Sidebar: Point Taken

You hear it every June in the weeks following Roadcheck, the annual roadside inspection campaign organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance: truckers talking about how they were jobbed by one of the guys in jumpsuits. Griping at the truck stop-or, it seems, at the scalehouse-won’t help. But you can complain in a more formal way.

If, during the course of a CVSA inspection, you feel you’ve been treated unprofessionally, or that the inspector didn’t make an accurate assessment of your vehicle, CVSA officials will hear your complaint as long as it falls into one of the following categories:

Type 1: Improper application or interpretation of safety rules, hazardous material regulations, or out-of-service criteria.

Type 2: Violations involving the CVSA decal, including failing to recognize a decal that was properly placed on a vehicle by another jurisdiction; failing to issue a decal to a vehicle that passed inspection; improperly issuing a decal; and placement of a decal on a vehicle by an unauthorized person.

Complaints must be in writing and signed. Include copies of the tickets, out-of-service orders, inspection documents, the names of inspectors, dates, times, location, etc. CVSA says it will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within seven days, and all complaint investigations should be completed within 60 working days from the date of receipt.

To lodge a complaint, mail or fax all the pertinent information to: CVSA, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 130, Bethesda, MD 20814; 301/564-1623.