County sheriffs?

Yes...There are local sheriff and city police "commercial enforcement" units and the phenomenon will continue to grow since they see us as a source for revenue generation. The only defence is to keep your ##### straight and be respectful when you deal with them.

Welcome to the POLICE STATE!

 

Yes.

Cobb County Ga used to harrass truckers all the time. They set up a scale and everything. Come to find out only 1 of them had his DOT certification and they were all operating on it. They got the book thrown at them and their scale was shut down permanently.
Right north of the 575 split off I-75, you will see the remnants of the Rob County corruption gang.

For the record: City cops and county cops can be DOT certfied (some Houston city cops are DOT cops)...HOWEVER, its not a once and for all time deal. Like everything else in law enforcement, you have to continually QUALIFY for everything.

And there are different levels of DOT qualifications. Not all DOT cops can do a level 1 inspection. Logbook inspections is the bottom of the line level for a DOT cop.

 

kansas city & st louis have city dot cops. i found out the hard way in kc.

 

An officer must have "Federal Authority" in order to enforce Federal Laws. Keep this in mind, because usually only fulltime commercial officers have this authority. That doesn't mean that another officer can't give you a ticket. The reason is that many city, town, and county governments will create local laws or ordinances that "mirror" the Federal Regulations.

Just stay legal and you won't have any worries.

 

I got stopped by one in an unmarked wagon.

 

Well I can tell ya on I-70 IN between the 138 and 145 a few miles from where I live there is a couple Richmond local k9 cops and county sheriffs that work that area all the time. I always hear guys on the radio saying something like they can't do nothing to you they are way out of jurisdiction and I just have to laugh. They are all DOT certified and are part of a Federal drug task force which gives them jurisdiction ANYWHERE!

 

becuase of the paranoia thrust on the country after 9/11, being a container hauler, I got stopped many times by small town cops and sherriff's wanting to know what I was hauling. More than a couple wanted to see my paperwork and have me open the container. In each case, if they wanted the container opened, I asked to see their replacement seal and required paperwork, as well as their DOT cert.. Most backed off and were happy to look at my Bills (doubt any of them understood it), log, and then be off. A couple if Ne. and Ks. were jerks about it.

In Nebraska, I once had to deal with an overzealous deputy, brought on by an overzealous nosey motorist. I was stopped at a RA on I-80, just came out of the restrooms, there was this SUV parked in the 4-wheeler spots, as I walked back to the truck, the guy driving (it was a family in it) asked what I was hauling. I told him it was none of his business. I got in the truck and crawled in the sleeper for a nap. Within about 15 minutes there was a knock at the door. I crawled out, here was a sheriff's deputy, in a cranky mood, wanting to ask me lots of questions. He told me why he was called, I told him it was none of the motorists or his business what I was carrying. I showed him my bills to make him happy. He demanded I open the can, I demanded to see his replacement seal and paperwork, he said he didn't have any, I refused to open it. He threatened to arrest me, I suggested that if he wanted to keep his job he better call his boss as well as get a trooper present. He radioed for both, in the meantime, family man and family were parked off to the side. When he saw us arguing, he came over to butt in, he ID'd himself as an Ohio trooper who on vacation. Within a few minutes a trooper pulled up, about 3 minutes later another sheriff's car pulled up (Sgt.). Family man and the deputy proceeded to explain to the trooper and Sgt. what was going on. I showed the trooper my bills, I then posed the following question to all of them as a reason why it was none of family man's business:

When your out christmas shopping and you put the items you buy in your trunk, if a passerby asks you what you bought, what do you normally tell them? Nothing or none of their business.

After the trooper explained the real world to family man and the deputy, I got to finish my nap.

 

In the Boise Idaho area there are 2 officers that are dot certified comercial truck officers, one is a county deputy, the other is a boise city officer, both can and will pull you over if they have reason to and both can do a full inspection, they both hang out usaully at the port east of boise on I 84, they are easy to get along with and will treat you right as long as you treat them the same. Of course the state of idaho has a few dot officers running around to.

 

Was in Duluth GA on I-85 back in the summer and the Gwinnett County Sheriff Department has a blue pick up marked Commercial Vehicle Enforcement..