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Many owner-operators feel that they must work flat out to keep in the black. It is quite common for a trucker to keep
two sets of logbooks, ready to offer up on demand.
The reasons why a trucker might be pulled off the road, and the agencies which are ready to do it to him, are
numerous. Nor do they all relate to traffic offenses. As well as running a gauntlet of spot checks, and prowling cops
all over the country, the interstate trucker is going to run into a weigh station at just about every state line or port of
entry. Dodging the scales is an activity central to the world of the trucker, and has been a feature of several songs
and truck tales. Before the interstate highway system, when there were fewer trucks around, it was common for
overweight and otherwise illegal vehicles to take long detours to avoid weigh stations. Various departments of
transportation were wise to this and introduced moveable scales, which they hauled around to likely locations.
It still happens, but these days the fast roads take most of the traffic. Even so, the spectacular lines of rubber on the
highway at the "Scales Open" sign show that a lot of drivers a taken by surprise.
A special kind of relationship has always existed between truck drivers and bears; it is the rapport of seasoned
competitors. The whole thing is rather like an elaborate board game. The trucker has to set off from square one at
the best possible speed, and arrive at his destination without being caught. If he succeeds, he is rewarded by the
shipper and wins the game outright. The cops are stretched out along the route, and their purpose is to enforce the
maze of rules. If the cops catch the trucker breaking the rules, he must pay a cash forfeit. If he loses much time as a
result, his contract may be at risk, thus sending him financially back to square one.