DOT Physical with eye exam

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Originally Posted by matador

Alright- so keep it under 26000#, and we're good with IFTA.

The sad part was that I got a Lieutenant at the WYDOT office.

What other "fun stuff" do I have to look forwards to with DOT numbers?

Thanks!

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Matador: here's what I have in my notes, in no particular order.

Getting the USDOT number is easy. Just search online. No cost. Info needs to be updated every two years. ****SAVE YOUR PIN NUMBER***

Annual inspection on power unit. $75

UCR (Unified Carrier Registration) again search online. $75 annually.

DOT Annual (for me, bi-annual for most) physical exam. $100 depending on your health Ins.

Now also as I mentioned before, you need a trip permit every time you cross state lines. $15 leaving, $15 coming back. This is NOT the fuel permit, totally different. I got "Apportioned Vehicle" plates, then you don't need a trip permit. You do need to keep track of how many miles in each state, and roads traveled, and report that annually.

Now, once they tell you your USDOT number, a state highway guy/gal will come to your place of work within 6 mo. Or so. This guy/gal will perform your safety audit. I was lucky and got a dude that was very helpful.

Get yourself a file cabinet for all your fun papers. What you need:
Copy of driving record.
Insurance paperwork.
Paperwork for all the stuff I mentioned above.
Certificate of violations.
Job application.
Vehicle service due status reports for truck and trailer.
Accident register.
Maintenance repair receipts.
Log books.

It's also a good idea to have a pre-trip inspection book. Not mandatory under 26k, but a good CYA move.

I'm sure I'll be thinking of more stuff, but like I said, this was the stuff in my notes.

Thanks for the help!

How do the Apportioned plates work? Is there a large cost difference over the regular plates? At $30 per trip out of state, though, the difference could add pretty quickly!

What do you mean by "Vehicle service due status reports for truck and trailer"? I'm assuming one of these: http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/docs/cvd/396_form2.pdf

If that's the case, then what inspections do we log in there? Just the annual DOT safety inspection? Other inspections I'm not aware of? Every time I change oil?....

Thanks for the help!

Apportioned plates (search for IRP Or prorate in your state) give you the ability to register your vehicles in multiple states. Yes, they are expensive. The more states you register in the spendier they get. It's less hassle tho and for me I think it comes out a little cheaper than ponying up $30 per trip. Not sure yet, this is my first year with them. And a trip permit is not just for leaving the state and coming back. You need a permit for EVERY state you enter.

Example for vehicle service due status report:

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/...ps08172e92.jpg

Mine:

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/...ps624ce204.jpg

Pretty fancy huh?

Yes, you log inspections, light bulbs, I'm a smart ass so I even log when I wash my truck. Anything done to truck gets logged.

better to log an be safe then not log an put out of service.

an wait..PJ your not pushing a Pete? :(

Sirscrapalot - Planes, trains and automobiles, long as you get to where your going.

I down rated my DL from a CDL double,tanker, so I would not have to be felt up by the state .

Im class A with all endorsments, and it is getting more and more hectic. seems like they are just looking for more ways to find money. The newest thing that they just did which I believe started October 1st or 2015 is if you want to travel out of state with your CDL, you have to pay an extra amount (I think it was $130, but I cant fully remember). Also a medical card can be issued for as short as 3 months. I have a guy that fills in for me every now and then and he got a 3 month card because of high blood pressure. But here is something crazy to think about.... by federal law, any trailer being towed that is rated to haul 10,000 pounds or more (which is any 2 axel trailer with 6 lugs or more) has to be pulled by a class A driver, no matter what the tow vehicle is. that sounds a bit extreme to me but it is in the CDL handbook. im not sure how well that law is enforced but the troopers got a friend of mine who was pulling an empty bobcat trailer behind his dually and passed a weigh station. he ended up getting grounded (I had to go get the truck off the highway) a $5000 dollar fine and a court date.

A while back I looked into bringing computers in from a bordering state with a trailer. For all the costs involved, it would have literally been cheaper to send two trucks in convoy than to get licensed for a CDL. That shouldn't be.

Out here, the 10k GVWR trailer law is hardly ever enforced. We've loaded hay and straw for many customers who have 14k trailers. I doubt most of them have a CDL....

that law also isn't strictly enforced here either (my friend has the worst luck - I cant even begin to explain it to you lol) but yea if that law was enforced heavily, there would be no work happening in florida. just for one example, landscape companies, I know those illegals driving those Isuzu cab overs pulling 30 foot enclosed trailers don't have a CDL but all I care about is my company is fully legal on all aspects. when I get pulled over I have nothing to worry about and make friends with the cop :) all my trucks are registered the right way and all my drivers are tip top and I check all their paperwork through the state. I assume all states do this but in florida you can look up all of your employees driving records and get notifications on any infractions and upcoming events (such as medical card renewals - which actually saved my butt last year because I forgot all about it) lol

Back to the physical checkup for a minute--I got mine renewed a month or so ago, because it expires tomorrow. A) the doc told me he can only give it to me for one year because I'm on blood pressure medicine. That's the way it is and is always going to be from now on. Prior ones were always good for two, even with the BP meds.

And B) the new one is only good for exactly a year. That means I essentially wasted a month's worth of the old one, and if I be responsible and do it in a timely fashion next year, I'll have wasted a month of this year's, and so on and so on. How stupid is that? They should at least give you something like til the end of the month it expires in, every year.

Also, from what I've heard from other guys, don't EVER tell them you snore...

worst part of all these regulations by the DOT /FMCSA is none of this applies to mexican trucks they can ship into any part of the USA with no safety checks or DL checks by dot.

I had an incident in AZ between Flagstaff and Phoenix where there is an officer that only does commercial enforcement I got pulled over driving a Budget truck that was 26 foot. I didn't know of the regs and he proceeded to ticket me as well as reporting me for no DOT on the Budget truck. Its a real mess and the more I think about it it may not be worth it anymore considering the prices are going down to do big hauls any more.

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Originally Posted by Ditchdigger

Back to the physical checkup for a minute--I got mine renewed a month or so ago, because it expires tomorrow. A) the doc told me he can only give it to me for one year because I'm on blood pressure medicine. That's the way it is and is always going to be from now on. Prior ones were always good for two, even with the BP meds.

And B) the new one is only good for exactly a year. That means I essentially wasted a month's worth of the old one, and if I be responsible and do it in a timely fashion next year, I'll have wasted a month of this year's, and so on and so on. How stupid is that? They should at least give you something like til the end of the month it expires in, every year.

Also, from what I've heard from other guys, don't EVER tell them you snore...

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Actually the Dr. or PA that performs the DOT physical on you can date it to start the day your old one expires.

My PA actually has a little paperwork that you do before you go in to get examined. You write in the date you want to go into effect. That way you are not overlapping a month and wasting the $90 it costs to get the **** physical.

i close one eye, my sister can remember what person in front says, she's dislexic ?. Now years ago i lost my license for a year, and i could have avoided it if i just got a physicle, but it said dot equivilent, so i wen't and got a dot physical, took the yellow a-ok slip to the dot, and oh you don't need that serious a physicle, i already paid for it, so i go back to the occupation place talk to the doctor, wow, this guy goes off calls me a liar, a drunk, and a drug addict, and i needed to seek treatment, i pissed, it was clean, wen't through asac, i lost my license for a year because the stress of being pulled over, and being dehidrated from work, and not wearing gloves to wash the orange stained walls of my appartment, i started vomiting profusely as soon as the chick cop started rooting around in the truck, i puked in the car in the lobby, surprised not in the elevator, the booking room, the booking room, the booking room, i finally did the breathalizer .094 in 2002 + or - .004 and i said well i'm not drunk so let me go and and give me my pot back because illegal search and seizure, NEEDLESS TO SAY I LOST MY LICENSE FOR A YEAR, MY MOUTH GOT ME 5 DAYS IN COUNTY, WITCH I SLEEPT MOST OF ( no F bombs, court was out for the holidays), I HAD MY FIRST HEART ATTACK - so a few years ago i tried pulling my anchor up, the nest was empty, and i was denied because i wanted to go independent, wasn't any of the doctors business, and he came back after horseing around for a month, that i was depresed, so for services not rendered give me a refund, bull**** deal, can't handle 12 hours out in -30 weather, so i thought try trucking in the winter so as not violate unemployment guidelines.