All I know I had a 6 month old trailer reg at 7000 Lbs GVW got stopped and the the truck was a 5000 GVW and I had to trade my new trailer in for a 5000 GVW trailer or buy a heaver truck. My thinking was the 7000 GVW trailer was safer because it had 2 axles with brakes pulled easier, and was 2 ft longer and could haul my CK25 with cab and mower. The trailer brakes stop the trailer, All the truck has to do is pull it. They did not fine me but I had 10 days to do something.
I had to give my bigger trailer as a trade and be without one for 6 weeks until my new one arrived.
Now for the real kicker was I got stopped with the new one towing my smaller tractor a CS2410 with mower. And was told after not finding any thing wrong and without weighing me instructed me to get my light weight down and/or get my gross weight up. So I weighed the truck and it was 5100 with some tools and a tool box on the back. So I was over weight with basically a empty truck. So I had to go to a class 2 which is a 7000 GVW plate but I can only haul what the door plate is rating me for and that is 5815 GVW. After calling Penn DOT they are saying that is technically illegal to license a truck for 5000 Lb if the title light weight is such that using that figure adding two 200 lb persons and adding for engine oil and a full tank of fuel and if that number come above 5000 the you can not tag for 5000 well the dealer screwed up. so that cost me close to 150.00 to fix that mess. I have a factory installed bed liner and that is 200 lbs without that I might have been OK. I am not making this up I was looking yesterday at the website that rock knocker told me about and I saw the thing about what we are talking about. But I was looking at so many things yesterday. All I know is what happened to me.
Every local police dept that has more than one they would like to have someone who is DOT qualified to assist the state DOT and chad lost his for a while and had to get re-certifiied. He hates it He stated to me he never knows what they a going after in a givin day. and a lot of the persons he has to ticket are local people farmers and such. I have another example, this happens on action days a lot of the men have goose-neck 350 fords, dodge, chevy, don't matter with say with a 9999 GVW to get away from combo license and pull a 12000 goose-neck horse trailer and there getting hammered. they say safety I say MONEY.