Has anyone been stopped by D.O.T.

fj12ryder wrote:


MODOT doesn't really care if what you're hauling is too heavy for your truck, only that you have the proper plates for it. As long as you have 24,000 plates for your F150 you'll hear nothing about whether it's safe or not to pull that 12,000 lb. 5th wheel, only whether you're legally licensed.

This is correct. The state of Missouri sells plates in 6,000 lb increments. As long as you buy heavy enough plates to cover both the GW of the truck and trailer they don't care. And only commercial trucks need to stop at the weigh stations.

Oh and in Missouri they only give you one plate. And they want it on the front of the tow vehicle. FYI

bucky wrote:
DOT is not a state thing, so they don't care what tags you have. If you're hauling commercial you are fair game. A few years ago they were tearing up the rodeo cowboys in TX because they had sponsor logos on their horse trailers and were using the horses and trailers in the activity of commerce. Cheap shot sure but constitutional :) yes.
Back to tags now. In NC you can't get a straight answer from anybody at DMV about weighted tags. I have a neighbor with a Cummins dually with regular tags on it. I asked him how he got them, he told me that what they gave him.
I finally just went with 12,000 lbs on my 2500 because personal RVs are exempt. I am reading the regulation as being what the truck weighs and is carrying. IE tongue weight or other items in the bed or cab.

Bucky that is pretty much true with any DMV. You can ask the same question to 5 people and get 7 different answers and none of them will be correct. My 5er weighs more than 10K but less than 15K so when I lived in CA we needed an endorcement on our lic. It took the DMV we went to 2 hours to fig out what test to give us

fj12ryder wrote:
I think the Hwy Patrol station in Lees Summit could be mistaken. I've been driving our Dodge with 24,000 plates for about 10 years and have never been told to stop at weigh stations, and have been stopped a few times by the Hiway Patrol in Missouri. One LEO even commented he was glad to see I had the necessary plates for the load I was hauling. Just my personal experience of course.

MODOT doesn't really care if what you're hauling is too heavy for your truck, only that you have the proper plates for it. As long as you have 24,000 plates for your F150 you'll hear nothing about whether it's safe or not to pull that 12,000 lb. 5th wheel, only whether you're legally licensed.

Kinda sounds like it's all about the "MONEY"..

As long as you pay for the heavier weight, we don't give a hoot if your unsafe or uncapable at your weight. :h

In the past it's been a state tax issue as far as the states are concerned. If you have the plates and registered weight structured so you're covered, the state was happy.

I see this posted on rv websites quite often.
My state as others do not have any type of weight to register our trucks at. Nor does my state care how much weight a truck (the size being discussed) from another state is registered at.
.................................................

Some may remember the long email from a CA DOT officer to I think a RV.net member that had this question and answer; *its long and snipped for length*

October 14, 2009.
Q: “Many of the owners travel over their tow vehicle GVWR and /or
GCWR. Are there any state laws against this? Or does the owner just
take the risk if they wish?”

A: The California Vehicle Code (CVC) does not contain a law that
specifically limits the amount of weight a vehicle may tow based on the
towing vehicle GVWR or GCWR. There are, however, laws that limit the
amount a vehicle may tow based on other criteria.
(snip)
Section 1085(d) of Title 13 California Code of Regulations prohibits
the loading of tires above the maximum load rating marked on the tire,
or if unmarked the maximum load rating as specified in the applicable
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, or in a publication furnished to
the public by the tire manufacturer. This would most likely happen in
the case of a pickup truck towing a large fifth wheel travel trailer, as
those types of trailers tend to transfer a larger portion of their
weight to the last axle of the towing unit causing that axle to exceed
the tire load limits.
(snip)

I trust this has adequately answered your questions. Should you desire
any further information, please contact Officer Ron Leimer, of my staff,
at (916) 445-1865.
Sincerely,
S. B. DOWLING, Captain
Commander
Commercial Vehicle Section"


....................................................................

My state not having any weight registration for a non commercial vehicle simply uses the trucks axle/tire load numbers....same as CA.

JIMNLIN wrote:

dawzie wrote:
Concerned about being weighed. I'm 240 lbs. over gross on truck. Rear tires and axle are just under. Front axle only gained 60 lbs. Fiver axles and tires are fine.

If your concerned about your tow vehicles weights I would ask your state what your max weight requirements will be.

All vehicles on the road come under some kind of weight limits

I see mostly CA folks over in the toy hauler forum talk about getting stopped on occasion on I believe the run out to Glamis or one of the more popular spots for ORV fun in CA.

One posted this;

Elk Grove, calif.

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Joined: 01/12/2006

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The requirements to double tow in California:
Commercial Class A with Doubles Endorsement

I have been doing it for 15 years, have been stopped and checked 2 times for proper licenses, weight, length, lights and everything else
John

They are stopping those people going to the popular off road area like Glamis to see if they have the proper lic. They could care less how much you weigh as long as you have the lic to tow it. Towing double requires commercial class A with double endorsement. Towing 5er that weighs more than 10,000 but less than 15,000 requires an indorsement aka restriction 41. Towing a TT more than 10,000 requires a non commercial class A and towing a 5er weighing more than 15,000 but less than 26,000 requires a non commercial class A

It's not an issue.
The sticker on your door is not a legal weight restriction. It's akin to the label on your mattress. It tells how the manufacturer made your vehicle. Manufacturers do not set legal weight limits.
Generally, legal weight limits are 20,000 lbs per axle, 34,000 lbs for a tandem axle, and 80,000 lbs gross. With your 5er you're not going to be close to any of those.
As another said you could be checked for the weight limit on your registration. That is not overweight. That is a tax. Did you pay the tax to your state to haul the amount of weight you're hauling. Some states do a flat tax, others have a range for weights and the more weight you haul the more you pay for your registration.
BTW, I was the real weight police for 27 yrs. I didn't get my knowledge from the internet or listening to some guy around a campfire. I taught truck weights and was recognized by the courts as an expert in truck weights.

The State of Washington along with many others license fee based tonnage. Our 8800 GVWR 2001.5 RAM was licensed at 12K and was legal in the other 49 states up to that amount. If I had licensed it at 10K and been weighed when exceeding that, then I would have been issued a ticket for not have paid for enough tonnage.

Weight stations enforce their version of the bridge weight laws (based on Fed rules), safety and correct licensing.

No pickup is going to exceed the bridge weight laws.

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Freight/publications/brdg_frm_wghts/index.htm Chris

The big thing still is WHERE you, your trailer and your truck are registered. As long as you are legal there, it doesn't matter where you are or what the local laws are for that state. VA does not check RVs unless towed by a for hire vehicle. We are not required to get weighed, and will even be asked why we pulled into a weigh station if we did (did that once a long time ago with a class C). There's no commercial driver's license requirement either.

Last year we drove straight up to Montreal, through NB and back through Maine 7 New England without any issues. Year before we went all the way out to CA and back and never were even looked at by the many cops along the way (they probably noticed the tags). Year before, all the way to AZ and back, ditto. Before that, through MI to Canada & back, no problems anywhere. This year we're going to Glacier and WA/OR. I'm not concerned about our weight or any of this, just about nothing breaking or wearing out!

DOT is not a state thing, so they don't care what tags you have. If you're hauling commercial you are fair game. A few years ago they were tearing up the rodeo cowboys in TX because they had sponsor logos on their horse trailers and were using the horses and trailers in the activity of commerce. Cheap shot sure but constitutional :) yes.
Back to tags now. In NC you can't get a straight answer from anybody at DMV about weighted tags. I have a neighbor with a Cummins dually with regular tags on it. I asked him how he got them, he told me that what they gave him.
I finally just went with 12,000 lbs on my 2500 because personal RVs are exempt. I am reading the regulation as being what the truck weighs and is carrying. IE tongue weight or other items in the bed or cab.

azdryheat wrote:
Sounds like a state-to-state thing. Most all states only care about commercial vehicles. Guess MO is the exception. You won't be weighed in AZ. Cali, on the other hand, has licensing requirements for various RV's and will pull you over to check your driver's license endorcements: never mind that such a traffic stop is unconstitutional.

Next time you get stopped (for?) be sure to tell the LEO it's unconstitutional, ROTFLMAO.

*ANY* LEO, in *ANY* State that can't come up with a "Probable Cause"
for a traffic stop - flunked the basic academy.

BTW - the key *WORD* in Probable Cause......is "PROBABLE".

JIMLIN - the CA licensed folks heading to Glamis usually are towing toy haulers that require a Non-Commercial Class A DL.

Some are ignorant of that - some figure they can get away without it.

CHP won't bother on busy urban freeways, but in the boondocks - like heading to Glamis or towing boats to/from the CO River, they have time - and write lots of "greetings".
Tow at 60mph (55mph limit for trailers) and you're an easy mark!

Both locations also generate folks who have had a few too many bruskis while having fun on their last day - then hit the road.

(Of course, if the driver would just inform the Chippy the stop is unconstitutional he could be on his merry way with....
"have a nice day!"....:R..:R..)

~