Unpopular opinion: DOT inspections are way too easy to pass these days

I was talking to a guy at the parts counter last week who said he just runs his trucks through a quick check before inspection and calls it good. He said that's what everyone does. I've been doing this for 22 years and I think we've gotten lazy. I saw a rig on I-80 last month with a cracked brake chamber that clearly would have passed a DOT inspection if the inspector was in a hurry. Is anyone else seeing this trend or am I just old fashioned?

2 comments

2 Comments

jackson.sarah1mo ago

I heard a guy at a truck stop diner bragging that he buys the cheapest steer tires he can find because he knows the inspector only checks tread depth on paper. Says he's been doing it for years with no issues. That's exactly the kind of lazy thinking that makes the road dangerous for the rest of us. I saw a dump truck last week with a cracked spring hanger that was barely hanging on, and you know that thing sailed through an inspection. The whole process feels like a rubber stamp these days, not a real safety check.

johnfoster1mo ago

Wait, you're telling me that guy is gambling with steer tires and that's not even the scariest part of his morning? I once watched a driver at a Love's pop a curb and his leaf spring literally snapped like a twig, and he just shrugged and said "inspection ain't for another 3 months." I have to admit I've done some DUMB stuff with my own truck for sure, like the time I ran 2,000 miles on a spare with a bald spot the size of my fist because I was too cheap to buy a new one before payday. It makes me cringe now thinking about it, but that guy at the diner sounds like he's got a whole different level of "it'll be fine" attitude.