DOT...

[HiTech]

With the hauling of the heavy chip vans the DOT have been on the prowl. If only the SP regulated the car traffic like that the roads would be safer to drive on.

[Autocar]

I agree one hundred percent,everyone is in a hurry to go know where. I haven't been pulled over for a long time and I hope it stays that way, gets me wired up when your trying to beat the weather on a logging job and you get pulled over for forthy five minuites or so while they look your truck over. I hear it is only going to get worse  :.

[sawguy21]

I know it is frustrating for the haulers but they have to do it. Every so often they go on a blitz here and the numbers are frightening. I'm not talking a burned out marker light, worn mismatched tires, improperly adjusted brakes, wheels not properly torqued seem to be common.  A couple of years ago, a loaded cement truck went out of control on a street closed to heavy vehicles, ran over a car killing the driver then rolled. Report was the truck would have been parked and towed upon inspection.
There is a certain element that seem to regularly push the limits with junk equipment. They pay the fines do the minimum necessary to put the vehicle back on the road and carry on. It is just part of the cost of doing business but gives all of you a black eye.

[Woodhauler]

Don't get me started on the d.o.t!!! They S...k!!!!

[loggah]

YUP!!! Ditto, like a bunch of nazis!!!! N.H. is full of them ,out of control!!!

[Mooseherder]

The public would be better served if we shifted 90 percent of the DOT into checking vehicle service providers like Tire Dealers,  Car Dealerships and mechanic garages.  That is the real crime in this country not the people on the road going to work. 
The dealership tried to charge me 792 dollars for u-joints on my truck.
I showed up to the dealership and told them I needed u-joints.  When they told me the price, I said bring my truck back to me.  They said that will BE a 120 dollar diagnosis charge.  It got ugly from there.

[ABTS]

It would not be so bad if they  would weight you and when your under let you go . But no way now we have to do a inspection . Come hell or high water they will find something . But when you see that boat trailer along the road with a blown tire and no spare which un Wisconsin you are suppose to have no problem .Or the car with no brake lights. Sorry got off on a rant. I know they are trying to make things safer but the trucks are not always the problem.

[redprospector]

In 1982, just before I got out of trucking, they would pull us over about once a month and give the truck a quick look. I was hauling gravel, so they usually didn't weigh me. They would just look at the scale ticket and write me up for over gross. We all called it "paying our due's". The government saw trucking as a revenue source and has mined that source for all it's worth.
Sounds like you guy's "due's" are quite a bit higher than they used to be.
I don't really think DOT's trying to make anything safer, it's just another source of income for the state's. If they wanted to make things safer they'd do more about the DUI situation, not to mention the plain old idiot's that they issue operator licenses too.

Andy

[Banjo picker]

A log truck hit the rail road bridge on MS 30 this morning somewhere about 2 oclock. That's in ne Miss. near the little town of Paden...He was too tall.  A pickup wrecked in his logs.  By the time we got that cleared up one of his sister trucks in the same outfit came through, and they had to let air out of his bags to get him under the bridge...I am not in enforcement and I know how it can be, I been there my self, but if someone wasn't out there to keep the "few" in line it would sure be a mess...Banjo

[Autocar]

I agree there has to be someone to keep everyone on the same line, I would rather go some where once a month and get my truck inspected by them but that will never happen because theres hundreds of them, they would lose there jobs that patrol the roads. Saving tax payers money buying less S.U.V.'s that wouldn't make any sence  :.

[ladylake]

YUP!!! Ditto, like a bunch of nazis!!!! N.H. is full of them ,out of control!!!

Gestopa looking for money along with the DNR.   Steve

[Kansas]

I gotta tell this story about having too tall of a load. Friend of mine worked for a company years ago, and one of the other workers took off with a too tall load across town. He took out traffic light after traffic light. They finally got him pulled over. He coolly looked at whoever pulled him over, and said, its okay. I have an overheight permit!. That didn't fly at all. Guess he figured if their were overweight permits, and overwidth permits, there must be an overheight permit.

[Gary_C]

Guess he figured if their were overweight permits, and overwidth permits, there must be an overheight permit.

Actually there is a combined overweight/overheight permit available. And even though there is a multiple trip option, each trip has to be logged and recorded. And you have to provide a route for the planned travel.

On the overheight trip, the normal height restriction is 13.5 ft but the roads are supposed to have a clearance of 17 ft everywhere. However some overpasses do not have the proper clearance so that is the reason for logging each trip and the state will provide you with clearances for the trip. In Minnesota the DOT does provide a statewide map showing low and posted bridges along with width of roads but you still have to notify them of your route as things change.

The other problem with heights is in some towns the cable service provider was allowed to hang fiberoptic cables below the power lines and they are too low. Also some of those traffic lights do hang too low. One local farmer took all the fiber optic cables out in one town with his fold up field cultivator. When he saw or felt the pull, he just stopped and unhooked the cables and went on.

[Ken]

They are called commercial vehicle enforcement here and certainly maintain a visible presence.  Although it can be a real pain to keep trucks up to standard given the conditions they are worked in, it is necessary.  These are loaded trucks weighing 100K+lbs and need to be maintained and driven properly.  If truckers here do not keep their unit in good operating condition the authorities will continue to target that vehicle to ensure it is either repaired or retired.  I guess that is why our trucking costs average nearly $100/hr.