DOT police going to Charlotte

[THE LEGEND]

Mine is 25,000.
What Jim said
Chip Johnson

[Wade Mahaffey]

I don't know about Dale's case, but you can put a tag/registration less than the trucks GVW to save money on the tags/insurance. In other words if your vehicle registration says 7,500 #s but the factory GVW is 11,000 #s I think they can ticket you if your over the 7500. I think the truck empty is 6,000 plus.

Wade Mahaffey

[Doug Blackley]

In some states you cannot register a truck/suv heavier than it's gvw listed by the manufacturers stated number. Just because the o.e. states it can tow x weight doesn't mean the state you live in will allow you to exempt it from emissions by registering it heavier. If that is the case in this persons incident I would think they would have a good point in fighting it.

[THE LEGEND]

I have always been told the truck plate must carry enough weight to cover the whole rig.
Chip

[Myron Piatek]

In Florida I was told the truck had to be tagged above the combined truck/trailer weight.
I tagged for 19,999 and guessed right. Mine ended up just under 19,500 with everything topped off and loaded with spares at a truck stop. Nothing special that I recall on the enclosed trailer tag.

[cal]

I talked to the MD DMV, and was told it is the combo of the Truck & Trailer that give you the total weight. The truck is pulling 20,000 # not carrying it, is what I was told. However they did say you can put any weight you want on the truck. If you put 10,000# or more on the truck you would have to carry a DOT medical card and have a DOT # on your truck.

I plan to go to the DOT in VA next week to see what the Interstate Law is, and which one would over rule the other one. MD Law where its registered or Interstate law.

Personly I belive this is just a way to gouge racers outta their hard earned money.
Look at that pretty truck and BIG trailer, he must have money!!!

Cal
HR 177X

[THE LEGEND]

Cal,
I don't think you need the DOT card or number until you cross over 26,001. Unless you have air brakes.
Chip Johnson

[63corvette]

Originally Posted by THE LEGEND

Cal,
I don't think you need the DOT card or number until you cross over 26,001. Unless you have air brakes.
Chip Johnson

You only need a DOT card if you are a Commercial Operator.
My motor home has air brakes and is over the 26,001 limit. I have a class B license which covers me pulling my trailer with less than a 10,000 lb GVW. If the trailer goes over the 10,000 GVW it takes a Class A license.
Another sticking point is the axle limit and tire GVW on the trailer.
I had a friend who was ticketed for the axle limit over the GVW of the trailer which was under the 10,000. The axles were 6,500 each for a total of 13,000 and the officer wrote him up for being 3,000 over the limit even though the trailer actually weighed less that the 10,000 it was setup for and tagged for. The officer also told him the gross weight listed on the tires added up for a total is the GVW for the trailer no matter what the trailer was tagged or what the manufacturers sticker said. Now that made no sense to me but that is what he was told along with the axle GVW as the reason for the overweight ticket even though the trailer did not weigh that much it was tagged for less than its GVW.
The moral is the officer will write a ticket for whatever they want if they need revenue and all the states need revenue now.
My 2 Cents
Rick Cates

[dussault.racing]

Originally Posted by THE LEGEND

Cal,
I don't think you need the DOT card or number until you cross over 26,001. Unless you have air brakes.
Chip Johnson

As a owner operator with my own authority i can tell you for sure... any gvw over 10,000 NEEDS a US DOT #, this is federal law! I believe you only need a medical card if you have a class A or B CDL.
I spend every day playing cat and mouse with DOT. If they pull you over they will find something!!!!!! They are bread in the academy to hate truckers and anything that resembles one.. Some helpfull info could be found on the fmcsa web site.