Dot question

[tknight]

Will a passing dot inspection reduce the effects of a failing inspection my friend "nameless"called to ask me that because the carrier he drives for has asked him to go into as many scales as he can and ask them to do an inspection cause he will pass.i told him its like "peeing into a fire while drinking gas" he agrees but the owner of the co. is insisting.

I would never subject a driver to a deliberate inspection it's just like giving them a blank check!

 

[paullud]

It will increase the safety rating assuming the officers don't get annoyed and find something to fail him for.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using EO Forums mobile app

 

[ATeam]

I would never subject a driver to a deliberate inspection it's just like giving them a blank check!

We once had a fleet owner who encouraged us to go in for a voluntary inspection so as to save the cost of getting a DOT inspection at a truck stop. This was before CSA.

The truck failed because the officer found a loose U-bolt "up under there that is hard to see." We were required to get it fixed before our next dispatch. That cost deadhead, down time and the owner paid $800 to have all truck body U-bolts re-tightened. All of them required heat to bust them loose. Don't ask me why the owner had that done. Some things he did made little sense to us.

The Washington state officer was annoyed at being asked to do a voluntary. When he asked me why I wanted it, and I said my fleet owner is trying to save the cost of a DOT, we got what we got.

On the other hand, I know several expediters who go in for voluntary DOT inspections for that very reason and it works well for them.

Still another angle on this is a friend of ours who is well acquainted with the scale cops at a certain scale in his state. When he needs a DOT done, he goes to them and gets the sticker. The truck is in good shape. There is no funny business going on. He just knows they are "good guys" as he says. He does not fear them and takes care of DOT that way.

Now leased to Landstar, and now in the CSA age, I'd be reluctant to go in for a voluntary DOT inspection.

First of all, if you are cited for anything, Landstar requires it to be fixed immediately. And that may not be all that cheap or convenient, depending on where the inspection is done. Second, a violation stays on your CSA score for three years. That's a stiff price to pay for something that might be picked up at a truck stop inspection instead.

Landstar requires DOT truck inspections three times a year. They pay for them if you pass. If a violation is found, you are required to fix it NOW. They don't mess around.

With free inspections provided, and with the requirement to fix it now if something wrong is found, we plan ahead and go to Landstar-approved inspection facilities that are close to Volvo dealers. And we go early in the week so if parts are needed, they can be ordered. We do our best to keep our truck in compliance, but also feel that the fewer interactions we have with scale cops out on the road, the better.

 

[moose]

the law of unintended effects.
CSA is a %tange base system.
a carrier safety rating is determined NOT base of his safety record, but on his performance in compare to other carrier it's size..
there are 2 ways for a carrier to improve it's safety rating. one is to let time pass. other is to get clean roadside inspections.
while clean roadside inspection MIGHT improved carrier safety score, they will do nothing to improve drivers score.
there for, many trucking carriers PAY drivers for a clean inspections, there's simply very little incentive for a driver to volunteer for inspection. {but there's whole lot of risk}.
if "nameless" care about his CARRIER safety score, then he should try and help him up.
BTW, in it's third year running, 68% of all carrier's out there still did not had enough roadside inspection to have ANY CSA rating. or in other words, we're fighting the windmills.

 

[ATeam]

the law of unintended effects. ...

Part of the conversation yesterday with Louisiana DOT officer who passed me on a Level 2:

Officer: (Handing me the form to sign) Here you go, no violations.

Me: (Returning the signed form) Thank you.

Officer: Do you get any special bonus for this?

Me: No, not really. But Landstar appreciates the clean inspection.

Officer: We don't go anywhere near a truck stop after October.

Me: Why is that?

Officer: Walmart pays their driver $500 if they get through the year with good inspections. They mob us for inspections near the end of the year. (Joking) I'm thinking that if they get paid $500 for passing an inspection, maybe we should get paid $500 for giving one.

Behavior changes are cascading through the industry as drivers, carriers and DOT officers adjust to CSA. It is something new to DOT to have drivers mobbing them, eager to be inspected. I can also see some officers coming to resent that a clean inspection, for which they get nothing extra for, is worth $500 extra for the truck driver who gets it.

Go ahead, officer, please, please, crawl under my truck so I can earn an extra $500 today.

Why would a carrier pay that much money to incent their drivers to get clean inspections? For the very reason Moose points out. Scoring is relative. As scores improve, they must continue to improve for carriers to look better than others.

That sounds good on the surface but if you think it through, this relative scoring system is logically unsustainable.

 

[tknight]

It has a lot to do with the money , it's just reversed a little by the rewards!

 

[Monty]

That's kinda silly ATeam ... if the officer does not have time, or is targeting another group, why should he then even care? He is out there to inspect, if the driver is getting an incentive, that really is of on concern to him. (Though I do understand the thought process).

He can just say no. No?

I remember one time, in the pouring rain, on the Indiana turnpike when I was pulled over in my Roberts Express D truck when I was inspected. I asked the lady doing it why she chose me, her answer was. "I needed another inspection for the day, and Roberts trucks always inspect easily, with no mistakes."

So, (in that case), I was being "used" by the inspector, why is it unfair for us to "use" them also?

 

[JohnMueller]

Really good post.

Yes, "new", "good" inspections will eliminate some of the negatives from previous inspections. Keep in mind that "Violation Free" Level 1 inspections can legally take the place of a required DOT Annual Vehicle Inspection. Check with your carrier for their policy.

I would not encourage drivers to "request" inspections. As mentioned, inspectors are not going to be easy on you if they know you are requesting this inspection to receive a reward. We all know they can find "something" if they want to.

$500 for a clean inspection is excessive. Since the inception of PTL in 2003, we have given $50 Savings Bonds, $50 Blue Beacon truck washes or $50 Amazon gift cards for Violation Free Level 1 inspections - all long before the inception of CSA. We appreciate the drivers passing the inspection, and the drivers seem to appreciate that we acknowledge their efforts.

Thanks,

 

[moose]

when a bear perform an level3 at the chicken coop, dose it really matter to him if the truck passes or not?
sure, their job is to take the bad actress off the road, and if they see a good candidate, they will probably look closer on him.
the problem starts, when bad actress are tested more often, therefor %tage wise, a violation will have less effect on their records. {that why WM pay 500box}, while an 'uninspected' carrier can ramp up severity points real quick as a result of only one or 2 violations.
that's only one of the core problems with CSA, it's dose not recognize 'unsafe carriers', it recognized 'uninspected carriers'.
this phenomena works really bad for small IC's.
on the other side of the spectrum, large carriers, who works in an one% profits margin environment, are now intoxicated into an never-ending rush toward safety perfection. it's insane.
far as the driver safety records concerned, there is actually a very good incentive for getting a good inspection. while it will not show on your PSP/DAC, it will show on your personal DVIR. that record ONLY available for LEO's of all kinds, but not for public revue. still it's show. if you ever be charged with a crime, such record can be used for your advantage {or against you}.
However, in recent months we see the FMCSA taking such records and specifically declaring a DRIVER 'immediate hazard' and taking him off the road. now that's police state for you.
when it's all said & done, if you consider your self 'safety oriented', keep your ducks in a raw, and have some time to kill. volunteering into a level1 can be a good idea. BTDT.
least you'd be looking good by your peers.
yah, dispatch might be upset of delay in traffic, but safety will calm them down. check with your carrier upfront to see their policy.

 

[ATeam]

$500 for a clean inspection is excessive.

If I understood the officer correctly, and even he might have been incorrect, the $500 was not for a clean inspection but for a clean year that included a clean inspection.

Any driver who considers $500 excessive has the option of returning $450 of it.

 

[pearlpro]

Ive had FIVE DOT inspections since December, three in scales and two roadside.....I finally got the sticker I had never been given and when I went to the truck wash they blew the **** thing right off....Ive not had the bad experience I hear lots of guys talk about, I have encountered some grumpy DOT people but if you persist with the YES SIR, and get them the paperwork, and everythings good its been my experience they just want you gone.....

I dont think going into a scale saying COULD YOU INSPECT MY TRUCK is a great idea, its not really there job to conduct that kind of inspection, there looking for Issues, Bad parts, Bad Brakes, Obvious stuff that YOU each day should correct on your Pretrip, Do you carry Spares for Bulbs, Valve stems, Lenses, Headlight, Grease....I DO....and its saved me just recently when I was pulled over for a front turn signal being burnt out, I said I HAVE A BULB RIGHT HERE and produced it installed it and he said HAVE A GREAT DAY....

The most recent real tuff inspection was there on I 64 at Offalon IL....The "Contractor" who was doing the inspection was strict, he went down a checklist, he wanted to know if I knew how to do air leakdowns, and Slack adjuster inspections and what was the slack allowed in a steering wheel....etc...I knew the answers and he was pretty impressed....

He gave me my sticker that got washed away, I went thru that scale this week to try and get another, they didnt have any !!!!!

 

[zorry]

I'd be concerned about five inspections in that period.
Are you with a bad carrier ?

 

[ATeam]

That's kinda silly ATeam ... if the officer does not have time, or is targeting another group, why should he then even care? He is out there to inspect, if the driver is getting an incentive, that really is of on concern to him. (Though I do understand the thought process).

He can just say no. No?

Of course he can say no but I understand the reason for avoiding truck stops late in the year to avoid the requests. If I wanted to take my coffee break, I would not want to be interrupted with a seasonal surge of requests either. It's not about that ability to say no. It's about the ability to take a break that is really a break, I think.

 

[pearlpro]

No Our carrier has a great CSA score.....its just the roads I travel, and those wonderful BLITZs, ALL OUT DAY, BRAKE WEEK, etc....theyve all been on different scales or roads, Once was on a TN road out in a very rural area.....another at a TN scale .....then Minnesota, North Carolina, and IL.....I have a Super good CSA score and work hard to keep it that way. But they have been all done in three months and I think thats a waste of Insopectors time, they should keep a database of recently done trucks and give you at least a 3 month pass....sticker or no....

 

[BobWolf]

Voulenteer for a DOT inspection?!!
The saying never catch a falling knife comes to mind.


I voulentered a couple times for a DOT and They found a trivial item to catch me on. You know the licence plate light that dosent shine up the plate in the first place?
The only thing that will decrease your score is time. Now if you have an O.O.S. clean inspections will decrease your average O.O.S. rate but the points are still yours just the same.

A New York, in fact most State Heavy Vehical inspection and sticker is the equivelant to a DOT inspection.
I do have a DOT packett filled out and have the shop fill out, stamp, and stick the lable on the inside of my drivers door at eye level. And I keep the paper inspection report in the truck. Even though you dont get a CSA sticker and it wont appear on your CSA report most DOT cops will give you a wave by if its recent especialy if you have several passing inspections. Most troopers can scan a sticker and have it show up and your state inspection history. Its worth the $20.00 a couple times a year.

Bob Wolf.