Entertianment while mowing today

[Buckhammer]

I would be ecstatic to see a police presence on my road. There is a gravel pit owned by a local excavating company about 2 miles east of my house. His home base for his operation is 2 miles west of my home. Currently speed and weight restrictions are on. Every day his dump trucks and gravel trains go by my house 55 m.p.h. + and fully loaded. Not a cop in sight EVER. To top it all off there are 20 plus passenger vehicles that go by my home everyday doing 70 plus m.p.h.

 

[37chief]

If I interpret that correctly, the same officer stopped you twice?

I was never stopped. stan

 

[flying belgian]

I got my tractor off the trailer and made one mowing round. Up pulls a California Highway Patrol. and parks across the street. I begin to wonder if he is there to see me. Maybe my missing shovel fell off my trailer and killed someone. He stayed in his patrol car. I made a few more rounds. I guess he isn't there to see me. In a few minutes on goes all his lights. He pulled a car over coming towards him, I guess he was using radar to catch speeders. This wet on for over an hour. He issued a few tickets, and ruined the day for a few people. The CHP are the ones I never want to get stopped by around here. I try my best to keep every thing ship shape, but by the time they crawl over your truck and trailer I am sure they will find a few things wrong. I have seen them pull out scales to weigh equipment, not mine. Does your state have patrol cars you would rather not be stopped by? Stan

My sil is a Mn. state trooper. I would rather not be stopped by him.

 

[moresmoke]

Ministry of transportation has their own police here in Ontario. 2500 series truck with a trailer, you're a big target. If you get stopped expect several thousands in fines. There's a good chance even with all brand new equipment you will have forgotten something. Something simple as a log book or whatever. Then they'll lecture you on how bad of a person you are for not filling out the log book to the minute. They especially go after the landscapers and lawn maintenance guys. They always have something wrong. Safety is usually not something they look for. They get you on a technicality. Nice money grab.

At least in my experience, the MTO guys are very polite about it.

I’ve had some DOT officers in other jurisdictions that would’ve made you think you just stepped on their pet parakeet.

 

[Texasmark]

I got my tractor off the trailer and made one mowing round. Up pulls a California Highway Patrol. and parks across the street. I begin to wonder if he is there to see me. Maybe my missing shovel fell off my trailer and killed someone. He stayed in his patrol car. I made a few more rounds. I guess he isn't there to see me. In a few minutes on goes all his lights. He pulled a car over coming towards him, I guess he was using radar to catch speeders. This wet on for over an hour. He issued a few tickets, and ruined the day for a few people. The CHP are the ones I never want to get stopped by around here. I try my best to keep every thing ship shape, but by the time they crawl over your truck and trailer I am sure they will find a few things wrong. I have seen them pull out scales to weigh equipment, not mine. Does your state have patrol cars you would rather not be stopped by? Stan

Yes highway patrol and some cities carry and use scales. They seem to love "rock buckets". I have witnessed drivers staying in the quarry for a lengthy time because there was a highway patrol stinger on the road out of the quarry.

 

[Texasmark]

I have been stopped a few times by Texas Highway Patrol and here in Travis County for minor traffic infractions and have always found then to be polite and professional. I am always polite in return. So far since 1969 I have received several verbal warnings and a couple of written warnings but no $$$ involved. A few years ago I was hauling a couple of "was running when parked" tractors south on I 27 from Amarillo and a Texas Trooper came alongside and matched me a few miles then moved on. I guess I passed a rolling inspection.

I had a similar viewing from a State Trooper when coming from the fertilizer supplier with 2 pallets on my 16' utility trailer. He came up along side (4 lane highway) looked me over, I waved and he waved as he went on by me.

Had a city officer pull me over for a non functioning turn signal on a little 8' trailer running empty. Our looking at the light indicated that the wire had been pulled out. I explained that I was on my way to a farm store, about a block away, to buy a conical fertilizer spreader and had been hauling brush prior to the trip to town. He was polite, gave me a warning and was on his way. I usually check lights before leaving the farm but this was a nearly new trailer and I just forgot.....since then I make it a point to check before I leave.

 

[kb46852]

There were about 800 law enforcement at the parade in KC recently, and there were still multiple casualties, don't tell me more guns is the solution!

Please refrain from anything political! Thanks, -KB

 

[Jim in LA]

I have observed that most female officers seem to be way to serious about their jobs.

It’s a “I am woman, hear me roar” thing. See it waaaaay to often.

 

[DRussell]

State police in PA have always been, had a reputation for being, very professional. Local police in PA have at times, and in various locales, had reputations the opposite. State law currently prevents any local police from running a radar gun. I believe we are the only state that is like this.

 

[tomtinker]

I got pulled over in Kansas while hauling a load of raw cow hides, the dude didn't want to spend much time with me, he sure enough didn't want to crawl around under my flatbed trailer.

 

[Steven Allen]

Here's two related stories with other takes on stops.

As a Civil War reenactor, I, along with two partners, own a cannon, which one of us tows to events on a trailer. Some years ago, one of my partners was towing it through Indiana and came up on a mandatory stop--the placard posted said they were looking for weapons, drugs, etc. A long line of cars was waiting for their turn to be searched, but the officers/troopers waived my partner through the stop. The folks waiting were yelling out that he had a weapon in plain sight, but the officers/troopers just smiled and bid him a good day while the others continued to wait.

I was once pulling it through a small town here in Missouri and got pulled over for a trailer light out. I got out, adjusted the plug in the socket on my vehicle, and the light came on. Apparently, it had worked loose. Problem solved, and the officer let me go without so much as a warning.

 

[doug in missouri]

Now, this didn't happen to me, but this story is told by the local mechanic who used to be a long-haul trucker. He will tell you exactly where it happened and he says he has the paperwork to prove it. (Although I've never seen the paperwork. )
It was a Friday afternoon and the trucker was finishing up his hauling and was an hour away from home. He was also one hour away from having to shut his truck down because of the legal daily driving hours was about up.
He gets pulled over by the popo for an inspection check. The guy pulling him over also tells him that he has another popo with him in training, so it might take a little while longer than normal to do an inspection. So both guys are swarming over his truck, very slowly, for 90 minutes and find nothing. When the trucker comments that it took so long and nothing was written up , the cop gets a little bit of an attitude and decides to write him up for his load not being secure enough and also takes his sweet time writing up the ticket. After all that, the trucker has sat there for over two hours. He then comments that he is over his hourly limit and won't make it home in time to see his wife and kids that Friday night. Mr. Law Enforcement kindly tells him that he will escort him into the nearest town that has a truck stop and he can spend the night there.
Are there some biased holes in this story? Probably. But I have a niece who is a state trooper and her previous and current husband are also in law enforcement and you hear stories around the dinner table during Christmas and Thanksgiving that make me believe stuff like that happens.

Have seen on the net that if you are heading straight home you can go over the hours. DOUG

 

[tomtinker]

Have seen on the net that if you are heading straight home you can go over the hours. DOUG

Was that in the d.o.t. regulations or on Facebook?

 

[doug in missouri]

Was that in the d.o.t. regulations or on Facebook?

DOT regulations. Personal conveyance.

 

[steve_in_mo]

I got my tractor off the trailer and made one mowing round. Up pulls a California Highway Patrol. and parks across the street. I begin to wonder if he is there to see me. Maybe my missing shovel fell off my trailer and killed someone. He stayed in his patrol car. I made a few more rounds. I guess he isn't there to see me. In a few minutes on goes all his lights. He pulled a car over coming towards him, I guess he was using radar to catch speeders. This wet on for over an hour. He issued a few tickets, and ruined the day for a few people. The CHP are the ones I never want to get stopped by around here. I try my best to keep every thing ship shape, but by the time they crawl over your truck and trailer I am sure they will find a few things wrong. I have seen them pull out scales to weigh equipment, not mine. Does your state have patrol cars you would rather not be stopped by? Stan

"Does your state have patrol cars you would rather not be stopped by?" Yup. All of them. I want them to keep on being bored.

 

[GeneMO]

As a police Lt who drove a patrol car for 21 years I can tell you that your comment that was intended to be sarcastic about guns, is exactly correct. We need more good people with guns to neutralize the bad ones with guns.

Problem is, if you pull a gun, to protect youself, and end up shooting a bad guy, you will be financially ruined. Lawyers will sue you, you will lucky if you dont spend years in jail, "family members" of the wounded crook (or dead crook) will take every penny you have. Do a Google search on "David Jungermann, Kansas City Mo." Lawyer was fixing to take Mr. Jungermanns farms 5 or 6 Million $$ after he wounded a crook on his business. Mr. Jungermann couldn't take it any longer, shot and killed the Attorney. I knew Mr. Jungermann pretty well. Bad deal.

 

[T in NE]

I have observed that most female officers seem to be way to serious about their jobs.

We had one straight out of the academy, where they're taught many old, ratty vehicles don't have registration or insurance.
Which she took to mean, "check them all, because none of them are registered or insured."
She stopped me once, almost ran me over 4 times, and the last time I saw her forcing traffic onto the shoulder coming down a hill to a blind curve without her lights on in my mirror, so I stopped and waited on her, and she almost hit me.
"I just wanted to check your plates"
Yeah, we've established 5 times in yhe last 3 weeks now, that they're good for another 2.
She eventually ran into a nice old square body chevy and totalled her cruiser, and backed off after getting in trouble for constantly running us down.
I had to park the amigo because of her. It hit a cow 5 owners before I got it.

 

[jimg.allentown]

I got my tractor off the trailer and made one mowing round. Up pulls a California Highway Patrol. and parks across the street. I begin to wonder if he is there to see me. Maybe my missing shovel fell off my trailer and killed someone. He stayed in his patrol car. I made a few more rounds. I guess he isn't there to see me. In a few minutes on goes all his lights. He pulled a car over coming towards him, I guess he was using radar to catch speeders. This wet on for over an hour. He issued a few tickets, and ruined the day for a few people. The CHP are the ones I never want to get stopped by around here. I try my best to keep every thing ship shape, but by the time they crawl over your truck and trailer I am sure they will find a few things wrong. I have seen them pull out scales to weigh equipment, not mine. Does your state have patrol cars you would rather not be stopped by? Stan

I thought CA did not use radar.