Over on a trucking forum there are a few guys that drive tractors (as in tractor-trailers) for purely personal use. Constantly get pulled over and have to be checked for logbooks etc.
Even if they
are "constantly" being pulled over, doing daily logbook entries consumes maybe 5 minutes of a driver's time. They're probably not being pulled over to see if their log is up to date, but for other things that are obvious to the authorities.
I'm not clamoring *for* the requirement of a CDL for a dually, but probably half of the dually trucks I see around here are used in conjunction with gooseneck trailers. The dually/gooseneck combo is
chosen in many cases by the operator
because it doesn't appear "as commercial" as a *more-appropriate-for-their-load* tractor and trailer would. Customers bring such rigs to my workplace all the time to pick up stuff like this:
And that machine weighs in at right around 23,000 lbs. Chain it onto a gooseneck trailer that weighs ~6500 lbs., and the driver is
towing almost 30,000 lbs. Then add the weight of the truck at 5-6000 lbs., and we're up near 5 tons over the CDL-requirement threshold here.
But since it's a "pickup" it's supposed to get a *pass* of some sort?
And when it gets that *pass*, the driver isn't required to have a medical card, or agree to submit to random drug testing, the vehicle and trailer aren't required to have current inspections, etc., etc.
Sounds like a fine idea considering the loads some of them are hauling.
It may be only occasionally for them, but still.....
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