We share the road with these people....

[dads706]

https://missourivalleytimes.com/stories/semi-accident-shuts-down-i-29-on-july-11,62800

The young man who rents one of the farms is HazMat certified and was called to this. He ruined a $5800 HazMat suit fighting the fire. Hopefully he has no side effects.

Now....!!!!!! The driver had NO drivers license from ANY state or Province. He had NO CDL. He could NOT speak English. And he just listed Canada as his address.

First let me apologize to the truckers who are the unsung people who stock the stores and bring us our goods every day. But these other people that are driving up and down the Interstate Highways. This young man put it all on the line for what? The trucking company is as much at fault.

Youngest son has said that 80% of the long haul drivers who come into the dealership for repairs etc. have no business inside a truck cab. The dealership (RDO) has even refused to service some of these guys. I could go on and on, but the more I type the more stories (examples) he's told me I think of and the more pizzed I get. I'll stop here. 

No offense to Sandhiller, WP, IHRon , or any others. I'm sure you have stories of your own. 

Rant over.

gene

[bitty]

The good ones are underappreciated and the bad ones get the attention it seems. I don't drive many miles per year but I see lots of good truckdrivers out there. We get some ID10T ones that go into a digester nearby. They have driven down and got stuck on a no winter maintenance road too often to count . The township put road closed signs up since. Worst thing is that it's no where near the easiest way to get there . You'd have to make many wrong turns to even get to this road anyway 

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

Was he the owner of the truck? If a company put someone like that in the drivers seat, they should be fined out of existence. I see a lot of people in Freightliner who can’t communicate at all, and they own the truck. The parts counter is a nightmare the entire time they are open, I don’t know how the employees can stand it. I have no idea what language most of them are speaking. I have heard a ton of stories about refusing to work on a truck and it’s always because of how disgusting they are. Holes cut in the floor for “waste” disposal seems to be a common theme. 

[mike newman]

1 hour ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

Was he the owner of the tuck? If a company put someone like that in the drivers seat, they should be fined out of existence. I see a lot of people in Freightliner who can’t communicate at all, and they own the truck. The parts counter is a nightmare the entire time they are open, I don’t know how the employees can stand it. I have no idea what language most of them are speaking. I have heard a ton of stories about refusing to work on a truck and it’s always because of how disgusting they are. Holes cut in the floor for “waste” disposal seems to be a common theme. 

Well, DFP...no good telling those morons to ''...get their crap together..''

,,Sadly, even down under , there are some ''drivers''  who fraudulently  'brought '  the specific licenses , from a fellow immigrant...an immigrant who had  managed to get into a position of authority in the  Transport Licensing  Dept.....

It all fell apart ....but the damage had been done by then....This rampart  immigration to Western  Countries is coming at a huge cost to the tax payers , per se...

Mike

[Chester5732]

2 hours ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

Holes cut in the floor for “waste” disposal seems to be a common theme. 

Around here that is called a “road camode”. 

[dads706]

I've told the story about the "Werner" truck that went through the ditch, through a 5 strand barbed wire fence taking out 3 wooden posts, and ending up 1/4 mile into my corn field. Never found the driver, and I'm still waiting on the reimbursement check from "Werner". This was 15 or more years ago.

Forgot to mention.... this was on a gravel road, 3 miles from a paved 2 lane and 15 from I-80. GPS must have said 'turn left' so that's what he did.

[Lazy WP]

12 hours ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

Was he the owner of the truck? If a company put someone like that in the drivers seat, they should be fined out of existence. I see a lot of people in Freightliner who can’t communicate at all, and they own the truck. The parts counter is a nightmare the entire time they are open, I don’t know how the employees can stand it. I have no idea what language most of them are speaking. I have heard a ton of stories about refusing to work on a truck and it’s always because of how disgusting they are. Holes cut in the floor for “waste” disposal seems to be a common theme. 

These guys run shadow companies. Fake DOT numbers, fake addresses, fake MC numbers. Everything about them is fake. They are dispatched from a foreign country, outfits like Amazon, and Super EGO use them quite frequently. 
I am not sure how we are going to get rid of them, other than making every truck go through a checkpoint, and I for one can get around most of them, just because they tie up a couple hours. But if I can do it, you know others can too. 
There are lots of issues in the transportation industry, but eliminating unqualified drivers is a huge challenge. 

[TroyDairy]

Towing guy i enjoy on youtube has mentioned before guys hes pulled out of snownhave had "USA" for entire address on license.  1 name for name and no birthdate.  MOST FROM CALI.  'Cant sue or bill if cabt figure out who they are'

[Ihfan4life]

39 minutes ago, Lazy WP said:

These guys run shadow companies. Fake DOT numbers, fake addresses, fake MC numbers. Everything about them is fake. They are dispatched from a foreign country, outfits like Amazon, and Super EGO use them quite frequently. 
I am not sure how we are going to get rid of them, other than making every truck go through a checkpoint, and I for one can get around most of them, just because they tie up a couple hours. But if I can do it, you know others can too. 
There are lots of issues in the transportation industry, but eliminating unqualified drivers is a huge challenge. 

Make paper placards taped to the doors illegal, and red flag every truck who is running them. They will remove one, and tape another one to keep running long after they are required to park.

The only reason for a paper placards taped should be for a new registration or transfer of the truck, which in that situation the placards need to come from the state the vehicle is registered in. Not handwritten.

 

But, why would they park if they’re already illegal drivers? Teams of 2 maybe 3 running 24-7. $$$$ being made for the company if not the drivers… 

[Ihfan4life]

While we’re at it. Let’s not forget about the motorists that have NO respect for the trucks. Driving in blind spots, ignoring turn signals, cutting trucks off to get to an exit. I see it every time I’m near a city.
 I had several lane changes for construction and emergency vehicles where I needed to slide over a lane and people would speed up to get by me. The ONLY way I could get over was to begin sliding over while watching for the idiots who weren’t watching me.

Don’t beech about truckers cutting you off or moving in front of your vehicle IF you can’t respect their needs to be on the very same road that the fees and licenses they paid are paying for that road…

[bitty]

1 hour ago, Ihfan4life said:

While we’re at it. Let’s not forget about the motorists that have NO respect for the trucks. Driving in blind spots, ignoring turn signals, cutting trucks off to get to an exit. I see it every time I’m near a city.
 I had several lane changes for construction and emergency vehicles where I needed to slide over a lane and people would speed up to get by me. The ONLY way I could get over was to begin sliding over while watching for the idiots who weren’t watching me.

Don’t beech about truckers cutting you off or moving in front of your vehicle IF you can’t respect their needs to be on the very same road that the fees and licenses they paid are paying for that road…

I see more stupid people in cars than I do steep stupid truck drivers

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

2 hours ago, Ihfan4life said:

Make paper placards taped to the doors illegal, and red flag every truck who is running them. They will remove one, and tape another one to keep running long after they are required to park.

The only reason for a paper placards taped should be for a new registration or transfer of the truck, which in that situation the placards need to come from the state the vehicle is registered in. Not handwritten.

 

But, why would they park if they’re already illegal drivers? Teams of 2 maybe 3 running 24-7. $$$$ being made for the company if not the drivers… 

They need to quit hassling legit drivers over stupid technicalities and focus on the dangerous ones. Word gets around fast when extremely harsh penalties are handed out for egregious violations. People who know they can’t meet the legal requirements won’t risk it if they they know they are going to jail if they are caught. 

[766 Man]

15 minutes ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

They need to quit hassling legit drivers over stupid technicalities and focus on the dangerous ones. Word gets around fast when extremely harsh penalties are handed out for egregious violations. People who know they can’t meet the legal requirements won’t risk it if they they know they are going to jail if they are caught. 

  A very open secret here in NY is there is an unofficial quota system in place for heavy truck violations.  I've known a few NYS Troopers and they have all indicated that when end of shift comes there had better be some tickets handed out.  Very seldom is a "slow" day allowed in terms of tickets.  

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

35 minutes ago, 766 Man said:

  A very open secret here in NY is there is an unofficial quota system in place for heavy truck violations.  I've known a few NYS Troopers and they have all indicated that when end of shift comes there had better be some tickets handed out.  Very seldom is a "slow" day allowed in terms of tickets.  

A guy who drives for me was an OTR driver for a large company. He said the last time he was stopped in California, the main thing they were worried about was if the fifth wheel plate had too much grease on it. That could drip on the ground and cause an environmental disaster. Their licensed drivers are literally killing people, but they have plenty of time and man power for an excessive grease inspection. 

[766 Man]

  I agree with your sentiment.  It is not Smokey and the Bandit or the Dukes of Hazard or some 1970's trucker movie out there.  The violations while nitpicky do exist without a cop bashing a marker light with his baton for example.  But like you say that effort is a waste and a trucker should be let off with a warning versus a violation.  

[12_Guy]

It’s not really the “driver’s” fault. There is a demand for drivers who will run 24/7 and crap in a hole in the floor. Eliminate the demand and they will go away. Fine the crap out of the companies who pay them. And send the illegal “drivers” home. 

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

6 minutes ago, 12_Guy said:

It’s not really the “driver’s” fault. There is a demand for drivers who will run 24/7 and crap in a hole in the floor. Eliminate the demand and they will go away. Fine the crap out of the companies who pay them. And send the illegal “drivers” home. 

There’s always been a demand to get there and back quick. These people are breaking every rule in the book and they are hassling a legit driver on the side of the road because his high beam headlight is out in the middle of the day. They know who’s doing it and no one cared until the last election. The American trucker has been under a full blown attack from completely illegal practices and labor for at least 20 years. They should be promoting American trucking instead of importing the third world. “I didn’t know” is not an accepted excuse for a citizen when dealing with any government agency. 

[Ihfan4life]

2 hours ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

There’s always been a demand to get there and back quick. These people are breaking every rule in the book and they are hassling a legit driver on the side of the road because his high beam headlight is out in the middle of the day. They know who’s doing it and no one cared until the last election. The American trucker has been under a full blown attack from completely illegal practices and labor for at least 20 years. They should be promoting American trucking instead of importing the third world. “I didn’t know” is not an accepted excuse for a citizen when dealing with any government agency. 

If you remove the illegals who will do the work… there’s a mentality that Americans don’t want to work hard. That mentality is true when the American workers are discouraged to work hard by imported labor, legal or otherwise. I don’t live the same standards that these people are willing to live at. We aren’t improving their standard of living, we’re degrading ours. And with it, our farmers, our factories and our truckers. All in the name of corporate greed. Don’t get me wrong, corporations need to generate revenue, but where’s the line between generating profits and destroying communities? Where’s the line from destroying family farms and building mega farms run mostly by ceo’s looking for every last penny of profits. Mother Deere and CaseIH practice these same principles with forcing dealers to own multiple locations, or just outright owning the dealerships… capitalism is great when there’s money to be made by all. Not so much when the blood is squeezed out of every stone and there’s nothing left for the ones who made the product. 
We as a civilized society need to take a step back and look at what made society better, instead of racing to the bottom trying to outwit the next guy. Trucking, farming, mining, manufacturing, it’s all in the toilet because of politics and the policies that have made it easier to take what shouldn’t be taken. Via illegal immigration, or otherwise.

Sorry for the sidebar… I’ll go stuff my head in the sand now.

[Tad Wicks]

well we all know who or whom to thank for that. Sad situation

[yellowrosefarm]

Maybe this has been going on for a while, but I just saw it yesterday. If you have a CDL and diabetes requiring insulin, you have to be on a continuous glucose moniter and show 3 months of downloaded results to get your medical card. That's something else to make it harder for older drivers to stay in. It doesn't seem to differentiate between long term and short term insulin either. Short term can cause you to pass out because of a low, long term not so much. Generally, type 1 diabetics (early onset) use short term, and type 2 (older, associated with obesity) use long term.  

[Chester5732]

50 minutes ago, yellowrosefarm said:

Maybe this has been going on for a while, but I just saw it yesterday. If you have a CDL and diabetes requiring insulin, you have to be on a continuous glucose moniter and show 3 months of downloaded results to get your medical card. That's something else to make it harder for older drivers to stay in. It doesn't seem to differentiate between long term and short term insulin either. Short term can cause you to pass out because of a low, long term not so much. Generally, type 1 diabetics (early onset) use short term, and type 2 (older, associated with obesity) use long term.  

I have a friend with a CDL in Michigan that is diabetic. Only difference is he can only get a 1 year medical card. No monitor. 

[Lazy WP]

All depends on how serious any condition is as to what they’re required for monitoring and the like. 

[766 Man]

17 hours ago, Ihfan4life said:

If you remove the illegals who will do the work… there’s a mentality that Americans don’t want to work hard. That mentality is true when the American workers are discouraged to work hard by imported labor, legal or otherwise. I don’t live the same standards that these people are willing to live at. We aren’t improving their standard of living, we’re degrading ours. And with it, our farmers, our factories and our truckers. All in the name of corporate greed. Don’t get me wrong, corporations need to generate revenue, but where’s the line between generating profits and destroying communities? Where’s the line from destroying family farms and building mega farms run mostly by ceo’s looking for every last penny of profits. Mother Deere and CaseIH practice these same principles with forcing dealers to own multiple locations, or just outright owning the dealerships… capitalism is great when there’s money to be made by all. Not so much when the blood is squeezed out of every stone and there’s nothing left for the ones who made the product. 
We as a civilized society need to take a step back and look at what made society better, instead of racing to the bottom trying to outwit the next guy. Trucking, farming, mining, manufacturing, it’s all in the toilet because of politics and the policies that have made it easier to take what shouldn’t be taken. Via illegal immigration, or otherwise.

Sorry for the sidebar… I’ll go stuff my head in the sand now.

  Well said.  Those who said we will worry about tomorrow when it gets here do not realize tomorrow has in fact arrived and passed.  The Good Book told us how to live and regard other people but has been pushed aside and now we face oblivion.  A problem which has been created over the course of centuries but those people who had a hand in making the mess are no longer here and we get stuck trying to find a solution.  Actually, the solution is in the Bible but humanity will take every step possible to avoid looking there.

[yellowrosefarm]

1 hour ago, Chester5732 said:

I have a friend with a CDL in Michigan that is diabetic. Only difference is he can only get a 1 year medical card. No monitor. 

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/2025-04/Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form MCSA-5870_508.pdf

Seems like this goes back to 2018. Only for diabetics using insulin.

[Tad Wicks]

I feel very much like a Roman starring at the Visigoths on the other side of the gate while they slap their swords in their hands.