Work Trucks With Handicapped Plates

[Ken Hall]

I can't figure the right group to post this, but this one made sense, so . . .

I've been wondering over this for several years.

About every 5-10 times I go to Home Depot I see big dualie pickups parked in the handicapped slots. They have these big bolted-on metal tool boxes in the truck bed, and handicapped license plates. The trucks are obviously being used for heavy work. Sometimes I see them pull out of the handicapped slot, drive over to the loading area and load the truck up with construction material such as 10 to 20 sheets of plywood or sheetrock or siding. Other times maybe as many as 50

2x4 studs and other framing lumber, etc.

This isn't the same truck over and over, it's different trucks. I've seen as many as 3 of these tool box equipped dualie trucks in the handicapped slots at the same time.

What explains this? Are construction workers routinely getting handicapped license plates? If so, why?

Ken

[Punch]

I'm going to say the old Italian who owns the company/truck probably has the handicap, and the worker is taking advantage of it.

[Michael Daly]

If the passenger is handicapped, this is valid. However, I'd bet the vast majority are cheating.

Handicap plates are also valid for folks with legitimate, but not visible, physical problems. Certain heart conditions come to mind. Not many construction workers will fall into that category. If you're heart's so bad you can't walk to the door of the store, what kind of work can you do in construction?

I'd be just as suspicious about the construction workers parking their big rigs in the expectant mom parking.

Mike

[Jerry L]

The handicap plates or sticker is valid only to the one it is issued. Besides the sticker, there's a registration (Florida) that has to be carried. Police officers or parking enforcement officers are authorized to ask for the registration and match it against the driver or passengers ID. If it doesn't match, it's a $250 fine here.

[Halvey]

[jim]

i have steel rods in my back since i was a kid(about 17 yrs. old) that was back in 1962).. i can get a handicapped plate if i wanted one.. some now i am in my late 50's have never considered myself handicapped. now i can do heavy labor on most days, sometimes i cant hardly walk.. this might be the case with them or maybe they need the handicapped plates to get their disability checks and then go out and husstle on the side for odd jobs???

[Nick Hull]

A friend has handicap plates because her child has a learning disability.

[The Gnerd]

Well, my FIL is an excavator. He's got a couple big diesel pickups that you might see at HD, and yes, he's got handicapped tags. His heart is in pretty bad shape, so it really helps, especially on hot days, FWIW.

Now he may not be completely invalid, but the handicapped spaces are there to be used. If they were full, or even only one spot left, I'm pretty sure he'd look elsewhere.

So, long story short, 'handicapped' can mean a lot of things which aren't readily apparent.

[jduprie]

I work in construction (most of hte time), but also have a a bad back (I broke it some few years ago). When the back is acting up, I walk with a cane (OK, I *sort* of walk...). The rest of the time, I walk with a small limp. I can stand in one spot, and heave 4x8 sheets of plywood onto a roof (or a truck bed) most days, as long as I'm carefull and don't twist my back. Picking up my 40 pound daughter and walking from the kitchen to the living pretty much garuntees no walking for a week... I qualify for a handicap plate.

I don't currently have one (pride has its pitfalls), but if I did, on most days a casual observer wouldn't notice that I had any health problems.......

Having said that, I must admit that I tend to look a bit askance at folks that look fine and park in crip spots......

YMMV

--JD

[RB]

This handicapped parking scam is one of my pet peeves. I have no problem at all with folks that have genuine problems receiving special treatment. I'd like it if I couldn't get around. But, what I see most often is people who have a family member who has a disability that legitimately entitles them to a handicapped parking tag who use it for themselves. This is wrong in spades.

Another thing that I see which makes my blood boil is 350 pound people who have eaten themselves into disability status. Why should this behavior be rewarded with special treatment? Bad life decision deserve bad consequences ...and they need exercise more than any one else.

RB

Ken Hall wrote:

[RB]

Her physician should have his license revoked if he was the mechanism to obtain this.

RB

Nick Hull wrote:

[avoidspam]

It might be something you couldn't comprehend, but persons with disabilities are capable of working - even in construction!

I had HC plates on my pick up when I was working (building trades).

A local electrical contractor and his brother who works with him are both amputees who have HC placards they use on the trucks they are driving at job sites and park in HC spaces when they are picking up supplies at big box stores.

Most people who have a problem with people using HC spaces are just jealous, but unwilling to pay the price needed to get one of those plates.

[avoidspam]

Snip

Try posting it in misc.handicap and see what kind of reception it gets there.

[PhotoMan]

I was in Broward County, FL last week, and was astonished when I saw a Home Depot with valet parking. Do they load your truck before retrieving it for you? Joe Arnold

[andy asberry]

How much help is parking 50 feet from the entrance when the exit door is 200 feet away?

[Jim Yanik]

"Michael Daly" wrote in news:siBRb.23556$ [e-mail]:

Tell the newspaer,they love exposing such stuff.

[Jim Thompson]

Mentally handicapped ?:-)

...Jim Thompson

[Bob]

Morally handicapped? :-)

Bob

[George E. Cawthon]

[SteveB]

Some people are using other people's vehicles and taking advantage of handicap license plates and placards.

I, myself, have osteonecritis, an artificial heart valve, and a five way bypass. But I look normal, whatever normal is. I have handicapped plates on my truck. I use them whenever I feel like it, unless there is another close spot available, then I take that one. I never park in the van accessible spaces.

As with everything, you have inconsiderate people and slobs. And if I could trade in my plates and have my health issues changed, I would do it in half a heartbeat.

Steve