Agreed, were are the hot spots for chicks this year ? BTW F the D.O.T and there nonsense.

 

Actualy I do care. Sometimes, I think the Ports don't though. The equpment we have to use out of those ports are garbage. I sometimes spend 20 to 30 minutes looking for the best posable chasi. I'd say over 60 to 80% of the 20 ft chasis have bad brakes, almost all have a missing or bad tag light, breaks are substandard, etc

 

That is correct geeshock, DOT knows that also. It's surprising they don't pull you guys more often, maybe they have a little bit of a soft spot knowing they could pull each and every container truck and shut you down. Hopefully they will be nice to you if your out and about during the blitz.

 

Virginia is practicing.

Georgia is practicing.

Mississippi...is practicing.

Louisiana is practicing.

Texas is practicing.

Oklahoma........is practicing.

Kentucky............is practicing.

Tennessee..........yup....they have been practicing too!





Those were all the states that I saw active inspections being done in, over the last two weeks. Virginia pulled me around back at Roanoke. The officer looked at my left front steer as he walked up to the truck sipping his coffee, and packing 3 clipboards. He looked at it twice and at me twice....then he walked past the cab and looked at the drivers...then back at me. The things he noticed. All new drives and steers. New slack adjusters, shock absorbers, torque arms and bushings. He walked back to the cab and said "Get out of here driver. Yer wasting my time." New brake shoes and drums are also in place...but he didn't bother to look that far.



Next is replacing......the truck??





:hellno: :hellno: :hellno: Naaaaaaaaaa! Not only no...but hell no! It's paid for...and I have stuck to much into repairs the last 6 weeks!!


I might get a driver's seat though!! One that swivels....and has a massager!!


Do you suppose I could get La-Z-Boy to make me a new seat?? :thumbsup:

 

yup, I've often thought of that. I do everything I can, my lights always are working, and I make sure there is some meat on the brakes, inspections are up to date, no flat tires, etc. When I get on the road though I usualy end up replaceing a light or 2. The chasis are not air ride so those cans take a beating going down the road. I do my best to get a "good" one but with so many bad ones out there it's hard to find a good one.

 

You know that sounds like a good thing...DOT not inspecting you but it probably isn't. How are you ever supposed to get the clean inspections that offset anything bad that they might find..like a nail sticking out that new drive tire that you picked up 20 miles down the road.

 

5 level 1 inspections the last 3 years. Zero defects in mechanical or paper. 3 level 2 inspections.....no defects. 2 level 3 inspections....no defects...and in January a level 4 inspection......no defect.

First time for that one....he had me climb up and disconnect the air and electric service lines to the trailer from the tractor. Told me that we were checking my "tractor protection valve". Passed. (When you disconnect with the brakes released, your air is only supposed to bleed off to 65 pounds, if it goes below 65 pounds.........that is a failed test!) It was the only item the man checked. Easy $75.00 to my settlement.

That was Alabama State DOT, on the Mobile Haz-Mat route, at the foot of the bridge over the waterway. And..........I learned something new by going thru that particular inspection. I had never known that test existed...nor that it was even a "parameter"..............:surrender:

Virginia, Maryland, Arizona and Tennessee seem to pull me in the most. NY has done one inspection.....up at Watertown.....passed.


I suspect that, had I had a major air leak...he would not have been disgusted and told me to hit the road. He probably would have pulled dingle berries out of my azz!! :lol:

 

Pennsylvania has also been practicing. A friend of mine who runs I-80 a lot told me that Penndot had set up in every rest area along 80. That has happened to him twice during the last month. Perhaps they will get all this out of their system by the time June comes around. :thumbsup:

 

I must be camouflaged in my SPCR company truck. I have only been checked twice in 2.5 years. One was a "Hazmat Check". All he found was a placard not vertical by 1/4 inch and the word hot obstructed by the placard holder, both bs to write up. The other was a level 2 roadside that I passed.

 

We can expect more states to become much more aggressive as long as they are cash strapped. Trucking makes an easy target.