Mudflap warning in TX.

[Windwalker]

As a "warning ticket" with no dollar figure attached, I'm not too concerned about this ticket. I do know that by looking back through the mirrors, you can not see the mudflap. If the sun is right, you can get a look at the shadow it casts on the road, but guage the height of it while going down the road from that shadow, and you're better than I am.

Now, from the cop's point of view, if the lower edge of the mudflap is about the middle of the axle, knowing the height of the tire, he could say it's over 8" from the road surface. But, as to just how much over that it actually is while you're driving, he didn't even try to say. I've not talked to anyone that was fined for it, but it does seem as though they are using this to "get a foot in the door" to check anything and everything else out. That's where the tickets come from. It simply gives him cause to stop you, and the rest of your ducks better be all in a row.

What I would be curious about is, "does this affect the company's SAFE STATS"?

[moe]

The stop probably had nothing to do with the mud flap, it was more likey a drug check. That is a major drug trafficking corridor. I use to run the valley every week for three months of the year for several years, and almost every week I would get stopped{they look for O/O type trucks and especially reefers and dry vans), I've been stopped by local, county, state and transport police as well as border patrol. They would use any excuse they could to stop and look you over. Once they pull you over they then can find probable cause for a vehicle search. they don't stop you to search you, they just want to get a look and take it from there. Ameture drug smugglers (truckers) will break into a sweat or act odd when stopped, and they watch for the tell tale signs. You said he was friendly, they want to converse with the subject long enough to look for a give away. If they search and find drugs it helps to show they had a reason for making the initial stop. Most law enforcement wouldn't embarrass themselves over something so trivial as a mud flap stop. Of course there's always the exception and we could all tell stories about that. Now just to avoid any argument, I am not talking about getting hassled on the scale or during an inspection or getting pulled over for a missing mud flap, I'm just saying thats a real hot spot for incognito drug inspections and it's a good chance thats what that was. I haven't been thru there in a while and maybe things have changed

[golfhobo]

Man, I would love to join in here and tell my story of getting pulled for a mudflap, and paying for a Logbook violation.... oh, and "HOW I LEARNED the rules of OOS orders."

But, I just barely had time to see that KC0iv had already done so, and that my "OLD" friend WindWalker had flipped out over it.

But, I gotta wonder... With all the trucks I see going up the road and the mudflaps "flying", has anyone else been told about this? Just a warning, and not a ticket. No money to the State of Texas.

Okay.... NOT a "flipout." But, I would have expected such an experienced, and "seasoned" driver, with many years and miles on the road MORE than me, to have "recognized" and been aware of.... so many "local and state rules" that the FMCSR's allow, that will give ANY DOT LEO a "reason" to make us their "first RANDOM CMV inspection" of the day!

[Rockjockey]

These people are not supposed to pull you over without just cause. If there isn't a good reason then they can always make something up.

They have all the just cause they need...just 'cause you are a truck driver.