Author	[Modern View]
Dean Olson 04-06-2011 23:32:09 76.31.42.124 Report to Moderator	Running up I45 from Houston to Dallas, in my Peterbilt & 53' dry van, early this am and the TXDOT lights me up. I pull over and the kind officer informs me that my license plate light is out on the back of my tractor. Proceeds to tie me up for 45 minutes with a level 2 inspection. Everything else is good writes me up and sends me on my way. The pisser is that tractors are not required to even HAVE a LICENSE plate on the back, state doesn't issue one, only on the front. Doesn't matter the kind officer says, law says the light has to work. I want to know what this prick is doing while the guys with overloaded trailers behind undersized vehicles, with unsecured loads speed past multiple times every day. [Reply]   [No Email]
tempola 07-13-2011 15:08:24 72.161.233.82 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to 400Dtractorman, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   It will never get better until people stand up. a saftey issue is one thing, the DOT has a almost new rig pulled over bitchin" about $1 light bulbs .......while he's ruining the guys evening, here comes a old international cabover from mexico, that both headlights are so loose it looks like a disco tech rolling down the road! Go figure :roll: [Reply]  [No Email]
d beatty 05-10-2011 18:16:52 71.239.246.137 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   In Indiana tractor plates are put on front bumper. Drove for a commercial freight line for 38 years. i was stopped a lot of times in 38 years. I was always told if the light is on the rig it has to work. Some times you can get out ticket if you tell officer it was working 1 hour before when you made inspection. [Reply]  [No Email]
JimEvans 04-15-2011 20:26:00 66.185.0.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   That also sounds like the DNR. Just a different color of uniform. [Reply]  [No Email]
ron99 04-15-2011 20:18:43 64.12.116.197 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   DOT cops are not real cops with a real education. They have to do tickets to keep employed. The fines go mostly to the state coffers. They are misfits who could never be a real cop. However, the govt will always seek revenue from those who can pay, that is-- the hard workers. They dont write tickets to non-workers. duh [Reply]  [No Email]
Dave Sherburne NY 04-15-2011 15:41:38 50.48.54.48 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   The Cop is going to get his $20 bucks an hour if he spends his shift behind a billboard takeing a nap the money he generates from tickets is for the politicians [Reply]  [No Email]
RevJJ 04-14-2011 21:19:34 70.104.25.244 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   Betcha he wouldn"t have said a word if you spoke only spanish and had a plate issued in Mexico. [Reply]  [No Email]
bruster 04-14-2011 06:33:32 98.27.230.190 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   The TX DOT may have gone by the Federal guidelines, and they state that EVERY truck-tractor must have license plate lights, and all lamps must work. ......they got plenty of ways to get cha! [Reply]  [No Email]
scotc 04-15-2011 19:44:58 75.245.145.119 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to bruster, 04-14-2011 06:33:32   Yeah, if he had knocked it off, and picked up the pieces, he might have got off without the ticket. But that should be easy to beat. [Reply]  [No Email]
bruster 04-16-2011 07:28:29 98.27.230.190 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to scotc, 04-15-2011 19:44:58   The best way to get out of it would have been to eliminate the light and cap the wire. IF you have the tractor ALWAYS connected to the trailer, you do not need it. [Reply]  [No Email]
scotc 04-16-2011 08:37:10 75.245.145.119 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to bruster, 04-16-2011 07:28:29   Even without the trailer, if no plate is required in the rear, neither is the plate light. [Reply]  [No Email]
scotc 04-07-2011 21:30:38 75.245.236.177 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   Was it there and not working? It may not be required, but if it is there, it has to work. [Reply]  [No Email]
scotc 04-07-2011 21:31:19 75.245.236.177 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to scotc, 04-07-2011 21:30:38   I'm so glad I don't have to deal with the BS anymore. [Reply]  [No Email]
mkirsch 04-07-2011 10:14:33 64.80.110.74 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   Dean, I respectfully disagree with your respectful disagreement. They may *THINK* it's a money grab, but they're called POLIticians, not MATHematicians. They think, more money coming in means more money in the city coffers. They never stop to consider the cost of the red tape involved in processing all the paperwork. Government waste at its finest. As for your $2100 paper plate fine... I gotta ask... Wasn't there ONE person involved in that transaction that stopped and said, "Hey! You can't put a paper plate on a commercial truck!" I mean, there's you, the dealer/seller, the clerk at the DMV, the mechanic.... Surely SOMEONE in that group has dealt with buying/selling commercial vehicles in the past and knew the law. Heck, I would think that the clerk at the DMV wouldn't even be able to issue the plate because the computer's programmed to say, "NO." [Reply]  [No Email]
Dean Olson 04-07-2011 11:48:45 75.53.102.11 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to mkirsch, 04-07-2011 10:14:33   That I agree with you on, that the politicians are probably looking at cash flow and not the cost of doing business. The end result is still the same our fine officers are tax collectors. It is truly highway robbery legitimized under the guise of "public safety" Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FMCSA,recently instituted CVSA 2010. That means commercial drivers and the company now accrue points for non moving violations such as the liscense plate light not working. If you accrue enough points the driver and the company will get fines and if the points get too high you can lose your liscense and your operating authority. This puts the company in the awkward position of relying on the driver to keep truck up to snuff. It also puts the driver in an awkward postion of making sure the company will support him if he does have a mechanical issue. In my case I am an owner operator. I am the company. It has added an increase cost of doing business as I now choose to spend an extra $60 everytime I get my oil changed to get a fresh DOT inspection. It's only required to do it once a year. Research TXDOT rant and you'll get the full story on the $2100 fine. The short story is that it's ok to run the paper plate in most states. Florida is who doesn't allow it. Hence my opinion that its a tax and has nothing to do with public safety. SO far no one can tell me that running a paper plate with all appropriate documentation, or requiring that the fifthwheel be bolted down with 17-3/4" grade 8 bolts when the engineers at Peterbilt designed and manufactured it it to use 16, has any thing to do with safety. I am also of the opinion that our government is hostile towards business and view business as a source of revenue. They fine/tax us for violations. When we, as business people, change our behavior to comply with the new rules, the revenue goes down, they change the rules and harvest alot of new cash till we adjust to that new set of rules. This is our president redistributing the wealth. What he doesn't understand is that when it gets bad enough and no longer makes sense to operate, I'll take my toys and go home. Then he'll get nothing to redistribute. I'll bet I'm not alone in this state of mind. Between government fine/taxing and fuel costs I'm not making the same money for the same work I was even 5 years ago. [Reply]  [No Email]
Germ 04-07-2011 12:01:44 24.29.233.5 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-07-2011 11:48:45   Amen! This is exactly what is going on. In Ohio, we were able to get the new rules repeal for Intrastate 10,001-26,000 vehicles, at least for now. Those that don"t drive commercially or aren"t in business don"t see the add burden to business. I don"t know a single driver or owner that is against safety, but a lot of this isn"t about safety, it is pure revenue generation. I"ve seen estimates that CVSA 2010 is going to put 175,000 drivers out of work and I"ve seen percentages as high at 47% of the current number of carriers as well. I don"t know what the wealth re-distributor"s plan is once we can no longer ship goods or transport equipment. Sooner or later, and at the current rate, sooner, he is going to run out of money to re-distribute. [Reply]  [No Email]
rustyfarmall 04-07-2011 07:54:25 209.152.78.140 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   Unless the law has changed, tail lights are not even required unless you are bob-tailing. What's next, writing you a ticket for over-width because the rear view mirrors extend beyond the 108" maximum width? [Reply]  [No Email]
MSD 04-07-2011 07:49:11 71.38.24.8 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   He probably thought he could find more wrong with your rig and make some real money. He had to site you with something after pulling you over to make himself feel big. [Reply]  [No Email]
mkirsch 04-07-2011 06:00:51 64.80.110.75 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-06-2011 23:32:09   What's worse is everyone keeps crying about how this is a money grab on the part of the state... What was your fine? $50? Did you even get fined at all? The DOT officer is earning at least $20/hr in take-home pay. Plus benefits, you're talking close to $30/hr total compensation. So he spent 45 minutes interacting with you. Now he's got paperwork to do after he lets you go... For argument's sake, he spends another 15 minutes, but I'm probably low on that estimate. Now we've got an hour's worth of this guy's time, worth $30, tied up in giving you a $50 ticket... Out of that remaining $20 comes operating expenses for his vehicle and equipment during that hour he spent with you. It also pays for the clerical staff who process the paperwork related to your violation. Not to mention the other nickle-and-dime bureaucratic layers your ticket has to pass through before it's finally put to rest. By the time all is said and done, there's no money left to grab!!! ...and that's if he is continuously pulling trucks over through his 8-hour shift. How much you wanna bet that he doesn't pull over 8 trucks in a day? He probably pulls over FOUR trucks a day, which means he effectively spent TWO hours at $30/hr dealing with you. Now the state instantly LOST $10 just pulling you over for a broken light, and that's assuming you pay the ticket! Grab the money. What money? [Reply]  [No Email]
Dean Olson 04-07-2011 07:18:39 166.205.13.87 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to mkirsch, 04-07-2011 06:00:51   mkirsch, Let me clarify my position. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for law enforcement. But I absolutely despise the polititions that use law enforcement as tax collectors. Those folks use highway robbery to raise revenue under the auspices of "public safety". Their was no fine involved in this stop. The guy was fishing. In the past have received: a $2100 fine for running a paper plate on a new to me truck. You can do that in a car. Not a commercial vehicle. A $140 fine for only having 72% of the bolt holes filled holding the fifth wheel to the frame. TXDOT requires 80% filled. Peterbilt engineers designed it that way. Truck ran 500k+ safe miles before TXDOT puts truck out of service over 1 bolt. I have close ties to local law enforcement and when the city needs money they hit the interstate in force and raise it. They leave the locals alone, politics. This comes directly from the cops, city council members, and judge that I know. I respectfully disagree with your assessment they're not making money. If it was costing them money they would be laying off cops and not school teachers. [Reply]  [No Email]
Errin OH 04-22-2011 23:27:28 71.79.146.170 Report to Moderator	Re: Another TXDOT rant in reply to Dean Olson, 04-07-2011 07:18:39   Reminds me of some little p1ss ant town I hope to never remember in OK. I couldn't walk through that town without the local PD giving me an enema. Lights were the catch all excuse. Even if they worked while I was pulled over, they didn't when he saw me. Got so bad I drove 20 miles out of my way to avoid that town. Kicker was I never went through town. They had incorporated 10' on each side of a three mile stretch of dirt road so they could sit on a main state route. I went to court once to fight a bogus charge. They held court in the maintenance barn because they had no other buildings. The PD was housed in one corner. 60+ people where there. They held court twice a week in that barn. 99% where tagged on that 40’ piece of state route. You can’t tell me they don’t use that shut for making up budget short falls. [Reply]  [No Email]