Ray

Scott, it's called revenue enhancement. Only the federal government could think up such a thing.

Once I was on a construction overtime detail. Another officer was on the other end of the construction. The other officer goes over the radio, he has a truck stopped. I go to back him up. Here, he has a company tri-axle dump pulled over. I asked what did the driver do? The officer say's, the driver was exiting the construction site with his tag axle down. He lifted the tag axle to make the turn, bu did'nt put the tag axle down quick enough after making the turn. I said "Are you S@!(*#*& me? The officer then quotes the Federal Motor Carrier Act. I walked up to the driver and apologized for the other officer as he's a anal cavity. The driver was cool and said the company would pay for the ticket. But how about that guy,working 8 hours overtime, paid by the construction company, than you bang one of their drivers for a stupid tag-axle violation.

Back about 1997, I was hauling an empty 20 foot container back to the piers in Philly. I was about 20 miles out going south on I-95. I had an older R-Model Mack with an Eaton 9spd. This truck could do 68 mph with no problems. A Pa. State Trooper snuck behind me somehow and pulled me over. This cop looked like Ed "TOO TALL" Jones. He was huge! I got all my paperwork together, including my police ID card and handed it to him. When he saw my ID card he asked if I was still an active officer. I replied, yes I am. He then asked where I worked, I told him in the Detective Bureau. He then proceeded to rip me a new one. I was told about being professional, and being an officer of the law I should know better, yadda yadda yadda. After the 5 minute lecture, he tells me to slow down and gives me my cards back. I offered my hand as thanks and he snubbed me and walked away.

Later that week, a detective who spent 23 years patrolling I-95 with the Philly Highway Patrol, was told the story. I told him I was annoyed the the trooper refused to shake my hand. He said " I would'nt shake your hand either". When I asked why, he said It looks like the trooper could be accepting a bribe. Just think how it would look to a passing motorist. After giving it a second thought, I let it go.

Other Dog,

I'm lucky to have been in the trucking business before joining Law Enforcement. I still drive a truck part-time. However since a heart problem 4 years ago,( imagine how surprised I was to find out I had a heart!!) the union keeps me off the big rigs and on the Hollywood movie and film sets that shoot in Philadelphia.

I've always beem sympathetic towards truckers and their job after I left trucking. I've NEVER written a trucker a citation for any violation except once for a "Leaking, Sifting, load". And I was ordered to write the ticket by my Sgt.

As long as I keep my hand in trucking, you can bet you'll never get a ticket from me. Maybe a long dissertation on safely operating a truck,,, but never a ticket