Trucking and The D.O.T.The DOT, Smokey Bear, Plain Wrappers, on and on You’ll hear truck drivers talking down on officers of the law often, but lets look at this for a minute. If you hear so many drivers talking about getting a ticket trucking 70 in 55 or 80 in 65 now with Highway Patrol and D.O.T. out there, then how fast would these clowns go if there were no D.O.T or Highway Patrol. Exactly, one would hate to imagine. I hear trucker complaining about getting a ticket in just those types of situation. I used to say, “driver, was you really going that fast”, more than once they respond with, “well actually I was going faster than that!” (Which you and I know may or may not be the truth) Either way, why would you be upset and place blame on them because you got a deserved ticket and in some cases got a break that it wasn’t for the speed or violation you are actually guilty of. In many cases driver could have been hauled off straight to jail. Truckers for the most part get put out of service or ticketed because they are in the wrong. It could be steering related, brake system related, or they could have been trucking too hard. In each case the D.O.T. may have possibly just saved a life by inspecting, finding a problem and put the truck out of service. He might have altered a bad habit by issuing that high dollar ticket to a high speeding driver. (It goes without saying that the few 2 or 3 mph over the speed limit that I hear about from drivers every now and then seems a little petty but funny out of 11 years of my driving by Highway Patrol and D.O.T. in the middle doing a couple miles over, I have never gotten one of those tickets for a couple miles over) Sometimes we get log book violations but we all know that we have violated on a log much more than that one ticket when we were caught. Why put down the officers on the radio like they are all corrupt. I don’t agree with the nit picking that happens ever now and then by some officers. Usually though, nit picking occurs when a drivers has an attitude problem with the officer from the first moment of the encounter. The driver sometimes acts like the officer doesn’t even have the right to be talking to him. (Lol, like he is someone special!) Most stops occur because the driver was doing something wrong or something is wrong for the truck like a light is out. (An officer in Texas said in so many words, we have to pull someone over so we look for a truck that looks shabby and poorly maintained, or one with a light out somewhere. After a certain amount of time if we don’t see anything like that then we just pick out a truck) Why would a driver act so childish? Having an attitude is not going to help him get through with the stop what ever the reason is. The D.O.T or Highway Patrol has a job to do just like we do. There are a few officers that should not be out on the road just as there are a few drivers who should not be driving. There are few burger flippers who should not be working around food. There are a few cashiers who should be answering the phone like the people at the Pilot in Winona, Mississippi where I am right now who hung up on me 3 times today when I called and asked what exit number they were at instead of asking someone to find out the exit number since they didn't know. (ok, I been wanting to get that off my chest). New drivers (and old ones too if you will listen) The D.O.T. and Highway Patrol are not an evil organization out to destroy the average American citizen or trucker. Most Officers of the law are country, community and people loving individuals who perform a job just as challenging and dangerous as ours. In fact even more challenging and dangerous when you stop to think of how they must deal with some clowns with no concept of respect for authority. What about the clowns who downright view them as the enemy. We ask four wheelers and the public to remember how hard our job is and to give us a break. When you are interacting with officers of the law do yourself and them a favor, be courteous and treat them like respectable men and women doing their jobs.(Basically act like a grown adult with proper home training and common sense) That’s only fair. Leave your attitude and animosity at the last mile marker you put in your back pocket. If they are wrong, like the officer that stopped me in Tennessee , you don’t have to act ignorant to express your concern for their actions. Be tactful in your response, but also remember that many people claim that they are innocent and aren’t so the officers may not be so quick to accept your story but especially if its told with an attitude. Things are perfect and life is not fair, equipment does fail and people make mistakes. Stand your ground in your position as it best serves you and if the officer has made a mistake, if need be fight it court but arguing or getting rude will not help you. Also a mistake or misunderstanding is totally different from straight up abuse of power. If you are truly mistreated and you feel that an officer may have a problem with abuse of power please post your incident below so that we make be able to identify a problem in the event that several drivers have a similar incident in the same place with the same officer. That how you keep things in check. Post you incident below. Report Abuse of Authority and Harrassment
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