1 Tons and weigh station check points

I know several people with race cars - for local short tracks. Some have regular tractor/ trailer rigs and travel to different states - mainly sprint cars.

A few are registered to corporations, and have DOT numbers. The folks who drive those have to keep logs, pull into weigh stations, etc.

Most do not, and are marked "Not for Hire" on the sides where a DOT number would be located. They never pull into weight stations. They are registered, tractor and trailer, in the name of an individual - usually the guy driving. About two per year will be pulled over for bypassing a weigh station, and never get a ticket because they are not 'commercial' vehicles. (They are more likely to get a ticket for driving a 65 ft, 35,000 tractor trailer with only a normal Class C driver's license. A lot of race car types will tell you that a Class A License is not needed for any vehicle no matter how big if it is non-commercial.)

Occasionally one might pull into a weight station, just to see their weight. If it is a weigh station where the driver logs are checked - they have been told many times - don't bother coming in - you are not driving a commercial vehicle.

If I were pulling trailers from the factory to a dealer, I would stop at every weight station. Other than that case - I'd never pull into a weigh station.

All ambiguity could be avoided with GVWR.

A GVWR is just a rating number and doesn't indicate any specific weight when used in the (example) commercial world.

(example) A one ton DRW may have a 13500 GVWR but we can legally register it at the sum of the GAWRs. Example is a 3500 DRW Ram with a 6000 FAWR and a 9750 RAWR = 15750 GVW.

GVW indicates a actual max weight.

I know they can't write a paragraph on road signs, but many in my area are horrible and inconsistent.
The weigh station signs should read "Commercial vehicles over 10000lbs GVWR".
Local road weight signs like below are all over my area:
"No trucks over 3/4T"
"No vehicles over 7000lbs"
"No trucks over 7000lbs GVW"
All ambiguity could be avoided with GVWR.

love2rvcamp wrote:
A friend of mine owns a trucking company and has their own personal tractor trailer cab to tow their 5th wheel. This cab is not commercial registered as they don't use it to tow anything in the business and only the 5th wheel. They don't go through weight stations since the trick does not,have DOT numbers on it.

I asked them and they said unless the truck is registered as a commercial vehicle and has DOT numbers it does not have to stop at weigh stations.

Ding, Ding, Ding............COMMERCIAL

That is what weigh stations are for.

A friend of mine owns a trucking company and has their own personal tractor trailer cab to tow their 5th wheel. This cab is not commercial registered as they don't use it to tow anything in the business and only the 5th wheel. They don't go through weight stations since the truck does not have DOT numbers on it.

I asked them and they said unless the truck is registered as a commercial vehicle and has DOT numbers it does not have to stop at weigh stations.

So only commercial vehicles have to go through.

Dog Folks wrote:
My 3500 Dodge Dually w/Cummins actually weighs, loaded: 8100 pounds.

But what is the GVWR on the sticker?

Right out of high school I was a parts runner for a machine shop, my primary vehicle was a Ford F350. I never had an issue, but right after I left the shop owner converted it to a stake-side truck (losing the standard PU box). My replacement got a ticket within 90-days for flying by a weigh station.

wrenchbender wrote:
Where is I95 ?I only do I15 I17 and I80

East coast, ME to FLA.

Where is I95 ?I only do I15 I17 and I80

I just tried doing research on this because the guy that handles our vending machines told me how he got a ticket in Ohio because of the truck he was driving did not have a log book. He was driving more of a panel van but from what I see all of these things relate to commercial vehicles. I have a Class B CDL that I have not used in years but keep it up anyway, I see not mention about log books, weigh stations or medical cards unless you are going across state lines to do something you get compensated for. Along the same line the PA law specifically states you do not need a CDL to drive a recreational vehicle.