Why does everyone act like a failed level 1 is the end of the world?
Posted by bentstrider83@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 24 comments
I've been driving full time since December 2010. And drove off and on between September 2004 and to 2009. Been inspected level 1 at least 12 times over those years. There's been two instances where I was shut down over equipment and eventually allowed to hit the road after the repairs were made. Apart from some dings on the PSP reports, I was still able to migrate over to other companies.
Despite all the trash I talk about the industry on this sub, I feel state police and their CV Enforcement details is just normalized shake downs and nothing more. I don't agree with that either. But ultimately I don't see it being the career ender or end of the world for a driver that some Instagram videos try to make it out to be.
Take it as any regular traffic stop, digest the info, and you should be on your way. Only thing that irritates me about some stops is how belittling some scale officers can be when they find the slightest issue. ABS lights being out. But only because repeated shop write ups never do anything about it and it goes unchecked.
Sometimes you got to just "eat it up, eat it eat it up"š.
I've also been on a Code Blue Cam kick lately. Don't see too many commercial vehicle enforcement actions on there.
TwistedAirline@reddit
Some companies have strict policies about passing/failing inspections. Also sometimes the fines are expensive and that sucks. Lastlyā¦ I work really hard to have a perfect record. Maybe Iām just a perfectionist like that but itās something I care about and that āgive a fuckā is what makes me passionate and high performing at my job when otherwise Iād become a total slack-offā¦
Another angle to this, is kinda what you mentioned. Drivers are sick and fucking tired of reporting maintenance issues and not being taken seriously. So yeah, the hit to my record from a failed inspection might not be that big of a deal, but Iām sure gonna use it to the max when Iām kicking and screaming to get the equipment fucking fixed. Bitches.
SameConnection7722@reddit
So. Tell me Mr high performer. How fast can you burn your 70 hours, legally?????
TwistedAirline@reddit
One can do it in exactly 70 hours if no more than 11 of them were spent driving and the rest were spent on-duty not driving.
SameConnection7722@reddit
Ok. To do it correctly and legally. How many days does it take you. How fast can you burn your 70. The quickest in days.
TwistedAirline@reddit
You can legally work 70 hours straight as long as you donāt drive any more than 11 hours in the first 14 hours of work. So just under 3 days.
SameConnection7722@reddit
Eh. 3 days ?? Ive gotten it down to 4-4.5 days. Chaining splits
TwistedAirline@reddit
Uhh I donāt think soā¦ Thereās 96 hours in 4 days, splits donāt give you more time, they just allow you to break up your 10 hour reset and your drive time into smaller chunks to allow for more flexibility; but they donāt magically let you drive more sooner. Whatever amount of time you spent working before the split is subtracted from what you get back after the split and then that amount is taken off the next split so you never get āmore timeā.
If you want the fastest way to burn 70 hours without doing something cheesy like sitting on the clock on-duty not driving the whole time, the answer is 5 days, no matter how you cut it.
DrillTheThirdHole@reddit
i've never once been on the hook for failed inspection fines, because they distinguish between things you can and cannot reasonably catch with the official pre trip
TwistedAirline@reddit
Yeah neither have I, but IF it did happen Iād treat it like the end of the world because it means I failed and Iām better than that, or at least I expect better of myself.
DrillTheThirdHole@reddit
idk man every time ive been dinged its been for something that failed during the drive, or something unbelievably minor like some scraped DOT tape
bentstrider83@reddit (OP)
I do my pre trips every day, don't get me wrong. But some days are just strict visual kicks and checks. Look for the obvious and easily fixable. But that crawl under and fine tooth comb shit that some CV officers conduct, I'm more than willing to take the L. There's countless cases of a drivers inspection being outddone by a CV officers inspection. You go the extra mile, they go the extra ten miles.
Not saying it's a contest. But there's just days where your method just has to be stepped up each time. As far as companies with strict roadside inspection policies, I believe that. I just have yet to experience that. Here, they just want us to submit all Commercial Vehicle inspection material, positive or negative, to safety and that's the last we hear about it. But I'm quite sure there's other companies out there that'll draw and quarter and gibbet a driver for a statie shutting them down over a tireš
Jess067@reddit
Well, if you took pride in your work, none of what you just said would apply to you. So what if you have to crawl under to inspect? Do it. You should be able to out-inspect anybody who doesnāt use the equipment every single day and youāre just full of excuses.
TwistedAirline@reddit
What?? I do out inspect everyone else and Iāve never failed a level 1 and if I did I would (contrary to OPs take) treat it like the end of the world cause I should be better than that and I do take pride in my shit so to miss something is a big deal. Iām one of the few people who gets underneath every trailer I hook to check for air leaks and make sure brakes and slack adjusters are good.
bentstrider83@reddit (OP)
I'm not fucking blaming anybody else for failing these inspections. "You're just full of excuses" is how fights are usually started on the road and I end up in cuffs. Wouldn't be the first time though. Getting real fucking tired of "if you took pride in your work" and "full of excuses". I should just start making videos of my inspections each day and use your name in vain. Get better at it, but also call people like you out each time.
Will it ensure a better and passable inspection each time if I follow your method? Sure. Will I still be an angry person at the end of the day after criticism, you bet your ass.
Criticism still makes me angry. But I learn from it. Doesn't mean I'm going to bow down to the person that told me to do better. It just means "I'm doing it, so shut up".
Heart attack maxxingšŖ¦
grow_trucking@reddit
Exactly this. A Level 1 is just an inspection, not a death sentence. Drivers with clean equipment and proper paperwork have nothing to panic about. The Instagram fear content is mostly clickbait. Keep your logs tight, your equipment maintained, and treat the officer professionally. Thatās 90% of it right there.
bentstrider83@reddit (OP)
That's how I've done it the last couple of inspections. Some just want to get it over with as quickly as you do too. Last two inspections were CO and OK the last couple of years. Prior to that it was Texas DPS. Found them more pleasant than CHP back when I used to live and run in CA. West Coast law enforcement is the exact opposite of the easy going "vibe" the CA/OR/WA area tries to cosplay asš¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
grow_trucking@reddit
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Beneficialsensai@reddit
Anxiety
bentstrider83@reddit (OP)
True.
Ill-Establishment803@reddit
I haven't been a truck driver for long and I only had a level 3 inspection, haven't been pulled since
bentstrider83@reddit (OP)
Last inspection I got was a level 1 at the southbound Lamar CO coop in October 25. Only issue was that stupid ABS light. ABS systems seem to be made of cheese and saltine crackers with how easily they go out. Started watching YT vids on how to try and fix that and other common maladies with my Kobalt tool kit. Especially with how unreliable our break down department can be.
Any more of this attention to detail and might as well just be a Loves or TA roadside guy that handles maladies like that. At least they stay working.
Waisted-Desert@reddit
It depends on the size of the carrier.
If you have one truck, get one inspection and one OOS, that's a 100% OOS rate. For context, the national average is 23.4% and SWIFT is 19.7%.
But as a company driver, it's not that big of a deal. A flat tire is OOS. Shit happens. Unless there's a frequent pattern, an occasional failed inspection is not a career killer.
TheRiftsplitter@reddit
12 times? I always here people getting pulled in like that but I've been driving for years and haven't been stopped once. My buddy has been driving for 12 and only got inspected once. Maybe cause we're a mid sized company?
bentstrider83@reddit (OP)
We're a bit larger. Indian River has like 800 tractors. I've been inspected four times since being here for the past ten years. No out of service and clean stickers.