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| There is a huge grey area when it comes to commercial vs non commercial. Most officers take it to mean that if you have the license you are doing something that requires it even when you're not.
They bitched at us one time because we've got a blanket permit from the county to get on some posted roads with semi's simply because we have farms there and have to have access. Before we had the permit one Sheriff wrote me up because the road is posted at 54,000, when I asked him how I was supposed to harvest my crop and get in and out of my farm he told me that we'd just have to buy some smaller trucks to use on the posted roads. After we got the permit I got pulled over and proceeded to show him the permit, he tried to write me up anyway because the permit was written for "farm semis" and the truck I was driving had a commercial IRP license on it. I told him that I was not running commercial, and this was my own product, it's just that we run the truck off season on a commercial basis. He claimed it didn't matter because it had a commercial license. I managed to get the county road mgr on the phone and he told him it was ok and that he'd reword the permit to cover all of our trucks.
Got into a hassle one time going into Arkansas on 55 south of SL. got pulled around inspected, kept looking and finally quit. Started writing and I sat there with my mouth shut which was hard for me. Finally he tore it out and handed it to me so I knew then it wasn't a citation since I didn't have to sign it.
I asked him what was wrong and his rely was that "you have a rusty spot on your muffler, get it fixed before you come through here again." Not a hole mind you, just a rusty spot. Felt like asking him to see the muffler on his car, but decided not.
Later that year I was sitting in a line at the processor and visiting with another trucker. Happened to mention what a prick that guy was and he started laughing. Same scale pulled him over with a load of Christmas trees. Told him he was over weight which he said was almost impossible to do and he had weighed out when he left up north. They told him to unload a half dozen trees and weigh it again. Pulled back around and came in and they told him he was legal again. He asked them if they were going to write him up and the officer said no, you were not far off so we'll just let you go this time....oh and by the way since you're so far from home we'll just throw the trees in the dumpster for you since you really don't have anyway to take them with you. He said he asked them again to make sure he heard them right and they told him no, just go ahead and drive safely. He told them thank you and then as he was on his way out the door he stuck his head back in and said, by the way don't worry about the trees, my sister in law lives about 15 miles from here and I'll just have her pick them up so you don't have to be bothered with them.
The scale at Festus on 55 pulled me in one time and they guy said "son you're in a heap of trouble." Made me think I was in a movie somewhere. He pushed an adding machine tape my way and said you're 10,000 lbs over weight. I knew I wasn't because I had weighed out at home at 78,000 and was taking a load of beans to Cairo and was going to Mathews and pick up a load of seed on the way back. I looked at the tape and said you must of added an axle twice because there are 5 numbers here you added together and I only weigh 4 times. I added that the first two numbers were only 20 lbs apart also so you probably added the front axle twice. He told me to go weigh it again, had to back through since there was not enough room to turn around and get back on the scale. Made me stop and take my foot off the brake each time and sit there. Got to the last axle and I was sitting there and the light turned green. Not a "thank you" or sorry or anything to acknowledge he'd screwed up. | |
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Fines for overweight
