1T Pickup special rules and regulations?

wintersun wrote:

Jarlaxle wrote:
I wonder how many people in Kalifornia simply tow with smaller (less capable) trucks JUST to avoid the idiocy of the GVWR cutoff in that state?

You did not understand the information provided. In California there are extra fees for commercial trucks, as is the case in all states. The wrinkle is that California classifies all pickups as commercial vehicles regardless of the GVWR. A mini-truck owner pays a higher fee than the person driving an SUV that cost twice as much. They are copying the strategy of former governor Ronald Reagan to tax the poor and give tax breaks to the rich. For lots of fat cats this wonderful progam was later extended at the federal level which is why Romney pays a 10% tax rate on his millions of dollars of ill gotten gains - capital gains that is and with hedge funds there is a wonderful loophole that was not created by accident that classifies their fees as capital gains even though they risk none of their own money. Golden rule applies with the tax code.

The only way to get around the pickup tax in California is to have a camper welded to the truck bed and I do mean welded. Applies only to pickups so a Class B or other motorhome is taxed solely on gross vehicle weight.

In Utah the weigh scale police want ALL vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over 10,000 lbs. to stop and be weighed.

With RV's it is easy to cross over into commercial vehicle territory but actually California is one of the friendliest states in this regard. On the east coast the laws vary from city to city and the tickets are expensive.

I come here for RV related information and news. Your political opinions are of no interest to me. Please stay on RV related topics and quit wasting bandwidth with your personal politics. If I we want to wade through that cow dung we'll go to a political forum.

No, I did understand. You, however, did not understand what I posted.

Jarlaxle wrote:
I wonder how many people in Kalifornia simply tow with smaller (less capable) trucks JUST to avoid the idiocy of the GVWR cutoff in that state?

You did not understand the information provided. In California there are extra fees for commercial trucks, as is the case in all states. The wrinkle is that California classifies all pickups as commercial vehicles regardless of the GVWR. A mini-truck owner pays a higher fee than the person driving an SUV that cost twice as much. They are copying the strategy of former governor Ronald Reagan to tax the poor and give tax breaks to the rich. For lots of fat cats this wonderful progam was later extended at the federal level which is why Romney pays a 10% tax rate on his millions of dollars of ill gotten gains - capital gains that is and with hedge funds there is a wonderful loophole that was not created by accident that classifies their fees as capital gains even though they risk none of their own money. Golden rule applies with the tax code.

The only way to get around the pickup tax in California is to have a camper welded to the truck bed and I do mean welded. Applies only to pickups so a Class B or other motorhome is taxed solely on gross vehicle weight.

In Utah the weigh scale police want ALL vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over 10,000 lbs. to stop and be weighed.

With RV's it is easy to cross over into commercial vehicle territory but actually California is one of the friendliest states in this regard. On the east coast the laws vary from city to city and the tickets are expensive.

restlesswind wrote:

Jarlaxle wrote:

mkirsch wrote:

MNRon wrote:
I have a call into MNDot about a GVW restriction on a section of I35 through St. Paul (>9000lb trucks are prohibited, but buses and RVs are OK...not sure if this means I can't drive a 3500 p/u there or not).

With the RV trailer hooked up, you're fine.

Empty, the cop would have to be looking REAL CLOSE to tell the difference between a 2500 (legal) and a 3500 SRW (illegal?). They'd probably let you slide even if they did notice.

I recall a set of "2500" badges are about $50 at the dealer!

Being as I removed all badges from my RAM 3500 SRW,the LEO would relly be confused.

My swag would be, the LEO's that enforce this issue, do not care of the rig is a 15, 25, 35 or larger dot class truck. ALL they will care about is the registered wt! If that state is like washington where I live, I buy truck plates in 2k increments. MANY of us with sw 25/35 trucks HAVE to buy a 12K plate based on how our licensing laws are setup. So those trucks technicly speaking. can not drive on that road! If you have a rig with an 8k plate, you are fine, but a 10k or higher plate, your screwed if pulled over. Empty wt does not always count in this instance! as my dually is under 9K, but licensed at 14K!

If the signes say actual or empty wt, then you might be ok driving on this road with a higher gvw truck. THIS sign and law, are what "weight laws" enforce, the ability of the road to handle the wt of the rig! THat is the engineering that goes into weightlaws! not the will the truck carry, perform at a give gcwr etc. Those are performance ratings, as is the road bed wt limits. but at the end of the day, the roadbed design wt limit is what the leo's enforce, not the manufacture wt limits!

Marty

texasclarks wrote:
It really all depends on the state. For instance, in Texas (per the TxDPS regulation) if you are pulling a trailer that weighs more than 10K you would need a Class A (not a standard Class C) license. If the trailer is less than 10K then one would require a Class B license.

TxDPS Licensing

Many folks do not meet this requirement and many may not even know it exists. So I would definitely ensure you call your local Department of Motor Vehicle (or equivalent) to ensure you meet the licensing standards.

That's not how I read it. The class B refers to tow vehicles over 26,001 lbs or greater.

The stretch of I35E through St. Paul with the 9000lb restriction has nothing to do with bridges (that was a I35W bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis a few years ago), it's mostly a sunken road called the parkway with bridges over it. The speed limit in this area is also 45 I believe.

As I understand it the reason for the speed restriction and the weight limit was a compromise with the neighborhoods when they put the interstate through there. I'm pretty sure the 9000lb limit was to keep commercial truckers and noise out back when no one comprehended personal pick-ups would top 9000lbs.

Times have changed, maybe they will change this to avoid confusion at sometime (although getting Democrats and Republicans to agree on anything lately isn't a good bet). In the meantime, my calls suggested this really isn't a high priority for enforcement and they don't have a consistent interpretation. As mentioned, I think if one drives reasonably I doubt this is an issue for personal pick-ups regardless of 1500, 2500 or 3500.

Jarlaxle wrote:

mkirsch wrote:

MNRon wrote:
I have a call into MNDot about a GVW restriction on a section of I35 through St. Paul (>9000lb trucks are prohibited, but buses and RVs are OK...not sure if this means I can't drive a 3500 p/u there or not).

With the RV trailer hooked up, you're fine.

Empty, the cop would have to be looking REAL CLOSE to tell the difference between a 2500 (legal) and a 3500 SRW (illegal?). They'd probably let you slide even if they did notice.

I recall a set of "2500" badges are about $50 at the dealer!

Being as I removed all badges from my RAM 3500 SRW,the LEO would relly be confused.

OK, lemme get this straight: I can't take my 7000lb F-350 over that bridge...but a 35,000lb New Flyer or a 25,000lb school bus is A-OK? Either reroute the buses or fix the bleeping bridge!

Jarlaxle wrote:
snip....

Probably trying to minimize strain on an old bridge. There's a similar restriction for the same reason in Revere, MA...a railroad bridge on route 1A is limited to three tons. (Yet, 35,000lb MBTA buses use it...go figure!)

Betcha smack on target and add that it won't instantly break when a
bus or truck over 30,000 lbs rolls on that bridge...it just takes a
bit of longevity out if each time

Same thing with folks running over their ratings...won't have the wheels
instantly fall off, but they will sooner...

Hammerhead wrote:
Are you sure they have a 9,000 lb. weight restriction on an interstate highway? Maybe it's 90,000 lbs.

MNRon wrote:
As always, thanks for the quick and informative replies.

No concerns about weigh stations.

I have a call into MNDot about a GVW restriction on a section of I35 through St. Paul (>9000lb trucks are prohibited, but buses and RVs are OK...not sure if this means I can't drive a 3500 p/u there or not). Otherwise it looks to me like I can drive this pretty much the way I drive my car (but much more comfortably :) ).

Thanks again!

Probably trying to minimize strain on an old bridge. There's a similar restriction for the same reason in Revere, MA...a railroad bridge on route 1A is limited to three tons. (Yet, 35,000lb MBTA buses use it...go figure!)