3500 truck needs CDL?

[bdog]

I will agree I have not seen many pickups detained at the scale houses but when I drove my dump truck from Texas to Missouri to trade it in my Peterbilt 379 and drove it back I saw three DOT cops with people pulled over on the side of the road with the portable scales and all three had pickups and goosenecks - no semis.

 

[ultrarunner]

That's when LEO pulls them over when they pass a weigh station because they know how much an excavator weighs. What's going happen when LEO looks at the registration to see what the trailer's VWR is and sees it's carrying way over it's rating with the portable scales?

Cops don't carry portable scales for nothing. And from what' I've been told, the only reason to get something stickered for a lower rating is to keep the insurance and registration fees down... Because if you get busted carrying more than the rating, you'll be left with a fine, and on the side of the road, or worse towed.

BTW, some States allow vehicles to be rerated, for a fee, at a higher weight rating. People do this .... yes it costs them more in insurance and registration, but they can go through the weigh stations without worry they'll be stopped for being over weight.

I think it is a little different here... not aware of a single weigh station in the city and county of San Francisco... also several of the neighbor counties.

Of course if you are in a wreck all bets are off.

In my city trucks are not even allowed on 580... total ban over 9000 lbs.

I had a rental rollback car carrier with two vehicles on the back and rolled into a weigh station heading East on 80... was waved through... there are also large signs that say NO PICKUPS... whatever that means these days.

 

[DK35vince]

I haven't ever seen a pickup stop at a weigh station let alone be weighed. Around here the regulations or at least the enforcements are pretty loose.

Heavily enforced around here.
I've been seeing a lot of pickup pulled trailers getting DOT checked the last couple years in my area.
The break away switch better be working or it will be RED tagged and fined

 

[ultrarunner]

I bet there are a lot of breakaway dead batteries out there.

Most of the rental yards still use surge brakes and I've never given it any thought if surge has a similar breakaway protection.

Local law enforcement is so busy that they have no time for most traffic enforcement... heck, the chief said they simply don't have the staff to respond to residential burglary etc...

 

[RickB]

Heavily enforced around here.
I've been seeing a lot of pickup pulled trailers getting DOT checked the last couple years in my area.
The break away switch better be working or it will be RED tagged and fined

Here as well. Especially anything looking like a landscape contractor or mowing service. Non DOT approved fuel jugs are a big revenue source along with scales and no DOT numbers.

 

[em14]

I have seen pick-ups towing trailers pulled over and on the DOT portable scales. I remember a few years ago seeing a pick-up towing a trailer on a set of portable scales at the pump in a truck stop in South Georgia!
Leo

 

[ultrarunner]

Has anyone seen a pickup in California on portable scales?

Not saying it isn't possible... only that I have never seen or heard of it.

As to trailers... one would think California would have even more motive due 10k restrictions.

License Classes License Requirements

 

[downsizingnow48]

Never seen it or heard of it happening here.

 

[Copperhead]

Nebraska makes it very clear at scales... all truck and pickups pulling trailers must enter and weigh. Only pulling recreational trailers exempt. It is very common in Iowa to see DOT going over a pickup and trailer along the road. While there is general federal regulations, states can set other standards as well.

 

[Rock knocker]

While there is general federal regulations, states can set other standards as well.

As long as inter-, and to a lesser degree intra-state commerce is unaffected.