A driver was bringing a load of scrap in a small ¾ ton truck. He was stopped by a State Trooper who is now authorized to enforce DOT regulations. The driver was charged with 7 violations, including:

No Medical certificate in the drivers possession
Truck-Carrier name and USDOT number not displayed. Not registered.
Operating a CMV (Commercial Motorized Vehicle ?) without periodic inspection.
No Fire extinguisher
Insufficient warning devices (triangles)
Inoperable high beam head lamps
3 rear identification lamps missing.

The ticket for the above was nearly $1,000.

Note what he was not charged with:

DUI
Reckless driving
Speeding
Failure to yield

This driver was not driving an 18 wheeler or a vehicle that we traditionally associated with a commercial vehicle. And we certainly support efforts to make the vehicles on our road safe. But a sole proprietor with a small truck is now subject to such stringent regulation that it becomes self defeating.

In order to know how to comply this driver needed to read the 2” thick 604 page Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Manual from the United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This is a lot to ask of a sole proprietor running a small truck. I doubt he even knew this manual existed.

Such regulations are written as if every business has staff with the time to read, understand and comply with such onerous regulations. Most small businesses do not have such support.

Think what a disincentive this is for such a man to try and make a living on his own.

Think how many jobs this kills. Multiply this by hundreds of similar regulations.

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