TForce | Who knows company policy on weight limited roads?

[Apostolic]

About two years ago one of my co-workers got an over weight ticket for making a delivery on a side street where his customer took in his deliveries.
The customers address is on the main street of a town on his route,but the delivery door is on a side street thats posted 5 tons.

I told my TM to fight it,but he said no,and paid it,telling this driver from now on park on the main street and have the customer drive his forklift out the side door to the back of the trailer.
In the winter this is very dangerous,because the customer has to drive down the main street.
Now that my TM paid that ticket we refuse to go on weighted roads.
Now heres the way I've always thought it was.
If the address is on the weight limit street we have the right to be on that street.
Am I right,or not?
Does anyone know what company policy is?
I wanted to just call the local cops or D.O.T.,and ask,but my TM said don't.

 

[sneekypete]

About two years ago one of my co-workers got an over weight ticket for making a delivery on a side street where his customer took in his deliveries.
The customers address is on the main street of a town on his route,but the delivery door is on a side street thats posted 5 tons.

I told my TM to fight it,but he said no,and paid it,telling this driver from now on park on the main street and have the customer drive his forklift out the side door to the back of the trailer.
In the winter this is very dangerous,because the customer has to drive down the main street.
Now that my TM paid that ticket we refuse to go on weighted roads.
Now heres the way I've always thought it was.
If the address is on the weight limit street we have the right to be on that street.
Am I right,or not?
Does anyone know what company policy is?
I wanted to just call the local cops or D.O.T.,and ask,but my TM said don't.

TM's have no clue about DOT rules! All they want to do is get you to make the delivery. If you question them they get mad. I personally would like something in writing that the company will pay a fine if I am ticketed. Just the TM's word is not good enough. Try telling your TM that you are going to call safety about it and watch him flip, sorry I forgot you all don't have a gem of a manager I do.

 

[Apostolic]

OK singlescrew lets do just that,get it in writing.
Ask your TM to write down on a piece of paper that he wants you to make deliveries on streets that have weight limits lighter than what our equipment weighs.
Have him print his name,and sign it.
Than if your going to be ticketed produce this document.
I don't know what else to tell you?
If our TM says to do something we think is illegel,than he had better sign off on his order.
But being a safety trainer my advice is to find out what the legal thing to do in this case.
If its not legal,or unsafe we shouldn't do it regardless of who is telling us too.

I think if I can't find out whats right on this trucking forum,by someone who may know for sure.
My next call will be to DOT,the second call will be to safety in Richmond.

 

[Skeeter]

OK singlescrew lets do just that,get it in writing.
Ask your TM to write down on a piece of paper that he wants you to make deliveries on streets that have weight limits lighter than what our equipment weighs.
Have him print his name,and sign it.
Than if your going to be ticketed produce this document.
I don't know what else to tell you?
If our TM says to do something we think is illegel,than he had better sign off on his order.
But being a safety trainer my advice is to find out what the legal thing to do in this case.
If its not legal,or unsafe we shouldn't do it regardless of who is telling us too.

I think if I can't find out whats right on this trucking forum,by someone who may know for sure.
My next call will be to DOT,the second call will be to safety in Richmond.

That might of worked 20 or 30 years ago. But now its the drivers responsibility no matter who signs what.

 

[sneekypete]

OK singlescrew lets do just that,get it in writing.
Ask your TM to write down on a piece of paper that he wants you to make deliveries on streets that have weight limits lighter than what our equipment weighs.
Have him print his name,and sign it.
Than if your going to be ticketed produce this document.
I don't know what else to tell you?
If our TM says to do something we think is illegel,than he had better sign off on his order.
But being a safety trainer my advice is to find out what the legal thing to do in this case.
If its not legal,or unsafe we shouldn't do it regardless of who is telling us too.

I think if I can't find out whats right on this trucking forum,by someone who may know for sure.
My next call will be to DOT,the second call will be to safety in Richmond.

Well you go to DOT or Richmond and find out the real deal and let me know. I really don't need my manager focused on trying to get back at me for circumventing his authority. Does every one have a manager like this?:Rulz:

 

[Apostolic]

Ok singlescrew I was really hoping to get someone in the know about this issue to put up a good post on this thread.
But I don't see that its going to happen tonight?

Tomorrow I'll see what I can find out when I get some time to call on my cell phone,to who I need to talk to on this issue.
It may take a day,or two depending on the time I have.
I'll have to get back with you on this hopefuly before this week is done.

Don't let your TM get to you.
Remember he also has a boss thats on his case on a daily basis.

 

[Apostolic]

Well I can see this subject is going nowhere?
I talked to my TM this morning,and it comes down to us drivers.
Nothing will be in writing,its like anyother judgement we city drivers have to make every day.
As much as our company wants us to deliver all of our asigned customers freight on our routes.
If we feel we can't do it safe,we shouldn't do it at all.

Some towns around our delivery area will write tickets for over weight trucks.
I also found out that we will receive a point on our CDL for each violation,even though the company is willing to pay the fine.

And one last note on this issue,furniture moving companies with their 53 foot trailers,and stretched out California Condo tractors,that weigh about double of any of our route units are exempt because they haul house hold items.
What a crock of bull feces.
These states and their DOT departments make laws that will make them a lot of money off trucking companies that deliver freight,in their states.

 

[accelerator]

About two years ago one of my co-workers got an over weight ticket for making a delivery on a side street where his customer took in his deliveries.
The customers address is on the main street of a town on his route,but the delivery door is on a side street thats posted 5 tons.

I told my TM to fight it,but he said no,and paid it,telling this driver from now on park on the main street and have the customer drive his forklift out the side door to the back of the trailer.
In the winter this is very dangerous,because the customer has to drive down the main street.
Now that my TM paid that ticket we refuse to go on weighted roads.
Now heres the way I've always thought it was.
If the address is on the weight limit street we have the right to be on that street.
Am I right,or not?
Does anyone know what company policy is?
I wanted to just call the local cops or D.O.T.,and ask,but my TM said don't.

According to Inerstate commerce LAWS, no one can stop us at anytime from making a delivery on commercial\farming or residential zoned property. Unless such actions will result in dammage to said properties or where liability issues can occur.

Most towns post roads mainly for dirt haulers , loggers , heavy equipment haulers , etc etc, where the actual weights will sink the roads in a heartbeat. Due too over saturation of the ground the road is on .

But most town police are not interested in the interpretation of the law's, you are not supposed to be there.

If it is a business in such an area you have the rite to deliver on these roads if the person you are delivering too is grandfathered, and there is only one way for him to recieve freight . In wich case provisions must be made otherwise by the reciever or the town ,if the town does not want you there.

Failure to create such provisions by the towns is infact obstruction of interstate commerce and is illegal.