Entered California today

Ronbo · December 2, 2016

I traveled from Reno to Sacramento today. As I came to agricultural inspection station I went down the lane for autos. As I rolled down my window he asked "Did you miss your turn?" I replied that I wasn't a truck, that I was a RV. I had to repeat it for it to click in his head. He told me to have a good day. Motor on.

CrazyCooter · December 2, 2016

They usually wave me into the truck lane and ask me where I'm transporting from. My usual answer is that it's personal property and make up some city nearby. None of their business where I'm traveling to/from. Last time I made it into the RV lane, the guy freaked out that I wasn't going to fit through the building......it was well over 15' tall!

In my pickup, I used to launch in 2nd gear with the throttle to the floor to help with their bug problems in the building.

dzwiss · December 2, 2016

Five days ago we entered California from Oregon on 101. The inspection station was closed, which was fine by me. Today we are leaving California and entering Arizona from Needles, which is also fine by me. :rolleyes:

gjhunter01 · December 2, 2016

In my pickup, I used to launch in 2nd gear with the throttle to the floor to help with their bug problems in the building.

Really.. The poor guys you blasted were just doing their job. It's the Government officials that set up the inspection station you should have smoked.

Greg

k4rs · December 2, 2016

They usually wave me into the truck lane and ask me where I'm transporting from. My usual answer is that it's personal property and make up some city nearby. None of their business where I'm traveling to/from.

Many years ago, when I was still a resident of the Peoples Republic of Komifornia, I was returning from a trip to Florida. At the border checkpoint we were asked where we were coming from. We replied that we had been camping on the river. He interpreted that to mean the Colorado river, we did not explain that we meant the Indian River.

Safe Travels...

Bobi and Dick McKee · December 2, 2016

In my pickup, I used to launch in 2nd gear with the throttle to the floor to help with their bug problems in the building.

I wonder where folks get bad opinions about RVers

pjstough · December 2, 2016

They usually wave me into the truck lane and ask me where I'm transporting from. My usual answer is that it's personal property and make up some city nearby. None of their business where I'm traveling to/from. Last time I made it into the RV lane, the guy freaked out that I wasn't going to fit through the building......it was well over 15' tall!

In my pickup, I used to launch in 2nd gear with the throttle to the floor to help with their bug problems in the building.

So you dont believe that the state of California has the right to protect it's agricultural crops?

rickeieio · December 2, 2016

As a farmer, I applaud Californias attempt to keep out invasive species.

As a truck owner and citizen, I dislike being choked by other peoples irresponsible "smoking".

gjhunter01 · December 2, 2016

As a farmer, I applaud Californias attempt to keep out invasive species.

As a truck owner and citizen, I dislike being choked by other peoples irresponsible "smoking".

Sorry but inspection stations don't work and they come with great expense. The bugs and nature will get there eventually and all the inspections do is slow down the attack. Michigan is a good example with the ash borer, the state implemented a no move on firewood which slowed the bug movement, but they are everywhere now.

Greg

pjstough · December 2, 2016

Sorry but inspection stations don't work and they come with great expense. The bugs and nature will get there eventually and all the inspections do is slow down the attack. Michigan is a good example with the ash borer, the state implemented a no move on firewood which slowed the bug movement, but they are everywhere now.

Greg

Did Michigan have inspection stations?

Ronbo · December 2, 2016

You. Dan the bugs don't follow the hiways? Who would a thunk.

Pappy Yokum · December 3, 2016

Sorry but inspection stations don't work and they come with great expense. The bugs and nature will get there eventually and all the inspections do is slow down the attack. Michigan is a good example with the ash borer, the state implemented a no move on firewood which slowed the bug movement, but they are everywhere now.

Greg

Actually CA Ag Inspection *does* work - along with other preventative measures.

CA Ag production will suffer if not - and YOU (and lots of others) will pay the increased prices for fruit and vegetables at the supermarket if it doesn't,

Example - AgMRC stat for lettuce:

"In terms of pound per person, head and leaf lettuce combined make lettuce the 3rd most consumed fresh vegetable in the US (behind tomatoes and potatoes) - with an annual consumption of 14 lbs per person for head lettuce and 11 pounds per person for leaf varieties of lettuce".

CA accounts for 71%, AZ about 29%.

The consumer can cut back on salad, but it's easy to understand why farmers large and small like the inspections - and anything else which will protect their livelihood.

BTW - humorous, but true!

There's a lot of "prevention" you don't see or hear about - like the aircraft flying designated night-time routes, releasing sterile med flies (computer controlled release) over metro areas where "crop dusting" - or the previous med-fly spraying- isn't/wasn't practical.

Bottom line - CA wants to retain it's position as the 6th largest economy in the world.

(And #1 of the 50 states).

.

rickeieio · December 3, 2016

So, since we've skidded off topic anyway..... Invasive species are a real pain, in the wallet. In the east, it's easily seen as the Emerald Ash Borer, killing all the ash trees. What most people fail to notice are the others doing even more damage.

Here we have Honeysuckle crowding out native brush and trees. Where did it come from? Why, the Arbor Foundatuion handed it to school kids in the 1960's and it did well. We also have the offspring of what were supposed to be sterile flowering pear trees, sprouting up everywhere. In the south, they have Kudzu. You may have noticed. In my career, I've easily spent enough $$$$$ fighting Johnson Grass, (brought in for errosion control by the gov't) to buy several NEW 5ers and trucks. The list goes on.

Would someone please take this soapbox away from me?

beyerjf · December 3, 2016

As a truck driver who has stopped literally thousands of times at the agricultural inspection stations in Florida and California, it seems to be a huge make work project. Totally on the honor system. I stop and tell them what is on the truck. Wave me through. The number of personnel and the area for actual inspections is totally inadequate, and underutilized. I rarely see any commercial vehicles or passenger vehicles on the side being searched/inspected.

I know the idea is sound, I just think a system developed in the 1930's has outgrown it's effectiveness.

GoldRush · January 22, 2017

I just drove from Yuma to San Diego. An open trailer full of oranges went through the inspection as fast as I was waved through.

RickW · January 23, 2017

I just went thru same inspection station yesterday. Same thing. I never even came to a complete stop before being waved through

rickeieio · January 23, 2017

I would suspect that would be the normal procedure if they had a lot of the same product, carried by the same trucking company, to/from the same locations. Spot checking would lessen the bottle neck at the station. They might even have a person at the loading location, if the size of the shipment warranted it.

I used to experience the same scenario, when i would ship 25 loads of corn to an elevator, in just a couple of days. They knew me, and trusted me, to the point where hey might inspect 1 load out of 3, randomly (and discretely) of course. Other producers got checked every load.

Broncohauler · January 24, 2017

I would suspect that would be the normal procedure if they had a lot of the same product, carried by the same trucking company, to/from the same locations. Spot checking would lessen the bottle neck at the station. They might even have a person at the loading location, if the size of the shipment warranted it.

I used to experience the same scenario, when i would ship 25 loads of corn to an elevator, in just a couple of days. They knew me, and trusted me, to the point where hey might inspect 1 load out of 3, randomly (and discretely) of course. Other producers got checked every load.

Totally agree and I'm a truck driver in CA

Twotoes · January 24, 2017

The entire orange orchard including the trees they grow on are inspected at random by the FDA. Trucks being loaded are inspected and certified at the time of the loading. If they had to be inspected at the highway inspection location it would take hours for everyone else to get thru.

Raquel · February 1, 2017

Back to the original topic for just a bit. I've never been given a problem. I pull into the auto/RV lane, sometimes they ask if we have ("whatever") aboard, we say "no" and we're on our way again. The stations have never been a problem.