Originally published at: Commercial Vehicle Inspections and Your Rights as a Driver - FreightWaves
When you got your CDL and started hauling freight on public highways, you traded some constitutional protections for the privilege of operating in a closely regulated industry. Here’s what that actually means when a badge knocks on your sleeper berth door.
Let’s get something straight, the commercial vehicle and endorsement doesn’t end your constitutional rights. You are full of it, and trying to sugar coat BS. If you are in sleeper berth they have absolutely no authority to knock on your door to wake you up on your 10 rest period, or being off duty. None period.
When that 10 hour period is up they are more than welcome to try to inspect you, once you are “On Duty”.
You need your head examined for even try to propagandize such an idea.
This is the problem. The vast majority of cdl holders is so completely ignorant to what our rights are and are not. The .gov wants it this way and is partially why we have the issues of foreign, non english speaking, non domiciled and usually illegal aliens operating cmv’s. Go to school and you are taught the very bare minimum to get you hauling freight down the road. Most of it tries to scare new drivers into blind compliance.
These dirty, unscrupulous dot/troopers are taught in depth the intricacies of all the rules and regs and how exactly the wording works for them and against us.
Me, I question and ■■■■■ every single thing an officer says. They are trained to lie to us and treat us like a lesser person/the enemy. When you catch them in a lie, they get very defensive and outright ■■■■■.
Just like any bully. Stand up for yourself and they will move to easier targets.
Pretty much sounds like a drawn out commercial for Truck Parking Club to me.
However, there is one thing in there that I seriously do agree with. They ( meaning authority having jurisdiction ) absolutely can wake you up and tell you to move.
Bottom line, it seems like the other operators out here on the highway feel like they have been given a right to operate wrecklessly because what they have someone else needs there for maybe installing a little entitlement to their actions, forgetting it’s a privilege to be able to drive in the USA not a right to drive.
I saw a lot of arguments posted in here that if those drivers that wrote them honestly believe the sewage they are pouring out of their brain onto this site, then they are no better then the illegal foreigners that are in this industry and they too should have their licenses removed.