DOT Audit

[whodat526]

A one ton with a gvwr of 13K and a trailer with a gvwr of 14K would put the gcvwr over 26K and require a CDL.
There is no mention in the state regs about duallies. TxDPS - CVE Publications
Somebody's giving you some bad info.

they was stopping people in jasper and giving them a ticket if running a 1ton and gooseneck trailer i got one thats why we try not to go through there any more with the trailer if in my dually. I dont know what the drill was they have slacked off here recently but last year at this time they was terrible

 

[sparc]

Farm tags were probably the kicker on that one. They are cracking down pretty hard on folks who run farm tags but use their trucks for personal stuff. Not quite sure what would have flagged it as non-farm use though (tractor and all). The one ton with trailer is still non-cdl until you get to 26001#.

When i drove many years ago for a commercial florist we had farm tags on all our rigs. We hauled our own product anywhere withon 500 miles of 'home'. Wemkept no logs and never stopped at scales. I drove all over pa, nj, de, md, va, ny and other states, never got stopped once in 3 years and i did over 1000 miles/week.

 

[Scooby074]

This has been a great read.

My grandfather and 2 uncles were truckers. One uncle drives bus now and the other is still in the business although i dont talk to him much.

I dont know how you guys put up with all that paperwork:thumbsup:

 

[lostcause]

i have a homemade 2 axle trailer. because it is homemade it has no gvwr. i just have to register my vehicle to an amount that will cover the weight of vehicle, trailer, and cargo. there's no issue coming in at under 26k, if there's a 10k limit on a manufactured trailer, it makes little sense that you could bypass it with a homemade trailer.

 

[LHS Inc]

Some of the stories I've heard here in Maryland:

Lawn Service truck n trailer stopped for a routine check. The guys trailer wheels went thru the wet grass off the shoulder and the officer noticed one of the tires bubbling from a tiny pin hole and shut him down right there until he changed it.

Asked to look in his large cooler he had in back of the truck, got permission, found a leftover beer in there. 1000 buck fine.

He said comercial vehicle, no alcohol.

Don't even think about stopping by and picking up a six pack at the end of the day.

The guys are so rattled they removed the signs they have on a couple of trucks that they don't use for the business anymore so they wouldn't get stopped.

I can understand the alcohol rule but the problem is guys don't realize the catagory of business they are in because no one knows until you get stopped.

I never got going on getting in compliance until I started hearing stories like these.

 

[Cranky]

That is referring to commercial vehicle. As long as you are driving for your self you do not have to have a CDL even if you pull your horse trailer with a Peterbuilt. BUT if you take anything in return for work with a vehicle no mater if it is a VW or a Mack truck its commercial and all CSA laws are enforced. And don't fall for the "not for hire" on the door thing. That is like blood in the water. If an officer see's that I promise you you will be pulled over and class 3 inspected because they feel you are trying to beat the system I run 7 trucks and trust me the new CSA sucks and its gonna get worse.

I am pretty sure none of the 20 year old pizza delivery drivers around here have CDLs.

 

[schoolsout]

10,000# or greater GVWR constitutes a commercial vehicle requiring some sort of physical/medical card in SC

over 26k is when CDL license is required. DOT numbers may need to be applied to lesser GVWR trucks, though.

 

[The Haymaker]

I am pretty sure none of the 20 year old pizza delivery drivers around here have CDLs.

THIS is how CMVSE officers make their revenue. Far too many people base their interpretation of THE LAW as the law. When my drivers come to me with a "fact", I hand them a copy of the FMCSR's or Maine Title 29 and politely ask "Show me".
vehicle enforcement laws are etched in stone. The issues appear because many, if not most, of the regs are so loosely written that many are up to the interpretation of the officer(s) involved. Here's a good example:


Which types of commercial motor vehicles are subject to the cargo securement standards of this subpart, and what general requirements apply? - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Check out, in particular, (c). We have officers making notes and citations for loose 3lb boxes loaded into a vehicle that weighs 30k lb when empty. A company cannot protect itself from this sort of interpretation unless possibly if the driver carries the regs and politely calls the officer out on it, and it is not cost effective to battle them in court.


Anyway, for THE LAW, you should go to the CMV bible, or FMCSRs. You'll save yourself a lot of headache. Another method is to talk with the personal responsible for writing a potential ticket, the officer. BUT, do not talk to just one, talk to a couple, AND ask for the particular FMCSR that applies, or if a town cop (who often don't know their arse from a hole in the ground, especially with CMV code) ask for the local law.

After being in the safety being in the business for many years, trust me, there are a lot of myths floating around.

 

[Ken]

I thought PA was bad, it nothing compared to what I reading here...The only people who get picked on around here are "pro" drivers and guys with 5 ton or better dumps..

Never heard of anyone getting nailed for anything while towing with a pickup of any size unless the load/trailer isn't properly secured or absurdly overloaded.

As DP said, if these rules were applied, all of the grey hairs in the 40+ foot motorhomes or the 40 ft 5th wheels being pulled by a quad cab dulley would be liquidating their SSN checks to pay the fines. Never heard of that.

I am actually surprised this is going on in Texas...Aren't you guys the leave me the H*ll alone state?

A friend driving a U-Haul truck with his wife and spending the night in a Hershey Pa.Motel was stopped by highway police that wanted his "log bookl" Told him he didn't have one and was carring personal property.
It took several hours to convince the highway policeman that he was legal .
By this time the wife was in shock thinking he was to be jailed .
not all read the same book gets the same information.
ken