Wadcutter wrote:
Your attorney may argue it but it's not a winning argument. Sorry, what you think is the law isn't as you imagine. I'll venture an even bet my legal training and experience is more than what you just think you know about the law. If you went thru a red light because you couldn't stop then you weren't in control. Jake brake or not is totally immaterial.
No sir. I went thru the intersection on a YELLOW light. If I had been loaded like a normal freight truck, grossing less than 80,000 stopping would not been a issue. And if I had let the jake talk on the downhill, stopping would of been less of a issue.
To me, the legal gross is the max weight the state puts the scale under me, and I drive away without giving money to state or lawyer. In that area, 22,400 per axle. 4 axle truck pulling a 2 axle trailer, with the right tires, do the arithmetic.
If your total weight was only 13K then you were well within legal limit. Don't know what your plated weight was. That's just a tax for hauling that much weight.
13K? I think that is less than 130,000. MT, truck weighed 27,000. the trailer 8,600 lbs.
A 4 axle truck and only pulling a 2 axle trailer? That must be some truck with 4 axles and only a 2 axle trailer too.
Had more than a few trucks set up that way; Steering axle 20,000 rated with tires rated for 11,400 lbs each. A 22,000 lb lift axle. Then a 54,000 tandem (other trucks had smaller 46,000 rears, but when new this Pete was a oil field rigup before I bought it.) The home-built trailer had 2 axles rated at 24,000 each.
BTW, I taught traffic and truck law for a lot of years and enforced it. I was recognized by the IL Supreme Court as an expert witness in both. I know what is not a maybe. I didn't get my knowledge sitting around a campfire or listening to someone blow off on the internet about what they thought the law was about but clearly doesn't.
I have no doubt you know more about traffic law and Ill truck law. But I studied what I needed to know so I could set up my trucks/trailers to scale the most weight, be heavy duty enough to safely haul the weight as safe as possible.
That trailer was built to pull with a tandem Mack, long enough to gross 80 under bridge law, and haul near 80 when working in town. But another job was going where the contractor limited loads to 20 ton. Working that job with the Pete, leaving a third of truck unused.
fj12ryder wrote:
In Missouri, if the light is yellow when you enter the intersections you are good. "Sorry, what you think is the law isn't as you imagine." So maybe you're wrong this time. It happens all the time.
From MODOT: "A STEADY YELLOW LIGHT tells you the traffic signal is changing from green to red. Stop for a steady yellow light unless you are within the intersection or are so close that you cannot safely stop before entering the intersection."
Thank you.
As for driving, having control of my vehicle; Any time I'm coming up to a traffic light, that light is RED until the vehicle in front in any lane of me is in the intersection. If it is still green at that point, I decide if I'm close enough to get thru the intersection...
