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"Dr. Dirt"
Nitro Member
Now, isn't that special? Do you suppose their timing is apropos given the major auto-maker's current financial positions? Leave it to liberal 'ol California to point fingers while they have less control of their own territory than anybody?
Can anybody besides lawyers win something like this anyway?
Can anybody besides lawyers win something like this anyway?
Alan
Nitro Member
I reside in California (born and raised in Oregon though) and support the Republican side. But the liberals will be the ruin of this state, and trust me, there are plenty of them enough. I'm sure at some point my wife and I will pack it in and head for better area.
I personally always thought Texas had their act together based on the number of executions that are actually carried out...JMO though....
I personally always thought Texas had their act together based on the number of executions that are actually carried out...JMO though....
Snacks
Nitro Member
That's easy for you to say, you dont live here.
ProStockJunkie
Nitro Member
Nitrohaulic
Nitro Member
The biggest fine I ever got in over 20 years of trucking was in CA. Got a ticket for log book not in possession. Weird thing was mandatory court appearance. Sat in the HUGE Orange County court house while The judge kept reading the names of failure to appears. The ones who did show up, for offenses such as driving on revoked and failure to appear (that would get you $500-700 where I'm from), he was handing out $50 fines like candy. So, I'm sitting there thinking that I've got nothing to worry about.
Bullsh*t! A few people before me was another truck driver, who was there with his employer. His overweight fine was over $9,000! Now I'm thinking "WTF!" They get to me and it's over $3,000. I had him repeat it because I thought that I must have heard him wrong.
Would you believe an attorney I called before I went wouldn't even take my money? He said they won't plead anything down with the truckers. California should damn near be able to operate on the money it rakes in at it's weigh stations. I've always wanted to know how much they take in in a day and in a year. Has to be huge. Definitely a for profit organization.
Yeah, if you're a bum with your hand out, California gives you everything you need. If you dare to try to achieve in that state via capitalism as a small business owner, you're a walking dollar sign with a bullseye on it.
If they think automakers owe THEM money, shouldn't truckers be able to sue THEM for having paid fines for years that were over ten times what they are in any other state? I'd like to be part of THAT class action.
Bullsh*t! A few people before me was another truck driver, who was there with his employer. His overweight fine was over $9,000! Now I'm thinking "WTF!" They get to me and it's over $3,000. I had him repeat it because I thought that I must have heard him wrong.
Would you believe an attorney I called before I went wouldn't even take my money? He said they won't plead anything down with the truckers. California should damn near be able to operate on the money it rakes in at it's weigh stations. I've always wanted to know how much they take in in a day and in a year. Has to be huge. Definitely a for profit organization.
Yeah, if you're a bum with your hand out, California gives you everything you need. If you dare to try to achieve in that state via capitalism as a small business owner, you're a walking dollar sign with a bullseye on it.
If they think automakers owe THEM money, shouldn't truckers be able to sue THEM for having paid fines for years that were over ten times what they are in any other state? I'd like to be part of THAT class action.
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Snacks
Nitro Member
Like any other law abiding trucker you should have been carrying 2 log books.
Nitrohaulic
Nitro Member
The truth is that my then wife and I were simply three days tardy in having them kept up ( she woke up to log books hitting her in the head and me telling her to close the curtain when they'd set up on 57 on our way back up from Long Beach. 
). I had always heard that if you're more than one day behind that you're better off to tell them that you left it somewhere, otherwise it's a seperate ticket for each day you're behind. The attorney I consulted said I did the right thing and actually came out cheaper than if I'd showed them the books.
I'm not going to act like I put a halo on first thing every morning in this business. The purpose of the logbooks is safety and I've been on both sides of it. When I was in my early 20s I'd often have been WAY over on my hours, but breezed right through inspections just because I'd taken the time to fill out mulitiple books. (Used to have one for the western half of U.S. and one for eastern, as if there was a relay driver bringing the loads to me/taking them on from Oklahoma, LOL)
I've also slept 8 hours (when that was the rule. now it's ten, along with not being able to drive at all 14 hours after you've come on duty, unless you have 8 continuous in the bunk, which restarts the 14 hour clock, though you still can't drive more than 11 total until you've had the ten off. Just to give an example of the bullsh*t they've got us under today. Oh yeah, and don't forget being limited to 70 hours on duty in 8 days, unless you have 34 continuous hours off, which restarts THAT clock. They just put all this on us, now some groups have sued to get it changed AGAIN.) and driven less than an hour before being put out of service for ANOTHER eight hours because I neglected to start the log. LOL, sorry, I shouldn't put a whole paragraph in parentheses.
In other words, you can be in complete violation of the spirit of the law and get away with it if you go to the correct amount of trouble. You can sleep according to what the law says, forget to jot it down one time, and you're some state's jackpot that day if you get caught.
The company I've been leased to for over a year now (Landstar) is very strict with us and our trucks (requiring inspections every 3 months instead of annually). We do well enough with them that we really don't have to cheat over here. I suppose it's a state's business to charge what they do for violations. It's also MY business to decide what states I'll do business in, and California's not in my atlas as far as I'm concerned.
). I had always heard that if you're more than one day behind that you're better off to tell them that you left it somewhere, otherwise it's a seperate ticket for each day you're behind. The attorney I consulted said I did the right thing and actually came out cheaper than if I'd showed them the books.I'm not going to act like I put a halo on first thing every morning in this business. The purpose of the logbooks is safety and I've been on both sides of it. When I was in my early 20s I'd often have been WAY over on my hours, but breezed right through inspections just because I'd taken the time to fill out mulitiple books. (Used to have one for the western half of U.S. and one for eastern, as if there was a relay driver bringing the loads to me/taking them on from Oklahoma, LOL)
I've also slept 8 hours (when that was the rule. now it's ten, along with not being able to drive at all 14 hours after you've come on duty, unless you have 8 continuous in the bunk, which restarts the 14 hour clock, though you still can't drive more than 11 total until you've had the ten off. Just to give an example of the bullsh*t they've got us under today. Oh yeah, and don't forget being limited to 70 hours on duty in 8 days, unless you have 34 continuous hours off, which restarts THAT clock. They just put all this on us, now some groups have sued to get it changed AGAIN.) and driven less than an hour before being put out of service for ANOTHER eight hours because I neglected to start the log. LOL, sorry, I shouldn't put a whole paragraph in parentheses.
In other words, you can be in complete violation of the spirit of the law and get away with it if you go to the correct amount of trouble. You can sleep according to what the law says, forget to jot it down one time, and you're some state's jackpot that day if you get caught.
The company I've been leased to for over a year now (Landstar) is very strict with us and our trucks (requiring inspections every 3 months instead of annually). We do well enough with them that we really don't have to cheat over here. I suppose it's a state's business to charge what they do for violations. It's also MY business to decide what states I'll do business in, and California's not in my atlas as far as I'm concerned.
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Nitrohaulic
Nitro Member
I view cheating on logs in the trucking business no differently than American employers hiring illegals. When I started driving everyone was paying around 20 cents a mile. You pretty much HAD to cheat if you wanted to make any money. Let me ask you this. Do you think states would WANT to lose the revenue that they would if everyone ran legally?
Imagine if a track outlawed delay boxes, but it became common knowledge that everyone used them. Wouldn't you have to have one if you wanted to realistically be able to compete?
Imagine if a track outlawed delay boxes, but it became common knowledge that everyone used them. Wouldn't you have to have one if you wanted to realistically be able to compete?
Nitrohaulic
Nitro Member
Yeah, these are definitely different times for me. I understand the log rules and have no problem keeping them up nowadays. I'm actually able to get more hours in during the week with the 34 hour restart since I'm home weekends, but I understand that's the part the groups (sponsored by our unbiased competitors--the railroads!) are suing about. I make more money per mile doing shorter stuff, anyways.
But, it just seems the states that tax and fine the most are also the ones in the worst financial shape. It's like they've got a hole in their boat that's getting bigger and their only solution is to bale faster and faster.
But, it just seems the states that tax and fine the most are also the ones in the worst financial shape. It's like they've got a hole in their boat that's getting bigger and their only solution is to bale faster and faster.
Marchboom
Nitro Member
Calif (and possibly N.J.) should be the perfect examples for the other states on how NOT to run a state. If the people are doing something and having fun, Cailf either outlaws it or taxes it. Can't own hardly any firearms in that state but they are totally ineffective in controlly crime and the gang problem. Illegal aliens are pouring in by the truck load and they do nothing. Just for kicks, I counted the number of foreign speaking radio stations just on the AM dial (So. Cailf area) and found 26!!!
So after 55 years in that state I said "screw this" and moved back to America (No. Idaho). Besides, I don't speak the language of Cailf (spanish).
So after 55 years in that state I said "screw this" and moved back to America (No. Idaho). Besides, I don't speak the language of Cailf (spanish).
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