Layover.com: Old Bridges; Pets in the Cab

Old Bridges; Pets in the Cab

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My husband was has been a truck driver for about eight months. He was ticketed for being over the weight limit while driving over a bridge. He was issued a $75 ticket and told that his company would also be issued a ticket. He was contacted by his company and told that they just received a $4,000 ticket in his name and he was responsible for paying it. The officer that issued the ticket stated that he was responsible only for the ticket issued at the time he was stopped. Is his company right, does he have to pay the $4,000?

You probably are not going to like this answer, but the ticket is probably going to end up being your husband’s responsibility. Your husband is fairly new at this, but he’s been out there long enough to know what the limits and the ramifications are for being overweight. Now, the question for you to find out before getting all riled up at the company is really did your husband get a ticket for something that he did on his own? Was the truck overweight for all conditions or just that stretches of road and that particular bridge? Was the truck over the gross weight limit? Was the truck over weight on one of the axles or sets of axles? Was the truck overweight for the road/route he was on? Was the truck just over weight for the bridge that he happened to cross? All of these will help explain the reasons for the ticket and who to be more irritated with.

The truck may have been perfectly legal for every condition and road except for this bridge and the local authorities tend to watch these things. The reason is two-fold. One reason to have these bridges limited is because the bridge is old and built before trucks were so large. We do have a problem in this country with deteriorating roads and bridges. Some areas of the country are starting to change the limits on some of the older bridges by lowering the weight limits and even removing lanes from them! A bridge that an 80,000-pound truck could use a few years ago may be limited now. They are usually marked and the routes made inaccessible to trucks. Some though, are not. The company always has an “out” in that they cannot be with the driver 24/7 and the driver is considered a “professional” and therefore will be held accountable for his actions.

Are there any trucking companies that allow house-broken/well-behaved pets in the cab?

There are several companies that will allow pets to travel with you on the road. You will have to find a company that does and then, of course, you will have to check to see what limits there are on the pets. Some will allow one cat or one dog and most will require a deposit that you may or may not get back. Always remember that strange things can and do happen to people who drive trucks. Know that if you quit or are fired or some other calamity hits you and you must get home, that a pet will make it a lot more expensive. Busses do not allow pets and airlines make it tough to do. Traveling in a truck with a pet has some advantages and disadvantages. Some shippers and receivers will not allow pets (or passengers for that matter) on their property. Pets can get injured and/or sick on the road too. This can be expensive and a company may not be too happy with you for missing a load because your dog or cat is sick.

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Old Bridges; Pets in the Cab