The other day, I drop a load off at a DC, head to a truck stop 10 mi away, and BEEP...get a preplan. I accept, get the load assignment, and go thru my normal routine to get ready to depart. I get directions for both ends of the load, i jot down my fuel route on my windshield, etc. The directions to the shipper were pretty straight forward: I-30 to hwy 59 turn south to 7th st, turn east to Kilgore turn south, 3rd building on left.
Okay....i get to the turn onto Kilgore, and notice a barricade with "Road Closed to thru traffic" sign on it. The actual 'work' being done, is in an intersection 200 or so yards down the road. Looked to me like 3-4 buildings could have fit within the couple hundred feet i saw before seeing road work. So......i swing out to make the turn. I didnt swing enough, and stopped before knocking over a barricade. I was out of the lane of traffic from the road i was turning off, so i hit my 4 ways, parking brake, and got out and moved the barricade. As i get back into the truck, a city worker comes flying up, gets out, and says "road is closed.....where u going?" I told him, and he motions it is past the closed intersection down the road.
Great....now i have to back into traffic. So I think about it, then decide i had better call for help. I call 911, only for the operator to tell me that "normally, they dont help 18 wheelers back out into traffic." WHAT THE.........HUH?!?!?!?? did i just hear this lady tell me they dont normally lend assistance? Isnt that part of their ..uh... JOB?? after calling 911, i call the phone number to the shipper to ask for directions. THE DANG PHONE NUMBER GIVEN TO ME IN MY LOAD ASSIGNMENT IS NOT EVEN A VALID NUMBER !!!!! And nowhere in the directions does it mention anything about road construction and the need to take a detour.
Anyway, cop shows up, stopps traffic for MAYBE 30 seconds, and i proceed on around following the detour and get to my shipper. THEN i notice one of the trucks that had stopped in my path near the barricade, being followed by a city cop. I get out, and the cop walks up to me asking me if i was lost. I responded with a little chuckle, "not anymore". Already flipping thru his citation book to give me a ticket before he even stopped asking his question. Then asks me for my DL and insurance. ARE YOU F----LIPPIN KIDDING ME!??!?!?!??!? I do the right thing by calling 911 for help, and i'm getting a @#$ !@#$ ticket??? When i try to explain that it was an error in judgement that i tried making the turn, it was a judgement made with incomplete information. But anything i said went in one ear and out his @ZZ...cause he didnt even hesitate writing that ticket.
what bill shatner that is. And the kicker, he needs his hand held, so he calls a seargent, and then he calls someone to do an inspection on my truck/trailer.
I'm beside myself at this point. Still wondering just what in hell i did wrong to deserve a ticket. Not only is the guy doing the inspection going over my truck every little square inch....finding nothing wrong, i can tell he is getting agrivated. He finally finds one of my trailer tires "slightly" (his words) under 2/32". And then i get the ticket for "Disregard Barricade".
Still have yet to call and find out just how much the ticket for me is. As far as the equipment ticket, i am hoping i dont get tagged with paying it, but i am sure i will.
anybody have any suggestion to fighting this? maybe getting it reduced to a warning or something??