INSPECTOR’S CORNER: The Inspector-Driver Experience

By Michael Trautwein, Senior Police Officer, Houston Police Department; North American Inspectors Championship Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion

I would like to discuss the inspector-driver experience. CVSA supports the relationship between law enforcement and industry. That relationship starts on the side of the road during a commercial motor vehicle inspection.

As inspectors or officers, most of the time, we can determine how that experience goes. I have been inspecting trucks for 23 years. During those years, I have observed all types of behavior and attitudes from drivers. Most drivers handle the inspection in a professional manner. These drivers are easy to deal with and will cooperate during the inspection. This leads to a positive experience on both sides.

A small percentage of drivers are difficult and seem angry from the moment they are pulled over for an inspection. In my opinion, there are many reasons for the driver to act like this.

• The driver has personal problems at home or work.

• The driver had a negative experience on a previous inspection.

• The officer stopped the progress of the load and making money.

• The driver knows there are violations that may be discovered by the officer.

• The driver is worried about violations impacting their Compliance, Safety, Accountability score.

• The driver knows the record of duty status is not current, over hours or false.

• The driver has a fear of law enforcement based on media coverage.

I could continue with this list, but I just wanted to name a few reasons to consider. When we, as officers, get that difficult driver, it becomes time to make a decision. If we view that as a challenge to engage in a verbal argument, it will probably continue to escalate the situation, creating a negative experience for the driver.

My first priority with a difficult driver is officer safety. Once I determine the driver is just blowing off verbal steam for whatever reason, my goal is to complete the inspection safely and have the driver leave with a better attitude. I have a high success rate on turning the attitude around. If I am successful, the next officer might have a more cooperative driver.

I start each workday with a goal of inspecting trucks safely and going home each day. Some drivers are just going to be difficult every time. I can’t control the attitude or behavior of a driver. I can only control my reaction to it.

There are many ways to handle a difficult driver. I like to remain calm and professional. That usually brings the driver back down over time. Inspections take more time than a typical traffic stop for speeding, etc. This longer time period allows for an attitude or behavior change.

Some drivers want to challenge and defend every violation that you point out. This takes more time, but it is important to remain calm and explain the violations to the driver. I like to make sure that when the inspection is complete, the driver understands all the violations and any out-of-service conditions.

At times, the driver will bring a phone to me and say the boss wants to talk to you. Once again, this is time to make a decision. I could simply say that I don’t need to talk to them and finish the inspection, or I could take the phone and answer questions the boss may have. I always choose to take the phone call.

I take the phone call because it is usually someone from the company with a little more regulation knowledge than the driver. It takes more time, but this is an opportunity to ensure the company fully understands the violations and the proper action to take.

These phone calls also help build that law enforcement-industry relationship. They often end up with a safety meeting in the future. I enjoy doing safety meetings at trucking companies. During these meetings, I like to have a truck from the company on display. I talk to the drivers while pointing out items on the truck that we commonly find as violations. This gives the drivers an opportunity to ask questions in a more relaxed setting than a roadside inspection. As the meeting progresses, the drivers get more comfortable asking questions and talking about previous experiences with law enforcement.

In summary, my message is to continue to build and maintain that important relationship between law enforcement and industry. I encourage inspectors to take the extra time to explain the violations and regulations to the driver during the inspection. Stay professional when dealing with difficult drivers. If we all go the extra mile, it can possibly lead to safer drivers conducting more thorough pre-trip inspections. This should prevent violations and reduce accidents, injuries and deaths.