the road there were like 10 or so trucks laid over. Huh......kept on a going. I've never really been a box Jockey so I dunno about that. However, I really couldn't tell it was windy. Just didn't feel like much. Obviously, they thought otherwise.