I remember a smokey helping me one time. I was headed South on the West Virginia Turnpike,driving an F-model Mack.I had A flat tire on the trailer and at the time we ran tube type tires with Dayton wheels,so we could change a tire pretty easily.I pulled into the pull-off where the rest area is now,about the 70 mile marker.There were no facilities there then,it was just a paved wide spot really.Got my jack and tools out and jacked the trailer up when a cop pulled up and asked what was wrong.I told him I was all right,just changing a tire.Then he asked me if I wanted him to shine his spotlight on the wheel so I could see better ( forgot to mention it was night,and dark!) I said "that's all right,I have a flashlight,but thank you".He said"well,i've got to do some paperwork anyway",and he sat right there with his light on that wheel until I finished changing the tire.

This is A great topic Ray! In almost 29 years of driving I must say that the cops in North Carolina are the rudest and most hateful of any place I've ever been stopped.I hear A lot of drivers complain about Ohio and Virginia,but Ive had little problems with either one.Getting A ticket is much easier to take if the officer is respectful and polite,which they should be anyway,but they're always mean and hateful in N.C.-like they take it personally or something. I'm always respectful and polite to them -not that I get stopped much to begin with-but I don't like to be treated like A criminal just because I'm driving A truck. No bashing,just the facts.

Other Dog,

I'm lucky to have been in the trucking business before joining Law Enforcement. I still drive a truck part-time. However since a heart problem 4 years ago,( imagine how surprised I was to find out I had a heart!!) the union keeps me off the big rigs and on the Hollywood movie and film sets that shoot in Philadelphia.

I've always beem sympathetic towards truckers and their job after I left trucking. I've NEVER written a trucker a citation for any violation except once for a "Leaking, Sifting, load". And I was ordered to write the ticket by my Sgt.

As long as I keep my hand in trucking, you can bet you'll never get a ticket from me. Maybe a long dissertation on safely operating a truck,,, but never a ticket

Other Dog,

I'm lucky to have been in the trucking business before joining Law Enforcement. I still drive a truck part-time. However since a heart problem 4 years ago,( imagine how surprised I was to find out I had a heart!!) the union keeps me off the big rigs and on the Hollywood movie and film sets that shoot in Philadelphia.

I've always beem sympathetic towards truckers and their job after I left trucking. I've NEVER written a trucker a citation for any violation except once for a "Leaking, Sifting, load". And I was ordered to write the ticket by my Sgt.

As long as I keep my hand in trucking, you can bet you'll never get a ticket from me. Maybe a long dissertation on safely operating a truck,,, but never a ticket

Sorry to hear of your heart problem Ray. About tickets,I'm just saying I don't mind getting A ticket I deserve nearly as much when the officer is polite,but sometimes you'll run across those who seem to hate you just because you're driving A truck. I've also run across some very nice police officers. A former Sheriff in Nelson County would sit in the median on U.S.29 and talk to us on the radio when we were going to Boston.He'd been known to sit in the dark and when A truck was going too fast he'd turn the blue lights on and the driver knew he'd just gotten A ticket to go along with being scared half to death!Then he'd just say on the radio "better slow 'er down there buddy" and not even move. And the driver probably wouldn't think of speeding through there again,because of the respect for him,so he was effective in his speed control.Now of course it's not about safety,it's all about money-an overlength ticket in this county cost me $306 last December,but that was written by A state diesel cop,not county.

I once got A warning ticket in West Virginia running about 77 mph. We were hauling pulp wood from Va. to Chillicothe,Oh. and I was coming back empty one day and just west of Lewisburg I met A cop.I glanced at the speedometer and it said I was running about 77 mph. I was driving A KW T-800 with A 444 Cummins , 18 speed,and 3.55 rears and it would get up and go.The speed limit then was 65 in WV, and when the cop put his left turn signal on to cut through the cross over there,I put my right turn signal on and pulled over.When he got there I was standing in front of the truck with my license and registration in my hand. He actually thanked me for pulling over so he wouldn't have to "chase me down".Then he went to his car with my paperwork,and when he came back with my ticket he said "here's A warning ticket". I said "A warning ticket? what am I supposed to do with that?" He said "whatever you want-you can throw it away,I don't care,there's no points,no court,no fine-just A warning". okie-dokie,thank you officer!

But...speaking of Dunkin' Donuts,there was A radio station in Roanoke that used to have the "cop or no cop" game. You'd have to guess "cop or no cop",then they would call A donut shop and ask if A cop was there...if you guessed right you won A tee shirt or a CD.

Why am I the only one with cops and trucker stories? Maybe because I have so many? Well,as I said,I don't get stopped A lot nowadays,I usually just knock along maybe A couple of miles over the speed limit,but in my younger days-well,I got my share of tickets.Even had my license suspended for 45 days once,and had to work in the shop. I got A couple of tickets I did not deserve.Now I realize most people would think they didn't deserve any ticket they got,but once I was heading north on I-81 near Staunton,Va.with A load of concrete pipe going to Harrisonburg.I was cruising along about 67 or 68 mph when A four wheeler passed me at A high rate of speed and there was A cop sitting in the next crossover.The car cut right over in front of me and hit the brakes so hard I had to swerve into the left lane to avoid hitting it.A passenger in the back seat turned all the way around to look for the cop,and sure enough he was coming.I thought as I moved back to the right lane "he's done nailed their a..,I mean butts".However,instead of pulling them,he pulled in behind me and turned his lights on.This particular truck wouldn't run but 71 mph-it would only turn 1800 rpms in high gear,so it would run as fast in direct as it would overdrive,but 71 was it-top end.I tried to tell the officer this,but of course all he knew was radar always got the biggest object,it didn't matter that the car was in front of me,in the left lane,I was in the right lane,or that the truck wouldn't run but 71 mph-he still wrote me A ticket for running 74 in A 65. I suspect he went by the big truck rule when he worked an accident involving A truck,which is " whenever there's an accident involving A big truck,the truck is automatically at fault,regardless of the circumstances".

Back about 1997, I was hauling an empty 20 foot container back to the piers in Philly. I was about 20 miles out going south on I-95. I had an older R-Model Mack with an Eaton 9spd. This truck could do 68 mph with no problems. A Pa. State Trooper snuck behind me somehow and pulled me over. This cop looked like Ed "TOO TALL" Jones. He was huge! I got all my paperwork together, including my police ID card and handed it to him. When he saw my ID card he asked if I was still an active officer. I replied, yes I am. He then asked where I worked, I told him in the Detective Bureau. He then proceeded to rip me a new one. I was told about being professional, and being an officer of the law I should know better, yadda yadda yadda. After the 5 minute lecture, he tells me to slow down and gives me my cards back. I offered my hand as thanks and he snubbed me and walked away.

Later that week, a detective who spent 23 years patrolling I-95 with the Philly Highway Patrol, was told the story. I told him I was annoyed the the trooper refused to shake my hand. He said " I would'nt shake your hand either". When I asked why, he said It looks like the trooper could be accepting a bribe. Just think how it would look to a passing motorist. After giving it a second thought, I let it go.

Once I was on a construction overtime detail. Another officer was on the other end of the construction. The other officer goes over the radio, he has a truck stopped. I go to back him up. Here, he has a company tri-axle dump pulled over. I asked what did the driver do? The officer say's, the driver was exiting the construction site with his tag axle down. He lifted the tag axle to make the turn, bu did'nt put the tag axle down quick enough after making the turn. I said "Are you S@!(*#*& me? The officer then quotes the Federal Motor Carrier Act. I walked up to the driver and apologized for the other officer as he's a anal cavity. The driver was cool and said the company would pay for the ticket. But how about that guy,working 8 hours overtime, paid by the construction company, than you bang one of their drivers for a stupid tag-axle violation.

Once I was on a construction overtime detail. Another officer was on the other end of the construction. The other officer goes over the radio, he has a truck stopped. I go to back him up. Here, he has a company tri-axle dump pulled over. I asked what did the driver do? The officer say's, the driver was exiting the construction site with his tag axle down. He lifted the tag axle to make the turn, bu did'nt put the tag axle down quick enough after making the turn. I said "Are you S@!(*#*& me? The officer then quotes the Federal Motor Carrier Act. I walked up to the driver and apologized for the other officer as he's a anal cavity. The driver was cool and said the company would pay for the ticket. But how about that guy,working 8 hours overtime, paid by the construction company, than you bang one of their drivers for a stupid tag-axle violation.

I must agree with you on that-the anal cavity part that is. I never heard of such!

I was on my way to the gravel pit with my truck and pup at about 6.30,am.I was a little late so I thought I would through a little more fuel on the fire.I got into the hammer lane on the freeway and cranked it up to 65 from the posted limit of 50.Looked in my mirror and saw the back end of the trailer lit by headlights,thought iI would move over and let the speed demon pass.Low and behold if it wasnt smoky him self!!! I pulled her over to right side of a nearing on ramp.The cop walked up to the truck and asked me how I was, and what the hurry was,I told em I was running a little late,he ran my paper work,came back and said "would you mind slowing it down a little please ? I replied,absolutly sir! He then said that my punishment was that I had to give another motorist in traffic a break. I replied sir,thats what I do all day everyday ! He then told me to have a great day ? I wish they were all that considerate.