Another DOT horror story

Welding man · Sep 14, 2012

Friend of mine got pulled over the other day in company truck. Did complete inspection. No defects except the windshield washer container was empty. Ticket, fines and costs $168.00. Hasn't been too many years ago trucks didn't even have windshield washers. Safety my A$$. It's all about generating money for the states.

730d se · Sep 14, 2012

The DOT game is similar to the DUI game. I know folks that have been driving drunk for years and never been caught. They may never, but, if and when they do, it stings.

souNdguy · Sep 14, 2012

down here in fl.. we call it revenue enforcement.

if by accident, they happen to do something to increase safety while fleecing your wallets, it's surely an unintended side effect that they live with in the name of making money any way they can.

soundguy

Meangreen · Sep 17, 2012

My dad got fined one time by the DOT for unsecure hazardus materials. His fire extinguisher was laying on a shel in his truck and not strapped to a wall. Made life fun with the insurance company too.

mkirsch · Sep 17, 2012

Revenue? That $168 ticket probably cost the DOT $300 to process! Between the DOT officer's time inspecting the truck and doing the paperwork, plus all the backoffice personnel and computers and mailings and judges and lawyers...

When are people going to wake up and realize that it is NOT a revenue generator?

showcrop · Sep 17, 2012

(quoted from post at 06:33:16 09/17/12) Revenue? That $168 ticket probably cost the DOT $300 to process! Between the DOT officer's time inspecting the truck and doing the paperwork, plus all the backoffice personnel and computers and mailings and judges and lawyers...

When are people going to wake up and realize that it is NOT a revenue generator?

$300.00 Are you serious? that would be if it were private enterprise handling the whole thing. With gov't. workers doing the whole job the cost would have to be more like double.

Dean Olson · Sep 17, 2012

Here in Harris and Fort bend counties, Houston TX, the LEO's generate
an operating profit above and beyond the cost of services. It's all public
records.

Do some looking around on the web. It may cost money in rural areas
but around here it's about the money.

Fort Bend County has a 4% solve rate for burglaries. That means 96% go
unsolved. There's no profit involved in catching burglars.

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Sep 19, 2012

Ok maybe not revenue generation, you're contributing directly to deficit reduction....

Dave Sherburne NY · Sep 20, 2012

Sounds like a politicians reply. The DOT officer is going to get his pay whether he is in the coffee shop or inspecting the truck. All the office personnel will get their pay whether processing the ticket or leaning on the copier drinking coffee. The judges will get there pay and the only loser will be the lawyer who won't need to be hired to defend against a stupid ticket which raises $168 in revenue.

mm585 · Sep 20, 2012

The dot sucks a_ _! Why did the dick pull him over in the first place? The dot dicks know if they look hard enouff they can find something wrong with 99% of the vehicles on the road. If the dot isnt about raising money for the state then wouldent a warning ticket have been okay??

Anonymous-0 · Sep 20, 2012

The 38 years I drove I went through a lot of spot inspections. I know they check wipers but they never checked washers. It is safety issue in the winter because if you get passed and they slop you with that road spray and you can't see it is a safety issue . Somebody talked about fire extinguisher and they have to be in a holder not just laying on flour ( got a warning for that one). As for inspections there is no rhyme or reason to how they do it. I have asked DOT officers and was told they pick at random and they do stop older trucks.

ericlb · Sep 21, 2012

interesting post especially as 2 of our older rigs dont even have washers , and the 3 that do i think 1 of them actually works, [ problem solved by carrying glass cleaner and towels in the trucks] lol several ways to look at at that stop first the dot cop is probably on very shaky ground with that ticket, most judges will throw that out, another instance of the rules being open to interpretation by the individual cop, second the truck must have been in great shape for the cop to have to stoop to the washer resivor to actually find something to write a ticket on,if your stopped by the dot, your getting a ticket, even if the cop has to make it up

Welding man · Sep 21, 2012

That is the trouble around my part of the country,it is not about safety. Every deputy sheriff, state trooper and even the town cops that make minimum wage are getting DOT certified.They have to generate revenue to pay their salaries. Another friend got held up the other day for an hour and fifteen minutes while the Town DOT cop read the DOT manual to find something to cite him for. THese stories are not made up they are real.

showcrop · Sep 22, 2012

(quoted from post at 06:07:39 09/21/12) interesting post especially as 2 of our older rigs dont even have washers , and the 3 that do i think 1 of them actually works, [ problem solved by carrying glass cleaner and towels in the trucks] lol several ways to look at at that stop first the dot cop is probably on very shaky ground with that ticket, most judges will throw that out, another instance of the rules being open to interpretation by the individual cop, second the truck must have been in great shape for the cop to have to stoop to the washer resivor to actually find something to write a ticket on,if your stopped by the dot, your getting a ticket, even if the cop has to make it up

Last time I got a full inspection, after about 15 minutes the guy started telling me how great my truck was. Another ten minutes he told me that I was getting a CVSA sticker. So he was filling out the paper work when he noticed that one of the tabs that holds the strip on top of the frame for the body to come down onto was broken at the weld. I had welded it up before but it just broke again so I left it. So he told me that's OK you're still getting a sticker, just make sure you fix that OK? Kind of the other end of the spectrum I guess.

Secret Squirrell · Sep 22, 2012

If it is not a revenue builder, I don"t know what is. Think for a minute, how else are they getting money? They are already out there, so it costs very little extra to write tickets. Our shop services trucks, and went on a dot out of service call last week. This was practically a new truck used by a reliable carrier in our area. The driver told us that he was detained at the spot where we found him for an hour and a half. He stated they climbed all over it. He was there an extra hour plus waiting for us to secure the parts and make the repair. So the truck was idle for roughly three hours along a busy 4 lane highway at the point of the on ramp to said 4 lane. Drivers entering the 4 lane did not have a clear view. On top of this, the truck was put out of service because of an air line from the tractor protector valve and the trailer. The cop told the driver the air line had a bad spot. The lines were perfect. I bet in court that same dot officer could not pick out the "bad" line out of a pile. We all want safe highways no doubt, but if this practice persists, we will all pay through the nose in high freight costs.

willie in mn · Sep 23, 2012

That has to be a new one for me. Over the years, travelled in 48 states, have never seen a roadside inspection, mostly at scale station/port of entry, or sometimes set up in rest area. In that case trooper was stupid, didn't care about his own safety doing it beside busy highway.
Have seen some other stupid things when a breakdown required towing. Plan should be to clear things up as quick as possible. Follow up on this later
Willie

the tractor vet · Sep 27, 2012

Oh then don't come to Ohio and travel US 30 as they are thick out thru there from Canton Ohio to the west end of the state.

730d se · Sep 27, 2012

Have your friend appeal that charge if he has time. That is so wrong.
A windshild washer system is still an option on some vehicles, which deletes it entirely from a "standard equipment fault or failure".
Besides, show me a windshild washer on any truck that actually does much more than spread bug guts or clear some dust.
A clean windshield is only achieved by good glass cleaner and towels or a good truck wash machine.

mattwillson · Oct 5, 2012

Just another case of fundraising. Not having a spare gallon of washer fluid in ontario will net you a ticket and points too. It's bull crap, even if you pass a level 1 cvsa inpection you get points on your cvor. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.

504 · Oct 7, 2012

I get inspected three or four times a year and only one time in the last ten years was it at a scale. Always on the side of the road where I am not supposed to stop within 5 ft of the traveled road. All Haz Mat all of the time. I will never argue with an Officer on the side of the road, that is what an attorney is for.

Another DOT horror story

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