Bear Buster

[Made In Detroit]

Decided to buy myself an early Christmas present. Picked up the Escort Passport Radar/Laser Detector at Best buy and decided to try it out on the way home. It started chirping at me on E/B I-94 on my way to Port Huron from Chicago and the Laser indicator was lighting up so I knew that it was the real McCoy. That little sucker actually picked up a Michigan Bear playing Laser-tag almost a mile before I saw him sitting under an overpass. Amazing! I had heard that the Escort Passport was the best Radar/Laser Detector on the market, but picking up a laser signal almost a mile away blew my mind. I would highly recommend it to anyone, it is well worth the $300.00 price tag. I wonder if I can write it off as a business-expense...

 

[terryandrene]

Not only can you NOT write off a radar/laser detecter on you taxes, its use in a commercial or personal vehicle is illegal in many states.

 

[targuard86]

As a state trooper and trucking company owner I can tell you that when I catch someone with a detector they get no breaks. If they are going 80 in a 55 zone that is what the ticket is for. Most people with a good attitude would get it dropped to 79/55 which is 4 points in SC verses 6 points (same as wreckless driving).

And don't go to the judge asking for help.....we circle the ticket # so the judge knows not to reduce the points or fine.

I tell people the reason I'm not reducing the ticket. The only reason drivers use them are to break the law so when I catch them the get exactly what they have earned.


Andy Lazar
Trooper Transport, inc

 

[TeamCaffee]

We have friends that where caught with a detector. They where doing a little below the speed limit but the highway patrol pulled up next to their truck and then backed off and got behind them and pulled him over. As he says he learned a very important lesson with a huge fine attached. Highway Patrol give no breaks when a detector is involved.

I was also pulled into a scale and stopped on the scale while a DOT inspector came out and jumped on the running boards asking what was on my dash. I had to show him that it was the GPS antenna. He explained that the XM antennas and GPS antennas send a signal like a radar detector and they where inspecting all the trucks.

You are a lot smarter to run the speed limit and save on your fuel mileage then to waste your money on a detector that will just get you a fine.

 

[lanier1]

I use a Valentine in my car. It has saved me quite a few times. The arrows that indicate whether the source is in front, behind or beside help alot. I have also picked up laser detection from around curves and over hills. I don't carry it in my truck and really don't go very fast in my car. I like knowing where they are because you never know how tight they will ticket. The last ticket I got was in the truck on a backroad in Ala. going about 64 downhill in a 55. I was courteous and not denying my speed. I learned a long time ago Yessir and Nosir are the right answers. Yep, he wrote me up. Thanks buddy...

 

[chuckwagon]

Andy, as a former state trooper, I am outraged that you would circle the ticket number which serves as an indicater to the judge not to reduce the ticket fine!
It makes me wonder in your neck of the woods if you circle the 'c' in the word ticket to warn the judge the person coming in is an African-American.
Hey, that may sound harsh, but I use to see other troopers do that all the time.
If you are an owner of a trucking company I would think you would know that the use of the tool you now rave about is illegal.
Yea, you can all say I am being harsh, rude or whatever, but it is little things like circling a letter and that kind of behavior of a law enforcement officer that pushes the envelope of public untrust!

 

[Made In Detroit]

Trust me I did my homework first and consulted my brother-in-law whom is a Sheriff's Deputy and he informed me that the use of a Radar/Laser detector is not illegal in commercial-vehicles in the state of Michigan. He is the one who actually recommended the purchase of the Escort as it is VG-2 undetectable, and any fool who doesn't hide their fuzzbuster under the seat going through a chicken-coop or as they are getting pulled over deserves whatever it is that they get. Anybody who claims to obey all traffic laws at all times is usually lying. I am not one of the mavericks who tries to get away with bending the rules as far as I can but it is not unusual for me to have the cruise in my truck set at 65 Mph and everybody knows that Michigan is a 55 Mph. state. Nobody in Michigan runs at 55 Mph., trust me I have spent my entire life here, we have some of the worst drivers in America. As long as people don't view a fuzzbuster as a passport to act like an idiot but rather as an insurance policy against those times when you aren't paying attention to the speedometer because you are trying to watch out for all of the nose-divers, and you have a Motor Carrier sitting under a bridge whose sole purpose in life is to single out Truckers who are just keeping up with traffic to avoid getting cut-off by every Tom ##### and Harry that can't bear the thought of driving behind a truck for a half-mile or so before they exit the freeway. As I said, I would highly recommend it to those who wish to own one, if you don't then that's your perrogative.

 

[highway star]

I think the regulation for commercial vehicles is federal.

 

[Broompilot]

Chuck yeah that is rude. 80mph deserves much more than 6 points and if he circles it as a user of our highways than its fine with me.


80 mph and a blown tire, deer in the road, or someone swirving to miss them spells almost 100% death. If we in trucks have to go that fast you deserve it even more than 4 wheelers (cause they drive dumb anyway with those devices.) Like they paid $ to break the law.

I have seen enough trucks wrecked cause of speeding in my short time at this, the one thing that just amazes me is how they turn inside out you can tell usually how fast they were going by how much interior is left all over the road. If they are still intact that you can tell what brand it is its usually cause they were doing a safe speed and an accident just happend. But inside out = speed and a speeder in my opnion is just as dangerous as a Drunk Driver.

So Circle on my friend and let all the troopers know I support the circles.

 

[chuckwagon]

Broompilot -

Your missing the point!
I agree he should get whatever is coming to him - BUT - it is not right, correct, or ethical of a law enforcement officer to make such markings on a ticket, arrest docket, or report to 'influence' the decision of a judge.
It should be the ticket, arrest docket, report and the officer's in court testimony that should hold on it's own merit.
Any other action of an officer to 'influence' the decison should scare the hell out of all of us.

 

[highway star]

There's nothing here that should scare anyone. The radar detector's only function is to help someone break the law. Some will choose to put a spin on it, but that's the bottom line. I used one years ago and I gave up on it because of how often it didn't work. Why would any Trooper not want to see these people get the maximum fine?

 

[Made In Detroit]

Isn't justice supposed to be blind? After all a judge is referred to as a Justice isn't he. Police officers are supposed to be unbiased in their judgement as well. Seems to me some people aren't doing their jobs properly. If a person is breaking the law and gets caught they are entitled to an unbiased trial by law, that is how the system works according to the Constitution. Any action by the officer to influence a, "Justice's unbiased opinion", would be Unconstitutional wouldn't it??? Seems to me that the Constitution entitles me to put anything in my truck or personal vehicle that I want to as long as I am not breaking the law, which in Michigan I am not doing so by having a fuzzbuster in my truck. Any questions???

 

[david50]

You cant argue with a democrap

 

[JustUsTrucking]

With an attitude like made in detroit has , he wont be driving for very long. I think the radar detecter thing is federalmotor carrier and has nothing to do with michigan state law. ;-)

 

[highway star]

What does "blind justice" have to do with a radar detector? Nothing. It is absolutely reasonable for a judge to take that into consideration and for the officer to make sure the judge knows about it. As far as it being legal in your truck, I think you got some bad info on that. The ban in commercial vehicles is federal, I believe. Maybe someone else can settle this.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Has nothing to do with Democrat or Republican. I happen to disagree with the circling. If a cop is so insistant on the guy not getting a break on the ticket, let the ticket writer show up in court! Then again... if he's too busy creating revenue for his district/state...

Tar... do your drivers use cb radios? I'm more than happy to use mine to alert other drivers. In essense, they're a fuzzbuster, right?

And, yes, it's in the little green book that you can't use a fuzzbuster in a commercial vehicle.

"If I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know." - Kansas

 

[chuckwagon]

Here is the legal aspect and layout of this - DIRECT from the feds!

TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
CHAPTER III--FMCSA, DOT
PART 392--DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES
Subpart G--Prohibited Practices
Sec. 392.71 Radar detectors; use and/or possession.
(a) No driver shall use a radar detector in a commercial motor vehicle, or operate a commercial motor vehicle that is equipped with or contains any radar detector.
(b) No motor carrier shall require or permit a driver to violate paragraph (a) of this section. [58 FR 67375, Dec. 21, 1993]

The rule applies to interstate commercial motor vehicles with a gross weight of 10,001 pounds or more, vehicles designed to carry 16 or more people, and any vehicle transporting hazardous materials. The rule will also apply to intrastate vehicles in states which have adopted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. In a spot check of 45,000 trucks, the FHWA found 35% were equipped with radar detectors. Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena said that since radar detectors are used to evade speed limits, and excessive speed is a common factor in accidents, banning the equipment will result in safer highways. The ban went into effect January 19, 1994.

This should clear things up since this is right from the people who matter.

 

[targuard86]

I often write G.A. on the bottom of a ticket also. That stands for good attitude. These little markings allow the judge to either help or not help the person before court. Legally the judge can't talk to either party about the case without the other party being present but to be practical the judge’s staff will often take the persons plea (money) before the trial date. If the ticket # is circled they know to tell the person to either come to court when the officer is present on their court date and request a bench or jury trial or pay the fine as given at the time the ticket was issued. If the letters GA is on the ticket, the judge’s staff knows that I (the officer) would not object to them reducing the ticket without me being present. Doing this allows people to handle their tickets when they have the time (assuming they just want to just pay it) instead of having to take time off work to go to court when the officer has told them to be there.

It works well for everyone.........

 

[greg334]

You know this is funny, I can’t tell you how much I want to turn people in for having a radar detector in a truck who just passed me at 80 PLUS MPH.

I don’t care if it is legal or not, most people use it as a way to get away with speeding and one in a truck shows unprofessional behavior of which I seem to find more out on the road now than ever before.

Honestly I am getting tired of the truck on my a** who has to do 80 MPH in a 70 zone – no excuse. It don’t matter who he is, what his reasoning is for speeding or any thing else – he is endangering my life and the lives around him and want to see him ticketed.

Now as for Michigan, I am not aware that the sheriff is the main governing body of carrier enforcement in the state, I thought the MSP was. The a deputy can say what ever they want to say, they have little sway with the MSP, local cops and courts who will make decisions about your case. The one MSP CE I know said she will ticket you with a nice fine and points and it will not matter if you are nice or not, they are told no radar detectors in commercial vehicles – period.

Just an added note here, when you cross the threshold into professionalism, you lose some ‘rights’ in order to do business and be considered a professional. If you can’t accept this fact, than you need to flip burgers or work at a union shop because driving is not a right. I find it hard to believe that people are ignorant to the fact that they are expected to act a little more intelligent than a common person when they cross over.

Oh and also there are LEOs, like the Michigan DNR and US customs for example that can tear your truck apart end to end without a warrant and you can’t do a thing about it. The DNR will not ticket you but if you put up a fuss, they will call someone who will.

 

[rode2rouen]

>
>Constitution entitles me to put anything in my truck or
>personal vehicle that I want to as long as I am not breaking
>the law, which in Michigan I am not doing so by having a
>fuzzbuster in my truck. Any questions???
>

Didn't the Co. you lease to give you a copy of the FedRegs during orientation? (that's the green pocket book)

You ARE breaking the law.

Check out Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation 392.71,(a) "No driver shall use a radar detector in a commercial motor vehicle, or operate a commercial motor vehicle that is equipped with or contains any radar detector."

Fed law trumps MI law.

Any questions?


Rex