Attention NY truck / trailer operators

Billy- Wonderful. Great observations. Your tone changed the minute you responded to my "objectional" post. The anonimity of the "net makes for hurt feelings and flame wars "cuz I can"t see your eyes. If you are one of the "good guys" then more power to you. But regardless, why is it fine for everyone else to jump on the law, and for you to object if the law responds?

Reflecting on ones experiences, such as I did in the first lengthy thread I wrote, I will make it abundantly clear about my attitude towards law enforcement in the context and or the confines of the subject I spoke about. You may have gotten the wrong idea somehow, and please don't patronize me by putting words in my mouth, your doing yourself an injustice by doing so. It really sounds like you are sour when you refer to your occupation as being resented, (I won't quote you ) when in actuality it's not.b You are not going to please everyone, that is a given, which yields to the common good.

There was a time when the bills were paid and food put on the table, by having to get up when it's dark, and go drive a truck for 10-12 hours a day, like many of us, you did what you had to do, and that Class 1 / CDL was the only reason possible to make a decent blue collar wage. It also put me through 2 years of college, I used to drive a tri-axle dump right to school after work, the security guy thought I was nuts, but you do what you have to do, I had no intention of making a career of it, but at the time it is what paid the bills. I can also recall about 9 people the same age, who decided selling drugs was a lot easier, they had $50,000 cars, all the attention of the ladies, you name it they had it, openly bragging, right in front of the D.E.A., right until they finally went down, they hid a lot of the money, but did 10 years each, one of them is benefitting from that money now. Nope, I'll drive a truck and pay my way, now you decide who is good or bad. With that decision, you get a little protective of what you do have, per say your drivers license especially.

Now, I could say I took a lot of crap from law enforcement while behind the wheel, which is true, and complain about all the times I was pulled over etc. etc., but you know that would not be fair to the person whose job it is to get in a patrol car and do their job which I regard as a very important job that must get done. I never once blamed the person in uniform, matter of a fact I always greeted them with respect, and always will ( to clarify the tone of the first thread ).

Observations and reflections of my particular experiences, they are what they are, yeah I noticed the NYS guys training the local guys about weight and d.o.t. inspections, d.o.t guys hiding around the corner in the arsenal, so what ? Blame the guys in the orange suits or wearing a uniform, no you have the wrong idea there, the point was the revenue to be collected, it's part of the process, which I always hoped the priority was law enforcement, unsafe trucks and overweight trucks etc., sometimes it just does not look that way, especially when the big fines are imposed or the frequency of or quantity of violations issued are outrageous. I found that authority of law enforcement can also be undermined by politicians, as in the case where we were told not to worry about weight on one particular job.

Like I said earlier, got nailed by a local, unbeknownst to me my license was suspended for failing to pay a fine for no inspection on a tractor trailer I did not even own, the miserable owner was supposed to pay, he did'nt pay, hell they even stuck me for all my overtime hours when I quit. 4 years, 6 days a week never missed a day perfect attendance and good service when sick and injured I worked, even when the place burned, I made sure their deliveries were done, while everyone else watched in awe of the fire. Now I'm faced with being arrested by town police, after this owner fails to pay. I had to barter with them to take me to an ATM so I could bail out and avoid being locked up, as well as aggravated unlicensement, having to call my boss (who was a friend fortunately) to finish the day in the truck, all because the d.o.t. guy wrote the violation in my name. Did I blame him ? NO. I learned very quickly that I did not have to recieve any equipment violations in my name. All this just for showing up to work, now my license is at stake, and this was just the beginning. No matter where I went or what outfit I worked for, there was constant involvement with law enforcement, enough to not want to get in the seat any more, did I blame them, NO, I decided this occupation was not a rewarding one anymore and pursued a career in a different line of work.

Funny, even after 12 years of staying out of the seat, I just happen get behind the wheel of a brand new tractor trailer to do a family member a favor and one of your rookies comes up along side me, he's gonna make a traffic stop, it's the car directly in front of me, so what does he do, pulls right in front of me at 65 M.P.H., I had a witness behind me who saw the whole thing, she made a complaint, the trooper made a mistake in judgement, it was narrowly avoided, but very close to being catastrophic, I would have had no choice but to hit him and would have, done a lot of miles and know better to make a sudden move to avoid a collision. Do I blame him, in that case YES, he screwed up big time, never even gave it any consideration, I watched him from above, start to finish. When you pay state taxes which pays the salaries of you guys, and you get one that is a jerk, yeah, then I'll change my tone, because of the lack of professionalism, but hey there are jerks in every walk of life, fortunately the good ones still outnumber the bad ones. I don't see that being wrong, I hold a job, earn a wage that is taxed and is used to support this society, which includes law enforcement salaries, I would expect that the people who take the oath, honor it, partially because we honestly support you guys, not because you are an indentured servant to the civilian population because our taxes pay you. When the performance of a law enforcement officer is lacking, everyone has a right to be concerned, not to badmouth, but voice an opinion.

I don't know what to tell you, it's not about ragging on you guys in uniform, and or the law itself, it is what it is. When it gets ridculous so as to prohibit an average guy from being able to take a hobby on the road to a show, then it's time for a change, which has absolutley nothing to do with the guy who enforces it, but everything to do with the political people making these proposals into law. Being that is not the case here, just speculation/discussion about the laws governing commercial vehicles, how the hell did we get so far off track from that?

You of all people would be most informed about this, but your people skills are a little different it seems, is is possible your attitude is a little harsh and abrasive ? Well that's ok, everyone has a bad day, I guess I was expecting more out of a guy who wears a uniform and is trained in these matters. In any case, a good discussion and or debate always challenges the gray matter up top LOL ! Have a good day and keep up the good work !

I just don't like the tone of it, especially coming from someone who wears a highly respectable uniform as you do. That is a negative generalization and or possibly an insult directed at everyone who participated in the thread. I know what your point was in doing so, to get everyones attention, it's just the way you did it I think you could have done it in a much more postive tone.

I also think that with the internet and all the information available to us, most people are aware and are highly informed about things they need to know about, at minimum everyone knows doing some research will usually yield the information they are seeking.

For example; I've had tresspassing problems here, before bothering a NYS trooper about it, and taking his/her time away from something that may be of much more importance, I researched the applicable V&T and penal laws and found what I was looking for, like the 1st offense $250 fine etc. etc. now when I saw my neighbor who is now BCI, it did not take long to discuss appropriate action, I was more interested in catching up, had been awhile since I've had a chance to BS with him. I thought he was a tresspasser and by chance it was him out for a ride with his son.

The same can be done with this regarding commercial trucks and the current laws, changes, updates, bulletins, clarifications they are a pain in all walks of life, especialy civil service occupations. Someone may have posted in haste about this, so what? A better person would simply state that there is a lot of information available and you should review it if it applies to you, and by all means pursue it with your local NYS people, be it law enforcment, D.O.T. etc. If were me I'd have looked it up and posted the links if possible, ( obviously if time permitted, I'm way too detail orientated and go overboard anyways when it comes to matters like these ) I see no need for slander or remarks as above, at least in my opinion. Yeah big deal I know, but really, for some darn reason it stuck and I for one just had to take some slight exception to it. You make yourself sound as if the 20 years has taken its toll. I hope that is not the case, I've known a few case hardened ones too, not good.

I think it's unprofessional and unbecoming of someone in your occupation and I think you may probably realize that, you're an educated, trained person in a highly professional law enforcement capacity that still and should always command a lot of respect in our society here in NYS. When you make a statement like that it detracts from the uniform you wear and the demeanor of your profession. Basic and or the academy was a long time ago for most of us, we are not a bunch of grunts here, just developing thick skin at the hands of a D.I. who is building strong people.

Don't mind me, I've got thick skin anyways, now beyond the above, you made some good points, one of which is communicating with your associates about the topic of commercial vehicles and the laws. This does have merit and anyone who needs assistance would most likely benefit. I've always found that the people I've dealt with in the NYS Police were highly respectable and sincerely professional, even when receiving violations, getting pulled over and or any other matter I've had to deal with. I even used to assist one trooper with the portable scales every time he pulled me over, he found me with 4 different outfits over a 5 year span, once in a group of 40 trucks, I used to joke with him about how it's me all the time that he's pulling over. Usually a tad over the gross or the axles, not much, but enough, it's real hard to judge weights when being loaded and how many places actually have scales to double check. He's since retired and I hope doing well, Trooper Malloy was his name.

I grew up next to and have lived next to a barracks for about 35 years and have seen one crew retire, some of which have passed away, and many of the new crew come up, also many in between whom are my age and also wear the same uniform you do. A lot of people I grew up with pursued this career, some whose parents retired from the NYS Troopers, there is a lot heritage around here with your organization and probably the reason I responded, you have a lot of support and appreciation here due to the professionalism of your service to the people in this state.

One of the best things about that is not per say being able to drop names ( which is wrong ) of people you know, but the ability to speak to any of them regarding issues like the above and or other matters when it comes to the law, especially when faced with problems such as Vehicle and Traffic Law, Tresspassing, Commercial Trucks, and Criminal situations you may have to deal with. Be it a total stranger, or a trooper I know, I've always been able to meet with and discuss any potential problems with them, and figure out the best course of action, there is nothing wrong with that. Butting heads never gets the job done. Being well informed, educated and keeping a positive outlook no matter what, gets the job done.

Way off the original discussion here, not sure this even came up

Politics, that's a tough one, got to make changes when they're due, and put the best in office, even if the best is not running, all you can do is vote, lobby, petition, organize etc.

The border, well this is true, I was on a large project as a construction professional '98-'99 where the people you apprehend and are convicted end up, specifically when they screw up so bad in the regular correctional facilities. You know the place, on Bare Hill Rd, nice epoxy floors and stainless steel fixtures. Know the area well, borders there are not that hard to breach, we need something done about that.

Also spent a good part of my construction career in NYC, including being there the day no one likes talking about, including me, whatever needs to be done to prevent this from happening again needs to be done, this undoubtedly applies to vehicular traffic and people crossing our borders, it's not going to be easy and it's not going to please a lot of people, neither did what happened that day.

As a former driver and still a class A CDL holder of almost 20 years, ( CDL only since '92, was a class 1 before ) I certainly agreed about crack down on truck inspections and their respective owners, as I remember being told either drive it or be fired ( indirectly )while knowing the truck is not 100%. That is a safety thing, getting the junk off the road and or smacking these cheap outfits in the face a few times to wake them up about equipment upkeep was a good thing for any driver. Only 15 years ago the harrassment I used to get on weight, truck inspections, and routine stops was unreal then I thought, maybe it was just me, but I got nailed so many times, even when the trucks were 100%, aside from a moving violation, which never happened anyways, still have a clean abstract, always made them write it in the companies name, told them I'd refuse to accept it otherwise.

I once had to pay a no inspection fine after the license was suspended, did not get paid by the owner, he flat out told me it was my tough luck, and it was the owners 100% responsibility. I get suspended and pay the fine for driving their junk, literally for showing up to work. Change jobs, get pulled over for a weight check and have to call the boss to come down ( was a friend, he laughed )to finish the run while I get my license back, ( had no idea ) Was like taking a 100 dollar bill and burning it. To the munincipality, the license suspension was leverage to get their money, it's primarily about money. The owner was very wealthy, business grossed $40 million/year but he'll answer someone someday about his wrongdoings and when you were making $200/week back then that $100 was a lot of money, don't like people like this, greed got to him.

The police used to issue tickets in the drivers name to get leverage against the owners, as a driver who is going to lose his license, be suspended or whatever would want to take it up with the owner, I've had this argument many times with the ticket issuing officer. Eventually I had enough, seemed like for showing up for work, you may not have license to drive home at the end of the day, again mostly about money, even with the weights and safety, it's about primarily about money. The big tri-axles we used to drive certainly could handle the weights, a lot more than was legal and we used to adjust our brakes daily, although if caught with an adjuster out of tolerance by d.o.t. you could no longer make that adjustment yourself, have to get a certifed mechanic. Now weights obviously has a lot to do with loading on bridges so, I can understand that, but when a NYS trooper says to you while on a large road job in the Adirondacks, don't worry about anything else except obeying the speed limit, keep lights working and mudflaps on, point being they were not going to bust people on overweight loads, (the cold weather was closing in on the job and the political people wanted it done so they told the boys to be lenient ). I was hauling 30 tons of material from the plant, truck was legal for about 22 and this was ok, they knew it, all they had to do was check the tickets at the batch plant.

Just like parking violations and all the rest, it's a large revenue source, this will not change.
They have cracked down on the owners who ran junk on the road, they have cracked down on the drivers with bad records, multi-licenses prior to the days of the Feds mandating the CDL program, tests, endorsements + all the federal regulations etc. which is a good thing when it comes to safety.

I remember when the NYS Police started training the local police on weight checks and d.o.t. inspections, so they could get in on the revenue, this was 16 years ago. They all started getting the portable scales and pulling truckers over.

The most low down thing I ever saw was when NYS D.O.T. would set up in a federal MFR'ng facility, an arsenal, soon as you got through security and got approved to go in to make your delivery, soon as you rounded the corner the guys in orange suits are waving you over.

I will have to update myself on the laws as I'm sure they are going to love my old 64 F-600 grain truck, which is registered agricultural, for 20,000 lbs gross which it will never see.

We have a bill before the state Congress now to bar municipalities from conducting roadside truck inspections, but it is getting watered down. If it passes as is, as soon as one of the local-yokels gets DOT certified, he/she will have the authority to conduct roadsides. When (not if) that happens, the people in their one tons are going to get a SHOCK! Those will be the first to get stopped - not as "scary" as stopping a big rig.

All I can say (as a semi-local dump trucker with lots of paperwork to deal with) is good luck.

Dale(MO)