Survey - who has had a citation for RV overweight?
Details appreciated like where, details of weight, fine or jail time, did your rig get towed, were you handcuffed...
Forum Discussion
I can only attest to my experiences in CA. I have done my best over the years to comply with all applicable laws as I have had truck camper, pulled doubles, and now the DP with toad or cargo trailer.
First off overweight is an issue with the RVs as well as the SUV running down the freeway with 6 passengers and all their luggage.
CA DMV is most concerned with correct drivers license and tags and only seems to concern themselves with weight if they can collect a separate fee for registration.
CHP and local law enforcement also seems to care less about weight but rather just enforcing the correct license is held for each rig setup. I was lucky enough to experience one of CHP's roadside portable smog emission testing stations and to my surprise the DOT officer pulled out his commercial vehicle corner scales. Knowing I was going to be found over the manufacturers weight ratings I began to explain the upgrades I had made to my truck and FW so the officer might take these into consideration. The nice officer quickly stopped me and stated towing recreational he would or could not ticket me for being overweight in an RV. He stated that I could be pulling my 40' FW with a Toyota Tacoma and would still be legal as long as I had made honest attempts to make the setup safe and was operating in a safe manner. He also said in a civil (financial) case with that setup I would be up a creek without a paddle but still unlikely to get a moving violation.
As it turned out I was over but not grossly on trailer axle weights and the front truck axle but just under on the rear truck axle weight. I was also impressed and surprised how thorough the officer was in inspecting trailer brakes, lights, and hitch attachment. This seemed to be his biggest concern.
First off overweight is an issue with the RVs as well as the SUV running down the freeway with 6 passengers and all their luggage.
CA DMV is most concerned with correct drivers license and tags and only seems to concern themselves with weight if they can collect a separate fee for registration.
CHP and local law enforcement also seems to care less about weight but rather just enforcing the correct license is held for each rig setup. I was lucky enough to experience one of CHP's roadside portable smog emission testing stations and to my surprise the DOT officer pulled out his commercial vehicle corner scales. Knowing I was going to be found over the manufacturers weight ratings I began to explain the upgrades I had made to my truck and FW so the officer might take these into consideration. The nice officer quickly stopped me and stated towing recreational he would or could not ticket me for being overweight in an RV. He stated that I could be pulling my 40' FW with a Toyota Tacoma and would still be legal as long as I had made honest attempts to make the setup safe and was operating in a safe manner. He also said in a civil (financial) case with that setup I would be up a creek without a paddle but still unlikely to get a moving violation.
As it turned out I was over but not grossly on trailer axle weights and the front truck axle but just under on the rear truck axle weight. I was also impressed and surprised how thorough the officer was in inspecting trailer brakes, lights, and hitch attachment. This seemed to be his biggest concern.
