How can this be? Common sense hauling... Fed approved??? DOT Exemption!

[QRTRHRS]

Never much on driving around with my pants unbuckled, much less getting out of the truck like that. As far as driving with my shoes off, been there done that. I would wear tennis shoe most of the time, or boots. I tend to wake up a little when I remove my shoes, not sure why, but running the long hours I did, whatever works is what you do. A lot of today's drivers are a new breed that doesn't really dress all that well to start with, so showing up to a shipper or receiver in flip flops and sweat pants and a T shirt... nothing new to them. I wouldn't be caught at work in my yard like that, much less going to work where I meet people. It is "home" but there is still having pride in your appearance.
Jcoon, welcome to the sight, probably not easy for you to join and admit your employment. I understand it is your job, and if I do mine, all should be well. Keeping the motoring public safe is both of our goals, despite how they treat us.
David from jax

Well said. And I will say this, it's been ten years since I have run NY but I used to run five plus days a week and having been through more than one level one's, I can say that I was polite and professional as were the inspectors.

I agree that the laws governing class 3, etc. applications need clearification and unity across state lines. I do take exception that "farmers" know what they are doing. I see way to many "Billy Big Riggers pulling a stock trailer loaded with animals doing things I would not. Let's just say that I did not just get off of the banana boat so I have a qualified opinion. On the larger size, I have had to yield to more than one ag plated semi on my side of that "magic" yellow line because the driver did not know how to read into a curve as they approached it. (And, it also happened while I was driving one of those big yellow taxi's, ie; a school bus which I did for a few years after I retired)

From what I understand, many schools no longer offer driver training. One only needs a few miles of time on the road to see how this has worked. Question, do they even stress one vehicle length for every miles of speed anymore?

The original post concerned horse hauling. I happen to have horses and have hauled them long distances on occasion. Most people who haul their animals know what to do and care for their animals like they are their offspring. Typically, the two or three horse rig is one thing, start getting larger than that and it becomes "questionable".

 

[4570Man]

Yes in my post I said "you can drive a 36k gross rig with a regular license in most states and federally. If the truck is 26k (not over) and the trailer is 10k (not over) you do not meet the definition for class A or B"

This is what you quoted and said was wrong.

So can I take a 15k empty truck and hook a 20k loaded trailer to it as long as the trailer tongue weight is 10001 pounds?

 

[Jcoon]

So can I take a 15k empty truck and hook a 20k loaded trailer to it as long as the trailer tongue weight is 10001 pounds?

Trailer Tounge weight is a whole different thing not effecting license class. You have to stay under all the ratings on your units, the gvwr, axle ratings, tire ratings, tounge and hitch ratings.

You need a class A with those unit weights.

 

[bdog]

So can I take a 15k empty truck and hook a 20k loaded trailer to it as long as the trailer tongue weight is 10001 pounds?

What? No where in the laws is tongue weight mentioned that I am aware of. The weights referenced are referring to GVWR’s which is what the manufacturer assigns to the vehicle when it is built.

 

[Jcoon]

And also what you pay to register it as.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Let's be clear. DOT can and will ask you to seperate your 10k trailer and weigh it seperately from your truck. I do not know if tongue weight was ever an issue but the gross on that trailer better not be over 10k or your wallet is going to get lighter. You likely will not be moving that trailer without some "adjustments".

 

[Jcoon]

We are most certainly concerned with tounge weight, especially when it looks dangerous.

 

[QRTRHRS]

We are most certainly concerned with tounge weight, especially when it looks dangerous.

I agree it is an issue. The people I know that have been ticketed for the trailer being over 10k never mentioned it. At least one of them was weighed on portables which would be easy to set up for the hitch.

 

[bdog]

We are most certainly concerned with tounge weight, especially when it looks dangerous.

Don’t mean this as a smart aleck question but what can you do about it? If neither the trailer or truck axles or tires are overloaded and the coupler is rated for it what laws would be broken? Or are you just talking about extreme cases where something is way overloaded? I had a GMC dually with a flatbed and custom Pintle hitch that was rated for 50k or something crazy like that. The Pintle hitch was for a dump truck originally and got repurposed. Anyway I could have something like 6000lb of tongue weight on it before any component was overloaded. I never had near that though but legally I think I could have if I wanted to.

Can trailers really be detached and weighed? I have never seen it happen. I always thought the weight was what it was going down the road. By that I mean that the tongue weight counts agains the tow vehicles GVWR and registered weight since it is what is carrying the load.

I got one overweight ticket in my life and it was about twenty years ago and was for something related to this. I had a 20’ GN that always had the same load on it and a 3/4 ton truck. I went and had each weighed separately and registered them accordingly. The trailer registration was for a weight which more than covered the trailer sitting on the scales by itself and the truck registration was for enough to cover the truck by itself. I got pulled over and weighed and had more weight on the truck than I was registered for due to the tongue weight and had way less on the trailer than it was registered for due to the tongue weight being absent.

 

[ddbackhoe]

It actually can go by actual weight too.

And it痴 CDL class A for anything over 26,001 in combination.unless the trailer is under 10,000. Then it might be a class B if truck is over 26,001.

Why can't it be a non-CDL class A?