I can honestly say I have never had a DOT inspection. I have had to present paperwork for the state of Wyoming, twice, but have never been pulled in for an inspection. But I do know what they are, and what the Inspectors are looking for.
First of all, every truck driver is responsible for making sure that the truck they are driving and the trailer they are pulling are safe for road travel. We have a checklist that we must follow every single day and complete what is known as a "Pre-Trip" and sign a Vehicle Inspection Report. There are more than 100 things that we must ensure are in good working order, both on the exterior of the rig and under the hood. The engine must be in good working order with the proper fluid levels. All the lights must be working. The brakes must be in good working condition and must comply with specifications such as the brake linings must be no smaller than 1/4" thick. The tires must be in good condition, and the tread has to be a certain depth. Hub oil cannot be leaking from the center of each tire. All the lug nuts must be tight. It's a really long list. Suffice it to say, if a driver fails to complete a proper pre-trip and gets pulled into inspection, you can pretty well bet he's praying the DOT officer doesn't find something that will cause him to be put out of service.
When the vehicle is under inspection, so is all of the driver's paperwork, and that includes log books. Because I am electronically logged, DOT officers know that I cannot violate my hours of service without someone being notified immediately. However, there are still a lot of drivers running on paper logs, which can be falsified. Sometimes, a driver may choose to run two log books, which is very illegal. However, if he doesn't get caught, he'll do it. Why two?? One keeps tracks of his hours exactly as he runs them for his company (probably for the paycheck) while the other one is kept a little neater and coincides with lawful driving habits. Nine times out of ten, if a driver is utilizing two log books, it's because he is speeding through a state that lowers truck speeds (like California and Oregon, where the speed limit is 55 for trucks). In addition to log books, there are permits that every driver must carry with him to run in specific states. I have a book that I keep my company's permits in. We must also carry the registration and insurance for the truck, and every trailer must have its own registration and license plate.
DOT officers are officers of the law. They have the ability to put truck drivers out of service, suspend licenses, and arrest drivers. If a driver is put out of service, it basically means he cannot move the rig for the length of time he's been placed out of service, usually 24 hours. Occasionally, the driver is only out of service until repairs are made on the rig. Once in a while, a driver is found with contraband in his truck, and he may immediately have his license suspended. Truck driving is a no-tolerance profession. While alcohol can be transported in a trailer, it is not allowed in a truck - ANYWHERE in a truck, and that includes luggage compartments, under bunks, or on the catwalk. Neither are drugs allowed. Period. Even synthetic ones. Unless a driver has a prescription for medication (and NOT marijuana), no drugs of any kind are allowed in a truck. If a driver has his license suspended by DOT for any reason, chances are good he's lost his job. Occasionally, an employer will give an employee a second chance, depending on the offense and the length of time the license has been suspended.
Because we are considered professional drivers, every accident in which we are involved is considered our fault. We, as truck drivers, have the responsibility to make sure accidents do not happen. That's why the laws that govern us are so strict. It's why you can drive for 12, 18, 24 hours straight if you want to, but we cannot drive more than 11 hours - and no more than 8 hours without a 30 minute break. If you cause an accident because you're tired, you might hurt someone. You might hurt yourself. MIGHT. If I cause an accident because I'm tired, someone WILL die. The difference is 3,000 pounds versus 80,000 pounds. I am driving a killing machine. Which is why trucks drive 5 miles an hour (sometimes more) under the speed limit in the city. It is why trucks have to slow way down when going around a curve or a corner (especially a tight curve). But, I digress. This is a subject for a later blog post.
What happens if a driver and/or a company follows all the rules and passes an inspection with flying colors? The driver is given a sticker which he can put in his windshield so when he drives thru a weight station, he won't be pulled in for another inspection. Those stickers are technically good for three months, but most DOT officers respect them for one year. I've noticed that the larger companies that run electronic logs and whose trucks pass 99% of their inspection rarely get pulled in for inspections. Which is why I haven't been inspected during the one and a half years that I've been out here on the road. Knock on Wood I don't ever have to go through one. But if I do, I know I will be able to go in with my head held high because I perform my pre-trip inspection every day, and I know that everything on my truck is in good working order. Or, if it isn't, I'm getting it fixed. Which is why I am sitting in a hotel, and not in my truck, waiting for a load.
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