More about GVWR
All the discussion in the http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27785106.cfm tread has been interesting. To me, it all boiled down to sure the truck can handle an over-weight camper but is it legal and what is the penalty for not being legal.
OK, so what is sole measurement of a truck camper being weight legal? I stopped at an Interstate truck weighing station operated by the DMV. As has been correctly stated many times, only commercial vehicles are required to go through the Interstate scales. However, a state's mobile unit has the right to pull any vehicle over on a public road for any reason and weigh them on the spot.
The DMV told me, THE SINGLE DETERMINING LEGAL FACTOR FOR UNDER/OVER WEIGHT IS THE DECLARED WEIGHT IS ON THE VEHICLE'S STATE REGISTRATION...PERIOD.The manufacture's embossed tag on the door post is not binding; however, in most probability the registration and door post tag should match. Also, being "legal" has nothing to do with the axle manufacture's rated capacity of the rear axle or the tire manufacture's rated tire load. If the combined weight of all wheels exceeds registration weight, you are not legal. Also, and this is down to splitting hairs, you might be under registration weight but ticketed if front or rear axle exceeds auto manufacture's rating (ie, not axle manufacture's rating.
What is the penalty for being over weight? This may vary from state to state. Where I checked, it is $0.01 a pound plus processing fees. I was unable to determine the value of processing fees.
What concerns me the most is the possible liability of a civil suit if I was over weight and was at-fault in an accident. But realistically, determining the actual weight of a loaded truck camper at the time of an accident is a far stretch. IMHO,the odds of being weighed in a timely fashion at the scene of an accident are in your favor. However,if you do have an accident it would behoove you to get the gross vehicle weight as low as possible before the police arrive.
Yes officer, that accident scared the pee and poop right out of my camper and it's also been sweating ever since. Ha!
OK, so what is sole measurement of a truck camper being weight legal? I stopped at an Interstate truck weighing station operated by the DMV. As has been correctly stated many times, only commercial vehicles are required to go through the Interstate scales. However, a state's mobile unit has the right to pull any vehicle over on a public road for any reason and weigh them on the spot.
The DMV told me, THE SINGLE DETERMINING LEGAL FACTOR FOR UNDER/OVER WEIGHT IS THE DECLARED WEIGHT IS ON THE VEHICLE'S STATE REGISTRATION...PERIOD.The manufacture's embossed tag on the door post is not binding; however, in most probability the registration and door post tag should match. Also, being "legal" has nothing to do with the axle manufacture's rated capacity of the rear axle or the tire manufacture's rated tire load. If the combined weight of all wheels exceeds registration weight, you are not legal. Also, and this is down to splitting hairs, you might be under registration weight but ticketed if front or rear axle exceeds auto manufacture's rating (ie, not axle manufacture's rating.
What is the penalty for being over weight? This may vary from state to state. Where I checked, it is $0.01 a pound plus processing fees. I was unable to determine the value of processing fees.
What concerns me the most is the possible liability of a civil suit if I was over weight and was at-fault in an accident. But realistically, determining the actual weight of a loaded truck camper at the time of an accident is a far stretch. IMHO,the odds of being weighed in a timely fashion at the scene of an accident are in your favor. However,if you do have an accident it would behoove you to get the gross vehicle weight as low as possible before the police arrive.
Yes officer, that accident scared the pee and poop right out of my camper and it's also been sweating ever since. Ha!
