Carrying A Weapon In A CMV

Gun owners need to be warned at least once not to bring the gun on the property. Well that is done once the owner post a sign that says no weapons allowed on that property. THAT is the one and only warning that is required and from that point forward that gun owner can face criminal trespass while in possession of a firearm. Most places that is a felony which will strip your guns right from you.

Every customers property that you pull your truck on to or every DOT scale house you pull into , if you are carrying a gun in the truck , puts you at risk of being charged with a crime and loosing your guns rights. Is it really worth that risk?

Here is another issue that you simply must consider. Since it is against every companies policy to have a firearm in your truck and they find out , by whatever means, you will be fired and they WILL report why you were fired on your DAC report. From that point forward no other company will touch you cause you had a firearm in the truck and you were fired cause of it. And since it is a employment report and not a violation report it will never come off your DAC. THAT alone will ruin your driving career.

Only you can decide if its worth it.

With a patchwork of state laws to consider it really is up to the individual if they want to carry or not in their vehicle. Anyone carrying in their company vehicle will probably get fired if caught.

I know Florida *does* permit one to carry a weapon in the vehicle into the parking lot of a business regardless if they post a sign saying it's not allowed. So there are exceptions.

Bottom line is know the laws of each state if you plan to carry in your vehicle ESPECIALLY if you're not an O/O.

Regardless if a sign is posted as to no weapons or not, as long as it is in your vehicle, it is fine. The vehicle is considered private property. So, as long as it stays in there, the sign does not apply. Don't believe me? Feel free to look up court decisions about it. There are many college campuses with a no gun policy, that tried to stop students from leaving the gun in their vehicle while in class. The vehicle was ruled as private property, and therefore the schools could not stop them. They can only stop them from carrying on campus. Same thing would apply to all other businesses. Since there aren't any federal regulations against carrying, it is only your company to worry about.

Gun owners need to be warned at least once not to bring the gun on the property. Well that is done once the owner post a sign that says no weapons allowed on that property. THAT is the one and only warning that is required and from that point forward that gun owner can face criminal trespass while in possession of a firearm. Most places that is a felony which will strip your guns right from you.

Every customers property that you pull your truck on to or every DOT scale house you pull into , if you are carrying a gun in the truck , puts you at risk of being charged with a crime and loosing your guns rights. Is it really worth that risk?

Here is another issue that you simply must consider. Since it is against every companies policy to have a firearm in your truck and they find out , by whatever means, you will be fired and they WILL report why you were fired on your DAC report. From that point forward no other company will touch you cause you had a firearm in the truck and you were fired cause of it. And since it is a employment report and not a violation report it will never come off your DAC. THAT alone will ruin your driving career.

Only you can decide if its worth it.

With a patchwork of state laws to consider it really is up to the individual if they want to carry or not in their vehicle. Anyone carrying in their company vehicle will probably get fired if caught.

I know Florida *does* permit one to carry a weapon in the vehicle into the parking lot of a business regardless if they post a sign saying it's not allowed. So there are exceptions.

Bottom line is know the laws of each state if you plan to carry in your vehicle ESPECIALLY if you're not an O/O.

Oh, and I realize this thread hadn't had activity in a few months, but you had asked for ideas to protect yourself, so here is one I don't think many people think of...

Put a loaded flare gun, right there on the floor next to the drivers seat, in its case. Even if you don't have it loaded, they are quick to load. Pick it up, point and shoot, reload, repeat as needed.

I guarantee a flare to the face and chest will not be enjoyable, and will probably ruin the rest of their night.

A flare gun is emergency equipment, and no laws against carrying it in the truck, no law for how readily accessible it can be, and, you can carry as many extra "emergency" rounds as needed. Better range than a bat too ;)

Don't believe me? Feel free to look up court decisions about it.

Looking up court decisions isn't going to get anyone out of jail or land them a new job if that advice turns out to be wrong. So I wouldn't jump too quickly to recommend to anyone that carrying a gun in a commercial vehicle is "just fine" under any circumstances. There's a lot more to it than that.

And I don't know about having a flare gun inside the cab of your truck is much better. First of all if you're carrying a Hazmat load it's highly unlikely that a flare gun nearby is exactly safe. Second of all, if it were to go off accidentally inside the cab or storage box you're going to burn the truck to the ground, burn half the skin off your body if you survive it, and if you were rolling down the road at the time probably cause a wreck. And the idea that you're going to defend yourself with something like that sounds like it came out of a low budget action film.

So thanks, but I don't think either one of those statements is going to guide too many drivers toward safe and legal self defense strategies.

The vehicle is considered private property.

If you have a dog, and pull up to a place that says "no pets allowed", your "private property" isn't getting in. If a place has a sign that says "no weapons", it really means no weapons are allowed.

Granted, your truck probably isn't going to be border-crossing inspected, and a Glock fits in tiny spaces, but "no weapons", translated into English, means no weapons.

Thread resurrection. This comes up every couple of months.

1 - There are no laws - state or federal, that prohibit possession of a personal firearm in the cab of a CMV.

2 - Laws that govern firearms in vehicles apply - and these vary wildly from state to state.

3 - Every company and shipper/receiver pretty much universally have a "no weapons" policy.

4 - DOT weigh/inspection stations are run by the STATES and are not "federal property".

5 - States that are anti-gun (North East, Cali, etc.), are zero tolerance, and WILL ARREST (even if you're "just passing through") for a firearm in the passenger cabin of a vehicle. You may "get off" later (or not), but you still got arrested, towed, bonded out, hired lawyer, etc..

6 - A firearm that is "locked away" and inaccessible, is USELESS in a critical defense situation.

The most important factor, is company policy. Get caught violating it and YOU ARE GONE - and will likely never work in the industry again. What this means is - God forbid you are even forced to USE IT - even if it's a justifiable self-defense shooting, you will be OUT OF A JOB and the industry.

Personally - I think it sucks. As a daily carrier for over 25 years, I can't fathom ever being in a position where I am unable to defend myself if necessary.

BUT - if I want to drive a truck - this is one of the compromises I'm going to have to make.

Rick

The real answer to this dilemma, is to be choosy where you park, and be especially careful not to park anywhere, where no witnesses are present.

If I am a thug, and I have you all to myself with no witnesses, the process is pretty straight forward.

I knock on your door, and when you get out of the bunk and stand, I know that you are standing in a space roughly 4 feet by 3 feet. It doesn't take a genius to figure out, that if I send a volley into the sleeper and cab of the truck, I will probably end up with a dead truck driver. He can swing that tire thumper all he wants inside the truck, but my .357 or .45 has a little more reach.

Once the driver has expired, gaining access to the truck by breaking a window is simple. Ditto on taking my time to go through their personal belongings, and cherry picking what I want, when no witnesses are present.

If Mike Boeglin had been more selective in where he parked, he might still be alive today. Remember, never allow dispatch to send you into a situation, where you feel your personal safety is at risk. Safety is safety, and my life is just as important as anyone else's.

Trucker Found Shot Burned in his Truck in Detroit

Why not Zoidberg????

Wasp spray hits small spots (eyes) to 20 feet plus, cheap, legal in all 50 states and who honestly can question wasps being a tad bit nasty?

I as told you can carry a flare gun

Another question- If you do carry a gun, and are arrested for having the gun, and do not have a CCW- concealed weapon permit- What is the legal charge of this one thing- not having a permit?

It's a federal crime.

Most likely not a federal offense, unless you are caught on federal property...The most likely circumstance is being charged under a State or Local law/ordinance in which you are at the time of the discovery of the crime. Penalties under MOST State laws for carrying in violation of their CCW law is usually a felony. There remain some local ordinances in some places with lesser penalties...so the answer is, it matters where you are.