Ok Everyone, LET ME HAVE IT! Poor it on hard!

[highway star]

.

I know one thing is a fact, they pick on small trucks because they are easier to process through to meet their quotas.

That's true. My truck was only a couple of months when I was pulled into Georgetown, Ky. for a level 1. The officer said because it was a new truck I'd be out quickly. An easy inspection was what he was after, not a concern about safety. This spring I was pulled in the Ms. scale on 20 and I had a current sticker, so I thought it would just be paperwork. Nope, another level 1.

 

[Suds43]

Suds: if you'll reread the post, the truck with 8 failed inspections is the truck they 'had to get out of', not the current one.
But I'm wondering, Yesteryear: you said the deal was you pay fuel & get 100% FS - how does the owner explain the shortchange? And what does he say when you inquire about getting paid? I know I'd be asking every day, if money owed was overdue!

Your right Cheri.......reread my comment 'after' submitting it........lol
my bad........

 

[Suds43]

That's true. My truck was only a couple of months when I was pulled into Georgetown, Ky. for a level 1. The officer said because it was a new truck I'd be out quickly. An easy inspection was what he was after, not a concern about safety. This spring I was pulled in the Ms. scale on 20 and I had a current sticker, so I thought it would just be paperwork. Nope, another level 1.

Samething always happened to me highway star.......my owner always kept us in newer Pete's & KW's.......kept them nice, lots of chrome, lights, etc.......was my job as the driver to keep them looking good......We'd always get pulled in for an inspection, even after crossing the scales empty. I asked the officer one time why and he said because we had a nice looking truck and knew it would be an easy, quick inspect..........alot less to do on straight trucks than a tractor trailer and it still was counted towards their quotas for inspections.........
Didn't bother me, knew I would pass and looked good on the DOT computer system that we'd never had a failure.......

 

[cheri1122]

Yep, you can get inspected because the LEO believes it'll be easy, or because they believe they'll find something.
You can also get stopped for speeding by an LEO who'll give you a break [on a minor overspeed] because they know your license is critical, or one who won't give you a break, holding you to a higher standard.
Life is full of surprises - I'm glad some of them are good ones, lol.

 

[purgoose10]

If you have proof, get an attorney and attach the truck, very easy. And please stop beating yourself up over it, we all learn lessons the hard way. But I must ask, if your running team with your husband, where is he?

 

[purgoose10]

OVM, we do a pretrip. Every violation but one ( and let me remind u the blinker was working when we left Laredo, I am pretty sure it bounced when I hit that enoooormous pot hole when you turn there at the light between the FJ and the TA, I tried to miss it but it caught my back wheel) which was the blinker. That 1 blinker was the issue on 2 of the DOT's as the 2 DOTs came back to back. We did stop at the TA in New Braunfels to have the blinker fixed and was told ( I have the reciept from the TA saying no work was nessacary the blinker was working fine) there was nothing wrong with it. (and was charged 19.95 for them to say nothing wrong). Went down the road got pulled over again and again it wasn't working. Come on guys it could have happened to any of you and you all know it.
Then a broken strap on a fire extinguisher. That was another failed DOT! Come on, the top holder was secure and the bottom strap was secure. As long as it was secured why would it matter that 1 of the 2 straps was broken. Not even completely broken, just almost? Then reflection tape another failed violation. How many of you have reflection tape on the TOP and BOTTOM of your bumpers. I made it a point to look at other trucks and very few have any reflection tape at all on their bumpers moreless top and bottom. There was reflection tape on the top how did I know it had to be on both? Another failed DOT was the tag was bent, I kid you not, the guy put it as a violation that the freaking tag was bent where the wind was whipping at. That happens to these straight trucks all the time. Get real. Another one was the back DOT bumper had been bent. Paaahleeeese! Everyone take a look at all the truck around you and see how many have bent dot bumpers! Get real! Another failed DOT was wiring coming from the blinkers! Officer said if you could see a wire when walking up to a truck it was a violation!
If all these piddly little things were violation then why did they all come from different officers during different DOT inspections in under 2 months, actually about a 6 week period? Why didn't the first DOT inspection name everyone of these violations the first time instead of each one coming up with some piddly little thing! This is such a DUH situation and u guys know it. But if it makes you feel good to say "Oh I am the great driver it would never happen to me" then go right ahead. Just don't be honest about it and hide it under your belts because I would just bet each of you truck drivers (doubt the vans as you don't have to put up with crap like this) have something that has happened. It was quite clear DOT wanted that truck off the road. There was NOTHING mecanically or safety wrong with the truck. DOT could not find anything so they nit picked it! It happens. That is why we are NOT IN THE TRUCK! We returned the truck because it was being targeted by DOt AND IT WAS OBVIOUS! Excuse me for believing in a company and thinking they would come through for us. I reported it after the first with the wiring! And might I add I fixed every little thing they could come up with. How were we two know it was going to keep happening. The weekend with the 3 DOTs, one friday one saturday and one sunday was the final straw we called the company and told them if they could not come up with another truck we were returning their truck and we did report it to our carrier! These DOTS happened in a very short time it is not like it was a long drawn out affair!

Oh yeh that's what I like a Woman who'll fight back. You go girl.

 

[DannyD]

Overall I'm w/ Yesteryear on this. I think she got boned in a lot of ways. I do agree she should have dug a bit deeper into the non-working light issue at the TA. Overall though, she put her faith in people/company that she liked & took a bad truck. Ok, maybe that wasn't the best decision but I don't see a need to nail her to the cross for it.

You know, that cross that looks like a "T" in A-Team?

Overall, this stuff CAN happen to us. Vans don't have the CSA to worry about (at least not yet) but I can see where if ya run into the wrong person doing the inspection ya can be in for some tough times.

I had a starter replaced a couple of months ago. Wouldn't ya know it I get to a delivery, loaded, & then the van won't start again. While they're calling security, I tried it a few more times & it starts up. Loose wire in the starter. Did the mechanic do a bad job or did something fluky happen? I don't know. What I do know is I did the best I could to take care of my vehicle & these things can happen.

We all make the best decisions we can at the time. I remember driving almost straight thru to Texas on about 3 hours sleep. Looking back I was an idiot & won't do it again. At the time of the decision though, I thought it was the right thing to do. I can absolutely see where Yesteryear is coming from. Maybe not 100% perfect in her decisions, but hey, only a few on here can be Jesus Christ Jr.

Oh, this also makes me glad I'm not in a straight truck or TT. I had actually considered one about a year ago.

 

[pjjjjj]

I may be, the point is that the CSA 2010 doesn't seem to go across borders.

Why don't you get to the point and spit it out and tell us what you are referring to exactly?

 

[ATeam]

What I do know is I did the best I could to take care of my vehicle & these things can happen.

We all make the best decisions we can at the time.....I can absolutely see where Yesteryear is coming from. Maybe not 100% perfect in her decisions, but hey, only a few on here can be Jesus Christ Jr.

When a six year old tries something and fails, a parent will often comfort the frustrated child by saying the kid did his or her best and that makes the parent proud.

When a high school football team plays its heart out but finishes the season with a pathetic record at the bottom of the conference, the coach might tell the players they did their best and for that they get the coach's respect.

People learn growing up that doing your best counts for something but when we become adults the harsh truth becomes known. There are people out there who do it better than us and in many cases, doing your best is not good enough.

CSA 2010 puts a new standard on drivers and many will be washed out of the industry because of it. If you cannot take responsibility for the truck you drive (like refusing to drive a junker truck when it is presented to you), and do not learn the rules and are not proactive ahead of time to detect and correct truck defects before they are cited, you are doomed.

You are doomed to be washed out of the industry not by bad luck or the CSA points system. You are doomed to be washed out by drivers who are better than you at focusing on the right things and keeping a truck in good repair.

You will be washed out of the industry for two reasons. First, the drivers who are better than you will accumulate lower points and, even if you do your very best, you will get more points and be washed out because of that.

Second, you will be washed out because there is no extra credit in the CSA system for doing your best. The standard is not set by your best. It is set by the rules and if you cannot rise to that standard, doing your best counts for nothing.

Children get extra credit for doing their best. Professional truck drivers rise to and exceed the standards of the day.

 

[skyraider]

When a six year old and tries something and fails, a parent will often comfort the frustrated child by saying the kid did his or her best and that makes the parent proud.

When a high school football team plays its heart out but finishes the season with a pathetic record at the bottom of the conference, the coach might tell the players they did their best and for that they get the coach's respect.

People learn growing up that doing your best counts for something but when we become adults the harsh truth becomes known. There are people out there who do it better than us and in many cases, doing your best is not good enough.

CSA 2010 puts a new standard on drivers and many will be washed out of the industry because of it. If you cannot take responsibility for the truck you drive (like refusing to drive a junker truck when it is presented to you), and do not learn the rules and detect and correct truck defects before they are cited, you are doomed.

You are doomed to be washed out of the industry not by bad luck or the CSA points system. You are doomed to be washed out by drivers who are better than you at focusing on the right things and keeping a truck in good repair.

You will be washed out of the industry for two reasons. First, the drivers who are better than you will accumulate lower points and, even if you do your very best, you will get more points and be washed out because of that.

Second, you will be washed out because there is no extra credit in the CSA system for doing your best. The standard is not set by your best. It is set by the rules and if you cannot rise to that standard, doing your best counts for nothing.

Children get extra credit for doing their best. Professional truck drivers rise to and exceed the standards of the day.

Great response, reminds me of the military, we got washed out by the those who could do it better, by those who set the best standard, thats the way it was, no crying please.

 

[greg334]

CSA 2010 puts a new standard on drivers and many will be washed out of the industry because of it.

Actually all this is really doing is reinforcing the standard that already existed in the first place. It doesn't even shift the burden onto the driver, that burden has always been there.

For most who do things as a normal routine, this does nothing to strike fear into us or to make us change anything we are doing to begin with. For us, our pretrips are done the same, our logs are done the same, our maintenance is done the same. The only difference is just simple awareness that they may inspect us more often and the possibility they will nitpick about stupid things.

With the amount of BAD drivers and trucks that need repair for all kinds of things, this may be enough to put people who should not be on the road as professional driver off the road.

An interesting question came up the other day that may matter to some;

Can the CSA 2010 score be used against you if you get into an accident and if you are sued in court?

 

[cheri1122]

Contrary to A Team's 'holier than thou' attitude, I don't see where the OP's truck could be called a junker that "she should have refused" to drive. As Greg points out, we're talking about minor, largely unknown regulations, [some of which have never applied to straight trucks, until now, when it's a possible revenue source], not safety items that should be caught and fixed immediately.
Also, A Team's statement that the OP "proceeded as if the violations meant nothing" is an outright lie, countered by the statements already made by the OP, who addressed every violation promptly.
I'd be glad to see the unsafe and/or careless drivers taken out of the mix, but when conscientious drivers are being harassed by nitpicking 'violations', that is unreasonable, and we should be concerned.
I sure wish they'd put this level of effort into getting and keeping drunk drivers off the roads!

 

[greg334]

But Cheri ... you missed the point ... <<<edited>>>

You know what I mean?

 

[x06col]

Contrary to A Team's 'holier than thou' attitude, I don't see where the OP's truck could be called a junker that "she should have refused" to drive. As Greg points out, we're talking about minor, largely unknown regulations, [some of which have never applied to straight trucks, until now, when it's a possible revenue source], not safety items that should be caught and fixed immediately.
Also, A Team's statement that the OP "proceeded as if the violations meant nothing" is an outright lie, countered by the statements already made by the OP, who addressed every violation promptly.
I'd be glad to see the unsafe and/or careless drivers taken out of the mix, but when conscientious drivers are being harassed by nitpicking 'violations', that is unreasonable, and we should be concerned.
I sure wish they'd put this level of effort into getting and keeping drunk drivers off the roads!

I'd suggest Missy, that you begin to bone up on the "little known" things in your trade and what "does" these days pertain to straight trucks. Crutches appear in many forms and maybe this is the FMSCA way of kicking those crutches. Dunno? Regardless, any infraction it appears will be costly. so.....i'd suggest y'all start figguring a way to cut your losses. There is a good chance in my mind that there are way too many people out there right now that are typing on their computer, when they should be wigg'lin wires, as an example. And yes, Phil's got it right, wash outs are a comming. And if you don't "wanna" measure up, i'd be locating and dusting off that Nurses cap, or, whatever hat they have worn in the past. Consessions I feel, are THING OF THE PAST. And y'all should be concerned!!

 

[davekc]

There needs to be uniformity in what is being inforced by each state. All to often many rules/regulations change or there are numerous intrepretations of the same law depending on the officers motives. Some are safety minded and some are revenue collectors.
One can do all they can to ensure their vehicle is safe and still be vunerable to a problem.
Flowery stories don't change that reality.
Sometimes it can be just plain luck.

 

[x06col]

OMG! There is that four letter word again. But, isn't that what this business is all about?? Fun, luck and travel.

 

[davekc]

OMG! There is that four letter word again. But, isn't that what this business is all about?? Fun, luck and travel.

Absolutely

 

[truckblue]

so sorry for your situation. there are bad owners and bad drivers. i had a bad owner....no pay...of course, the 3 week wait for the first check thing kinda puts you in a hole if the money doesn't show up. he had one excuse after another. but, 1 week after no money, i was out of truck, cut my losses, and found a decent owner. whtt doesn't kill us, makes us stronger...and a little wiser. You are not the first to get burned or the last...keep your head up and move on.

 

[cheri1122]

I'd suggest Missy, that you begin to bone up on the "little known" things in your trade and what "does" these days pertain to straight trucks. Crutches appear in many forms and maybe this is the FMSCA way of kicking those crutches. Dunno? Regardless, any infraction it appears will be costly. so.....i'd suggest y'all start figguring a way to cut your losses. There is a good chance in my mind that there are way too many people out there right now that are typing on their computer, when they should be wigg'lin wires, as an example. And yes, Phil's got it right, wash outs are a comming. And if you don't "wanna" measure up, i'd be locating and dusting off that Nurses cap, or, whatever hat they have worn in the past. Consessions I feel, are THING OF THE PAST. And y'all should be concerned!!

Thanks awfully for the concern, curmudgeon, but they're not gonna wash me out, ok?
I got a Level 1 sticker last week, a Level 2 roadside with no violations 2 days later, and I just finished 'borrowing' Skyraider's van to stand on while putting reflective strips on the top corners of the barn doors. [Easier than arguing with an LEO who says they should be there, right?]
I believe it's mainly a revenue grab, and I'm not giving them mine if I can avoid it.

 

[ATeam]

... 1 week after no money, i was out of truck, cut my losses, and found a decent owner. whtt doesn't kill us, makes us stronger...and a little wiser.

It is amazing how willing people are to stay stuck in a bad situation because they are unwilling to take a loss. "Cut my losses and move on" are some of the most powerful words in business.