Perryville Maryland I-95 Weigh Station

I usually refrain from posting stuff like this but this one might be helpful to someone scooting up and down I-95 through Maryland. Of course, I knew better but...

Northbound...paid my $30.00 toll for the Susquehenna Bridge and it was open. Went in. "Proceed to I95" the sign says...like always. Never been in the shed behind the scales. Made my turn and eased out only to be chased down by a kid waving his arms and yelling at me. Almost run under my hood from the right rear. I am not moving fast at all...easing through the gears as I always do. When I hear and finally see the movement, I stop and roll my right window down to hear him red-faced and yelling for me to pull it over there!...rather hateful-like. OK.

Park...he comes wanting my stuff...I give it to him immediately...always prepared. He tells me to circle back around and come up to door #1..."gonna do a level 1 on ya." OK.

Level 1 done. Cadet DOT: "You are out-of-service". Me: "Whatever for, kid?" (On the inside) On the outside, I says..."Yeah??? What's the problem, sir?" Cadet DOT: "You have unsecured dunnage...there...those 2 pieces of wood." I had two 6" x 1 1/2" blocks of soft pine placed on a deck immediately behind my sleeper that were kept there since the truck was placed into service some 300K miles ago with small 1/4" bolts extending through the wood on the bottom side to hold the wood in position via the extruded holes in the factory deck/ramps. These 2 blocks, one on each side, were used for placement of the rear tires of a 4-wheeler (I drive a parking lot). They have never moved all the time they had been there loaded or empty. Cadet DOT: " Move them and you can go on your way." Me: "That's very chickens&*t of you, son"...on the inside. On the outside, I says, "Thank you for that and I will move them now but...is this still an out-of-service violation?" Cadet DOT: "Yes, it is. But I am only writing a warning...it could have cost you $140.00 per piece but I'm gonna let you off on that with a warning." Me: "Well, you %$^$#$$% and %$^%$## lil b^%$tige cause I just saw you going north on that black Harley a while ago with 22" apehanger handlebars and I know Maryland has a 15" handlebar height law from the seat, you *&^&^%$$## little ^%&%$##!!!"...on the inside. On the outside I says "Sir, I sure wish you'd reconsider doing that because this CSA deal will not make any distinction between this and a coil of steel rocking off a trailer and I have never had any infractions in Maryland and my driving record is clean and...these blocks are made to hold themselves in with these bolts on the bottom side and..." Cadet DOT:" CSA ain't even started yet...don't worry about it." Me: "Oh but yes it is!"

My long story shortened...O-O-S but OK to roll out the door and on my way. No fine...a warning for the unsecured dunnage of 2 small pieces of soft Georgia pine. Not looking forward to the CSA hit because of this senseless write-up. Nevertheless, I know...it's a law and I'll hear that over and over but I give up trying. I never did kid myself that any of this was really about safety and efficiency but it just takes the wind out of your sail when these kind of things happen. My best is not good enough. This same kid inspector was riding the black Harley with 22" apehangers parked inside the inspection shed beside the middle pit. Good looking bike but it's illegal in the state of Maryland as it sits and....I just saw him riding it north on I-95 as I was going to Dundalk a couple hours earlier. I didn't mention anything about the illegal bike to him because I knew it would be a wasted conversation just as my questioning the CSA hit was. The reason I noticed this particular bike this day was it was rather chilly and these apehangers are extreme and with all the traffic, I still spotted the bike going north as I went south. I mess with custom bikes and I tend to spot them as I travel. Never thought anything about the bike then but now I am standing here, looking at the same bike and the guy riding it is my inspector du jour. Maryland has a 15" handlebar height limit from the seat to the bars and these things are way over. Safety is safety but he's wearing the patch on his sleeve.

OK...I'm trying to find something to make me feel better about my personal situation and I guess I will just shut it and take my lumps, learn not to have "unsecured dunnage" on my wagon or truck, and hope for the best. 36 years and I still can't do it like they want it done. :smt089

Bottom line...for you that may have an old habit or those that may not have encountered this little bit of friendly Maryland real estate at the top of the Chesapeake Bay...don't leave anything unsecured...whether you think it's secured or not. Yeah, I dodged my share of mangled step ladders in rush hour traffic and that is definitely a problem when junk hits the roadway. I don't like it and I guess a little piece of soft pine might be a problem if I rolled my truck cause that's the only way it was coming loose with the protrusions on the backside but Maryland looks for stuff like this.

Be safe every chance you get.

 

I have to grin today...mostly to keep from crying. Thx 'olhand for the reminder that maybe it ain't just me. I guess I may have de-fused the situation by treating him with undeserved respect...undeserved because of his disrespectful yelling to me and buster bad-arse attitude that he should have left on his Charlie Ferguson when he dismounted. I have this feeling that one of these days, he may encounter the right person to make needed adjustments to that internal problem he's toting around in a very external way.

 

Absolutely Grouch...always.

 

I was thinking about that when I posted, Hardwoods. Being a parking lot type, I don't have that issue but I see a lot of folks still do it. Lotta car haulers might lay a short chain in the tongue of the trailer and it'll ride there till the cows come home or someone borrows it but I'm sure they'll write us for that.