Aweigh We Go

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## Briefing

Lorries filled with goods are being stolen. Jon and Ponch are sent to the weigh station to help them out for a week. Ponch wants to buy a boat involved in an accident.

## Traffic Violations

* Speeding Car - Arrested by the LAPD
* Red Lorry - Citation for watching TV whilst driving and missing the scales.
* Drag racing van - Arrested
* Drag racing car - Arrested
* Stolen blue truck - Arrested

## Report

While out on patrol a speeding car roars past, Jon and Ponch give chase. After a while the car heads to the urban area and takes a sharp corner, in the opposite direction a man is driving with a boat attached to his car, swerves out the way and his boat becomes unhitched and hits a beauty parlour. Jon and Ponch assist in the clean up. Ponch notices that the boat is for sale and since it's been involved in an accident they can reduce the price. Jon wonders what he means by "you, me". Getraer arrives and tells the pair to get going since Webb and Fritz are on their way.

A trucker stops off for a bite to eat, his truck is stolen when he goes inside.

Back at Central, Jon and Ponch wonder why Getraer called them back so quickly. Ponch thinks it's good news since he hasn't damaged his bike or his uniform and tells Jon it could be a promotion. Getraer shouts for Jon and Ponch, Jon doesn't believe that that's a voice that wants to promote.

Getraer sends the pair to the weigh station for commercial vehicle orientation. jon and Ponch mutter under their breaths "the scales". Getraer breaks even more bad news by telling them they have to go for a week starting now. Getraer tells them to be extra careful because of truck hijacks in the area, Jon reckons they're passing through the weigh station.

The stolen truck from earlier is detached from the container and swapped for their cab, they change the plates on the container and head out.

Jon and Ponch arrive at the weigh station, Ponch is still trying to get Jon to go halves on the boat. A man comes out shouting at the pair asking which one is which, when they introduce themselves, Vogt is less than impressed.

Inside Vogt tells them how the system works. The stolen truck arrives at the weigh station and because it's within the weigh tolerance, it's let through.

Jon finally relents about the boat and tells Ponch to call Sven. When Ponch calls Sven he finds out that the boat has already been sold an hour ago and tells Jon another Highway Patrolman bought it.

Getraer is showing off his new purchase to a fellow officer, a nice boat.

Vogt is showing Jon and Ponch how to measure the air brakes when a call goes out that a red lorry passed through the scales without stopping. Jon asks if he's going to go after it, but Vogt can't when there's a lorry on the scales. Jon and Ponch volunteer to go.

They pull the truck over and jon asks for his licence and registration. Ponch goes over to the passenger side and tells him his load is loose and then notices that he's watching, The Troubled World (Baby Food, Name Your Price) on a portable TV. Jon asks the driver to go back to the scales. The driver exits his cab and tells Jon he checked his load and tugs at the straps. He then walks around the back and tugs another strap resulting in it coming loose and spilling pipes on the shoulder.

A trucker stops off for food and his dual load truck is stolen.

After cleaning up the spill the pair head off for some lunch. Ponch tells Jon he believes it's Getraer who bought the boat and wants to ring him. He tells Getraer off for buying the boat from under him, Getraer didn't realise that he was being serious. Jon takes over the call since Ponch is getting angry, he makes a deal with Getraer. They will split the boat between the three of them.

The pair spot a couple of drag racers and begin pursuit. The cars split up when they realise they're being followed. Jon chases after the van and Ponch after the car. The van attempts a U-turn but gets stuck in the dirt, Jon apprehends him. The car Ponch is following swerves when his steering wheel comes loose, Ponch apprehends him.

Jon, Ponch and Getraer are servicing the boat. Jon asks Getraer about the hijacks.

At the scales the same cab with the stolen duel load containers arrives, but their weight is over and they're sent to the inspection shed where Jon and Ponch are.

Jon questions the weight since they're carrying computer equipment, Ponch tells him he has to take care of the fifth wheel first before they can go any further. They park in an inspection lane and a blue truck pulls over next to it. The driver of the blue truck exits out of his truck and starts checking his tires. The two men with the stolen goods call over the driver and steal his lorry instead. Jon and Ponch go over the checklist whilst walking to the truck they pulled over. The two men who stole the lorry next to theirs pull out. Jon questions where the driver is since he's supposed to be balancing the load. They hear groaning from the other side of the lorry and hurry to take a look. A man is getting up off the ground and tells them that he was hit from behind and questions where his rig is. Ponch guesses that the other men were the hijackers.

Jon calls it in and an APB is put out for the stolen rig. A patrol officer spots the rig and calls it in. Jon and Ponch ride out. The blue truck suffers a punctured tire resulting in the chase coming to an abrupt end. With the truck stuck on the middle of a bridge the thieves have no where to go. Jon and Ponch arrest the pair and the patrol car catches up.

A man runs up to Jon and Ponch to tell them there are people trapped in a car and he takes them to it. A woman is trapped in the car with her young daughter, she screams for help.

The man who called Jon and Ponch gets from rope from his trailer, Ponch volunteers to go down and ties the rope around his waist. Vogt arrives and radios for the Sheriff rescue to come. Ponch gets the little girl out first and hands her to Jon. The mother has peered out the windscreen and seen how far she's up, when Ponch returns she's frozen with fear. Jon ties a rope around his waist and helps Ponch. Ponch lifts the woman up to Jon. The Sheriff rescue arrives and help pull the woman to safety and back in the arms of her daughter.

Vogt tells them they've become good commercial vehicles officers and requests they put in a permanent transfer. The both decline due to their preference for two wheels.

It's the maiden voyage for their boat which Getraer has given her the name of 'Joe and Friends'. Getraer is eager to cast off, so Ponch jumps in the boat and immediately it springs a big leak. Ponch passes their belonging out of the sinking ship. Ponch tries to save the boat by bailing her out with a couple of cups from a flask. Jon and Getraer help Ponch out of the sinking boat but instead of pulling him out they push him back in.

## Notes

* No recurring cast members appear in this episode.

### Quotes

* Getraer/[Ponch]: She's got good lines, good sound bottom, and an engine that won't quit. [Sounds like Stella at dispatch.]
* Jon: Okay, you've just steered yourself into jail, now get out.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Larry Wilcox: Jon Baker
* Erik Estrada: Frank Poncherello
* Robert Pine: Joe Getraer

### Others

* Bruce Glover: Sgt Warren Vogt
* Zina Bethune: Mother
* Ric Mancini: Vince
* Tony Russel: Eduardo
* Gerald McRaney: Demick
* Janet Brandt: Sylvia
* Sean Morgan: Sven Larson
* Marie Reynolds: Lucy
* Lila Teigh: Bertha
* Paula Victor: Esther
* Shawn Marie Hayden: Shawn
* Richard Karron: Fred