'I maliciously complied when a guy with 2 years experience said he knew more than me.'
"Won’t let me help you with complying with DOT regulations? Have fun with that Out of Service ticket and fees, buddy!"
I am a 38-year-old over-the-road trucker. I was at a truck stop about 150 miles from my destination and about 30 miles from a DOT weigh station. Another driver was getting fuel, and I noticed he had hazmat on his trailer, as shown by the placards displayed on it.
When I looked more closely, I saw that one placard was displayed sideways, two others were upside down, and four were mounted with duct tape. As someone who has been in the industry for over a decade, I knew that was not correct. I wanted to help him out to make sure he did not get cited by the DOT (Department of Transportation) for improper display.
I approached him and was friendly about it. I told him his placards were mounted incorrectly and, since we were in my home state and I knew how the DOT operates there, suggested he might want to fix them before leaving.
He asked how long I had been driving, and I told him a decade. He scoffed and said he had been driving for only two years but “knew better than me.” He said that while he appreciated my advice, I should run my own truck the way I see fit and “let me do my job my way.”
So I complied. I wished him well and went inside to grab something to eat. A couple of hours later, I headed out. I was driving south, and right before I reached the state border, there was a truck weigh station. As I approached, my stomach started turning cartwheels, so I pulled in to use the restroom.
In the parking lot, I saw the same driver ripping his placards off his truck, with a DOT officer standing beside him holding new ones and a roll of clear tape. I asked him what happened. He scowled and said, “I got an improper display out-of-service ticket.”
I asked how much it was. He said $2,500, along with 15 points to his CSA score, the scorecard used for truck driver and company evaluations, and 15 points to his company’s CSA score as well.
The officer approached me and asked how I knew the driver. I told him I had tried to help the guy avoid that situation, but he said he knew more than I did, even though I have eight more years of experience. The officer laughed and told the driver, “Maybe you ought to listen to people, especially when they are trying to save you money.”
Here's what people had to say to OP:
Ladydi-bds says:
You did try to help them. Karma let you watch which is always nice when that happens.
binderdriver says:
It just seems that some people are beyond help.
octo2195 says:
You cannot fix stupid, but it should hurt/cost a lot, or both.
mbcook says:
If someone driving hazmat can’t even display a sign the right way up I kind of don’t want them on the road. Yeesh.