Here We Go Again

Does that truck look familiar?

A media release under the name of Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman gives us the information that New York State and the United Parcel Service (UPS) have reached an agreement for a $1,300,000 settlement resolving allegations that UPS knowingly permitted trucks in a state of serious disrepair to be driven and operated on the highways and byways of the state.  The release further stated that UPS had received a license from New York State to perform their own yearly truck safety  inspections.  UPS also agreed to abide by the state and federal laws pertaining to maximum driver hours, vehicle loaded weight limits, and the securing of cargo.

It is very easy to think that New York State taught UPS a lesson with a fine of that magnitude, but let’s rethink this deal.

How did UPS ever get the right to inspect their own vehicles?  If this isn’t a case of the fox guarding the henhouse then I have never heard of one.  This stinks of corruption in government to a high degree.  It makes a complete mockery of the entire safety inspection program in New York State.  Any fool could see the problems of this arrangement in a business setting.  Yes, almost as if scheduled, the UPS trucks began operating with seriously rotted frames risking the lives of every person driving the roads of New York State that came near them.

Now, what was that again about agreeing to abide by the laws of the state in regard to driver hours and such as a part of the settlement?  Are you trying to tell me that New York State laws are arbitrary, and there are choices as to obeying them or not?  Why were these laws not being enforced to begin with?

Next is the matter of the fine.  It obviously is large, although it is probable that it is only a very small portion of the profits that UPS acquired by the illegal use of falsely inspected vehicles, keeping them on state highways long after their true service life was seriously impaired.  Where does this fine money come from?  Of course, it comes from the UPS company income.  Where does this income come from?  Of course, from the public.  Whether you personally use UPS service or not, you still pay for it every time you buy any goods from a dealer that does use their service, which is practically all retailers.

So, not only were the citizens of New York placed in jeopardy by this entirely shady operation, they must now, adding insult to injury, pay for the UPS indescretions.  This is nothing more than a form of illegal taxation placed on the citizens of New York State.  UPS collects money from the public and turns it over to the state for state use.

 I think it is high time some court proceedings are in order.  Possibly a bit of time spent in the slammer for those who would break the state laws would be much more appropriate than charging the citizens of New York