Got D.O.T.ed Today

[CUMAPART]

On my way to work this morning I ran into a D. O. T. check point. I was just driving my pick up, (empty and not towing the trailer) so I wasn't concerned until the local law enforcement agent jumped in front of my Dodge and motioned for me to pull it over! He's lucky I didn't hit him because he really jumped out in front of me. I've been through many a check point before with triaxle, tandem and single axle dumps with or without 10 and 20 ton eager beavers. Some go smoother than others but I'm always polite and cooperative when motioned to the side. I was put in line behind a KW towing a container and there were dumps and other tractors with lowboys on the other side waiting for the slips to be written or the have a good day nod from the inspecting officer. They dipped my tank and then checked the tint on my windows. They also commented on how loud my truck sounded but the one officer said that it's a cool truck. I sat and waited to get my DL and registration back for an hour before the officer gave me my yellow citation for $105. 50 for window tint on my front windows. I said to him that this is ridiculous pulling over an empty noncommercial pick up that wasn't even towing anything. I asked him to look around and ask himself which one of these trucks doesn't belong? He said that they are there to enforce all forms of the vehicle code and that they are really looking for the guys running the red stuff. Sorry so long but had to vent a little for losing 2 hrs of work and getting a $105. 50 citation to start off my day #@$%! Mike

 

[PRyker]

Do you just pay and forget or do you need to go to court and prove the tint was removed?



Phil

 

[VicR]

Has anyone tried to fight this? I'm not trying to be an armchair lawyer, but don't they need a search warrant unless evidence is plainly visible (such as a red streak down the side of your truck).



-Vic

 

[OTRPU]

So what % limo tint do you have? I got hit in Des Moines, IA by DOT when doing a roadside while I was loaded with a fiver. Couldn't find anything wrong with my riggin or equipment so he wrote me for limo tint too dark. Just a warning though, told me if he saw it again he'd ticket me. Bennett wouldn't pay me my $25 for passing the Roadside Inspection cause of the warning clause. Cheap dogs, other companies pay $100 to $150 for passing a roadside.



Cheers,

Steve J

 

[IC Smoke]

FYI any tint in MICHIGAN is a NO-NO! The truck goes in monday for 20% "privacy" (to match the rear slider) woohoo



thats profiling!!!!!!!!!!! we should raise heck!!!! hahah :-laf kidding



Ian

 

[hammersley]

That's my point on this post.......

Has anyone tried to fight this? I'm not trying to be an armchair lawyer, but don't they need a search warrant unless evidence is plainly visible (such as a red streak down the side of your truck).



-Vic

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127578



You guys mentioned they check at Cattle Auctions, Rodeo's etc -



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These places aren't Public Highways... ... . they are often private locations - I'm not advocating violating the law - but I don't see how they can open your tank without your permission! Without sufficient reason that you are violating the law this should be construed as an illegal search..... thoughts?????

__________________

 

[Mingoglia]

I personally think they should only be allowed to check for offroad diesel if they pull you over for another offense... these spot checks that waste 2 hours of time are insane...

 

[coobie]

FYI any tint in MICHIGAN is a NO-NO! The truck goes in monday for 20% "privacy" (to match the rear slider) woohoo



thats profiling!!!!!!!!!!! we should raise heck!!!! hahah :-laf kidding



Ian

Ian where are you getting your glass tint done at? I have been thinking about doing my truck also. Frank (coobie) Oo.

 

[NVR FNSH]

The DOT checks are probably considered an 'administrative' search based upon a compelling govt interest embodied in case or statute law - regulatory in nature. Examples: institutional, customs, probation/parole, agricultural, licensing inspections, fish & game and DUI sobriety check points. Basically the justification is that the concerns of society far outweigh the slight inconvenience to the individual.



Brian

 

[WDimig]

i just got my tint done on my truck..... 5% limo all around, and a small strip on the windshield... . it looks awsome, and you cannot see in the truck, especailly in the rear which already had 20% i think on it from factory. the legal limit here in maryland is a joke..... 35%!!!!!!!!! i cant even bring myself to say that it is a tint!



wes

 

[PRyker]

WDimig,



I also live in Maryland and did mine to match the rear windows. I was worried about going any darker. I have seen them nail people in cars all the time. The tint place I went to said they were not as hard on pickups but they were starting to see people come in that needed the tint removed and then four days later had it re-applied again. They do this so they can go get a state trooper to fill out a little piece of paper that saus their tint is now legal.



I believe if you get a ticket in Maryland you have to show the cops you removed it and then pay the fine.



Phil

 

[FOXY005]

CUMAPART



Where did you get checked, never thought I had to worry about it in PA,

but Moscow isn't that far away from my home location.

Not that I would have anything to worry about

but losing 2 hours stinks !

 

[RustyJC]

If an individual had ever been in the shoes of a law enforcement officer and had to approach a vehicle after a stop without being able to see how many individuals are in the vehicle and what they're doing, the application and enforcement of window tint laws would be absolutely obvious.



Rusty

 

[PRyker]

Rusty,



I agree!! That is why I feel the dark stuff should be illegal. But what is your feeling on simply matching the same tint as are on the back quad cab windows and rear window? That is what I did and I cannot see a reason why this is bad. You can still see in.



Phil

 

[WBusa]

Has anyone tried to fight this? I'm not trying to be an armchair lawyer, but don't they need a search warrant unless evidence is plainly visible (such as a red streak down the side of your truck).

Hey, if you want something to really worry about, consider the "Patriot" Act: the feds can legally sneak into your house any time they want, without benefit of a conventional search warrant, turn the place over, and sneak out again without ever acknowledging that they were there. Kinda makes a mere tank dip seem downright neighborly in comparison... .

 

[RustyJC]

But what is your feeling on simply matching the same tint as are on the back quad cab windows and rear window?

In my Dodge Rams as well as other vehicles such as a Dodge Durango, Ford Aerostar 4. 0L/AWD Eddie Bauer, etc. , the front seat windows and windshield are much lighter than the glass behind the front seat. I believe this is consistent with Texas regulations:



§ 547. 613. RESTRICTIONS ON WINDOWS.



(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person commits an offense that is a misdemeanor:



(1) if the person operates a motor vehicle that has an object or material that is placed on or attached to the windshield or side or rear window and that obstructs or reduces the operator's clear view; or



(2) if a person, including an installer or manufacturer, places on or attaches to the windshield or side or rear window of a motor vehicle a transparent material that alters the color or reduces the light transmission.



(b) This section does not apply to:



(1) a windshield that has a sunscreening device that:

(A) in combination with the windshield has a light transmission of 25 percent or more;

(B) in combination with the windshield has a luminous reflectance of 25 percent or less;

(C) is not red, blue, or amber; and

(D) does not extend downward beyond the AS-1 line or more than five inches from the top of the windshield, whichever is closer to the top of the windshield;



(2) a wing vent or a window other than a windshield if the vent or window has a sunscreening device that in combination with the vent or window has:

(A) a light transmission of 25 percent or more; and

(B) a luminous reflectance of 25 percent or less;



(3) a rear window, if the motor vehicle is equipped with an outside mirror on each side of the vehicle that reflects to the vehicle operator a view of the highway for a distance of at least 200 feet from the rear;



(4) a rearview mirror;



(5) an adjustable nontransparent sun visor that is mounted in front of a side window and not attached to the glass;



(6) a direction, destination, or termination sign on a passenger common carrier motor vehicle, if the sign does not interfere with the vehicle operator's view of approaching traffic;



(7) a rear window wiper motor;



(8) a rear trunk lid handle or hinge;



(9) a luggage rack attached to the rear trunk;



(10) a side window that is to the rear of the vehicle operator on a multipurpose vehicle;



(11) a window that has a United States, state, or local certificate placed on or attached to it as required by law;



(12) a motor vehicle that is not registered in this state;



(13) a window that complies with federal standards for window materials, including a factory-tinted or a pretinted window installed by the vehicle manufacturer, or a replacement window meeting the specifications required by the vehicle manufacturer;



(14) a vehicle that is:

(A) used regularly to transport passengers for a fee; and

(B) authorized to operate under license or permit by a local authority; or



(15) a vehicle that is maintained by a law enforcement agency and used for law enforcement purposes.



(c) A manufacturer shall certify to the department that the sunscreening device made or assembled by the manufacturer complies with the light transmission and luminous reflectance specifications established by Subsection (b) for sunscreening devices in combination with a window.



(d) The department may determine that a window that has a sunscreening device is exempt under Subsection (b)(2) if the light transmission or luminous reflectance varies by no more than three percent from the standard established in that subsection.



(e) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the defendant or a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the violation is required for a medical reason to be shielded from direct rays of the sun.



(f) It is not an offense under this section for a person to offer for sale or sell a motor vehicle with a windshield or window that does not comply with this section.



(g) In this section:



(1) "Installer" means a person who fabricates, laminates, or tempers a safety glazing material to incorporate, during the installation process, the capacity to reflect light or reduce light transmission.



(2) "Manufacturer" means a person who:

(A) manufactures or assembles a sunscreening device; or

(B) fabricates, laminates, or tempers safety glazing material to incorporate, during the manufacturing process, the capacity to reflect light or reduce light transmission.



Acts 1995, 74th Leg. , ch. 165, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg. , ch. 165, § 30. 118(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2003, 78th Leg. , ch. 136, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.



If you boil all the above down, the windshield and front windows have a light transmittal/reflectivity restriction. Side windows behind the driver and the rear window don't.



Rusty

 

[CUMAPART]

FOXY005-- The DOT stop was off of I81 the 182 exit, on Davis St. Just below Montage Ski Area and the Red Barrons Stadium to paint you a picture if you know the area.



PRyker-- The officer just issued me a citation to pay. I don't have to remove the tint, pay the citation and then get a visual inspection from the officer to verify that the tint has been removed. I'm just going to pay it and leave the tint on.



I've been through many a D. O. T. check before and have never been able to leave without some sort of miniscule nit picky fine. They couldn't get me for anything else so lets nail him for the tint. I know more and more towns and cities are getting their own D. O. T. task forces certified by the state. I've been pulled over in Scranton many a time in our work trucks and the city D. O. T. officer asked me is this thing gas or diesel? Yeah he asked if it was gas or diesel and this is the guy that's pulling me to the side of the road for an inspection. I kid you not!

 

[FOXY005]

Yeah I know where you are talking about right below the WNEP TV building, I guess I have just been lucky so far. Hope the luck holds out for a while. Thanks for the info.

 

[Digger]

If an individual had ever been in the shoes of a law enforcement officer and had to approach a vehicle after a stop without being able to see how many individuals are in the vehicle and what they're doing, the application and enforcement of window tint laws would be absolutely obvious.

Everything I have ever owned has had the windows tinted some darker than others. My ram has every piece of glass tinted including the windshield. If I get pulled over, which happens from time to time I always roll the driver side front and rear windows down. I have not received a ticket for the tint yet. So when in doubt just roll the windows down.

 

[_Hyde]

Are you asked if they can dip your tank when pulled over or at a check point?



No tint in MI? What a bummer. Glad that's not the case here in TX. Sure helps in the summer.



In either case, Zee Gestapo is vatching you! You should have your papers in order.



Hyde