I Am a Truck Driver
I joined this group a few days ago, and have posted a couple of comments. Here is a story which includes a lesson that any driver learns the first or second time you go into an open weigh station.
The lesson is that when you go into a weigh station, if it is one of the older weigh stations without an in-motion scale on the entrance ramp, or if you get signaled to go onto the slow or stop scales by the scale building, row down your window somewhat so you can hear any instructions given out over the speaker near the driver's side door, and look straight ahead, and slow or stop as signaled by the green and/or red light.
I was driving north once about 25 or 30 years ago on I-75 in Michigan. There used to be a weigh station near the 139 mile marker. I had brought along a new guy with me for the trip from the moving company that I worked for to help loading and unloading.
The scale was open, so I pulled off onto the ramp. I slowed down to the posted speed. As we neared the scale house, where the speed was posted at 5 mph, I told the guy with me to "Look straight ahead; Do not turn and look at the weighmaster."
Instead, just as we came alongside the weighmaster's window, the guy sitting next to me turns his head to look at the female weighmaster, and waves his hands.
INSTANTLY, the red light comes on, and her voice booms out of the speaker as she tells me "Driver, pull your truck around back, turn off the engine, and bring in all of your paperwork!"
What choice did I have? I pull around back, park the truck, and take in all of the truck documents and inspection reports, all of my manifests, and a passenger authorization form that I had luckily thought to get from my boss - I was a company driver at that time. She takes all of those items and checks them very closely. She then intently examines my CDL and my med-card and looks at my log book's entries for the last seven days. She runs my driver's license through the state computer.
Since she was staffing the weigh station alone, and is also having to watch other trucks go through the weigh station, this process takes her the better part of an hour to complete.
Next, she tells me "Get the other guy out of the truck, and have him come in here." I told her that he wasn't a driver. She said "I didn't ASK you what he was, I TOLD you to get his ass in here.
So, my helper comes in and she also runs his driver's license through the state computer. Not being a driver, he didn't need a med-card or a log book for her to screw with so this went much faster than my interrogation had gone.
Next, she switches the sign for the scale from "open" to "closed" so no more drivers would be coming through. She then goes out back where the truck is parked and gives it the most thorough inspection that I have ever had to endure.
She checks the tread on all of the tires; she checks the horns; she makes me run out the air on the brakes to see if the low air warning beeper worked; then, with the air low, she had me start the truck, and put it in gear to see if the truck would move; she checks every running light on the truck; she checks the front and side windows, and the side mirrors for cracks; etc.; etc.; etc.; ...
Next, she had me open as many of the doors on the truck as I could (a couple of the side doors - it being a moving van - had straps on them securing the load inside and could not be opened, which did not make her very happy) and she first looked into the truck, then took a flashlight and climbed into the truck and inspected the cargo.
Finally, she got out her screwdriver and checked the slack adjuster, and got a mechanic's creeper and inspected every inch of the bottom of the truck. All told, the whole inspection process took well over another hour.
Finally, and I thought, most reluctantly, she gave us back our licenses, my med-card and log book, and all of the other papers, and let me go - without, by the way, any citation. I believe that only made her angrier.
I didn't get a ticket, but I did lose almost three hours being cross-examined by an angry witch - all because my helper ignored my instructions and waved at her. I told him that if he ever did that again, I would put him out of the truck then and there without any money from me.
Over time, after this incident, in talking to other drivers and telling them this story, several drivers said that this particular weighmaster always had a chip on her shoulder and would take it out on drivers.
Maybe, since at the time there were few women truck drivers and virtually no women weighmasters, perhaps she was not treated in the manner she should have been. Whatever, I didn't do anything to you, so don't take your anger and frustration out on me!!!
And, drivers, never, ever, ever turn and look at the window in the scale house, and wave your hand. Just look straight ahead, follow the signals you are given, and get your ass the hell out of there as soon as you possibly can.
This ends the story of one unhappy experience that I will never forget!
Quakertrucker
The lesson is that when you go into a weigh station, if it is one of the older weigh stations without an in-motion scale on the entrance ramp, or if you get signaled to go onto the slow or stop scales by the scale building, row down your window somewhat so you can hear any instructions given out over the speaker near the driver's side door, and look straight ahead, and slow or stop as signaled by the green and/or red light.
I was driving north once about 25 or 30 years ago on I-75 in Michigan. There used to be a weigh station near the 139 mile marker. I had brought along a new guy with me for the trip from the moving company that I worked for to help loading and unloading.
The scale was open, so I pulled off onto the ramp. I slowed down to the posted speed. As we neared the scale house, where the speed was posted at 5 mph, I told the guy with me to "Look straight ahead; Do not turn and look at the weighmaster."
Instead, just as we came alongside the weighmaster's window, the guy sitting next to me turns his head to look at the female weighmaster, and waves his hands.
INSTANTLY, the red light comes on, and her voice booms out of the speaker as she tells me "Driver, pull your truck around back, turn off the engine, and bring in all of your paperwork!"
What choice did I have? I pull around back, park the truck, and take in all of the truck documents and inspection reports, all of my manifests, and a passenger authorization form that I had luckily thought to get from my boss - I was a company driver at that time. She takes all of those items and checks them very closely. She then intently examines my CDL and my med-card and looks at my log book's entries for the last seven days. She runs my driver's license through the state computer.
Since she was staffing the weigh station alone, and is also having to watch other trucks go through the weigh station, this process takes her the better part of an hour to complete.
Next, she tells me "Get the other guy out of the truck, and have him come in here." I told her that he wasn't a driver. She said "I didn't ASK you what he was, I TOLD you to get his ass in here.
So, my helper comes in and she also runs his driver's license through the state computer. Not being a driver, he didn't need a med-card or a log book for her to screw with so this went much faster than my interrogation had gone.
Next, she switches the sign for the scale from "open" to "closed" so no more drivers would be coming through. She then goes out back where the truck is parked and gives it the most thorough inspection that I have ever had to endure.
She checks the tread on all of the tires; she checks the horns; she makes me run out the air on the brakes to see if the low air warning beeper worked; then, with the air low, she had me start the truck, and put it in gear to see if the truck would move; she checks every running light on the truck; she checks the front and side windows, and the side mirrors for cracks; etc.; etc.; etc.; ...
Next, she had me open as many of the doors on the truck as I could (a couple of the side doors - it being a moving van - had straps on them securing the load inside and could not be opened, which did not make her very happy) and she first looked into the truck, then took a flashlight and climbed into the truck and inspected the cargo.
Finally, she got out her screwdriver and checked the slack adjuster, and got a mechanic's creeper and inspected every inch of the bottom of the truck. All told, the whole inspection process took well over another hour.
Finally, and I thought, most reluctantly, she gave us back our licenses, my med-card and log book, and all of the other papers, and let me go - without, by the way, any citation. I believe that only made her angrier.
I didn't get a ticket, but I did lose almost three hours being cross-examined by an angry witch - all because my helper ignored my instructions and waved at her. I told him that if he ever did that again, I would put him out of the truck then and there without any money from me.
Over time, after this incident, in talking to other drivers and telling them this story, several drivers said that this particular weighmaster always had a chip on her shoulder and would take it out on drivers.
Maybe, since at the time there were few women truck drivers and virtually no women weighmasters, perhaps she was not treated in the manner she should have been. Whatever, I didn't do anything to you, so don't take your anger and frustration out on me!!!
And, drivers, never, ever, ever turn and look at the window in the scale house, and wave your hand. Just look straight ahead, follow the signals you are given, and get your ass the hell out of there as soon as you possibly can.
This ends the story of one unhappy experience that I will never forget!
Quakertrucker
70-79, M
