1 ton Dually Pickup Owners Question

[D_and_A_plus_6]

I am thinking about upgrading from a f250 to a f350 Dually. I was told it was a federal law that they are treat like a road tractor/semi, and must keep log book, CDL, med card, dot number on side of truck et. My friend was pulling a 5th wheel livestock trailer, got pulled over in a neighboring state and received several tickets because he didn't have any of this.
I've seen several duallies pulling travel trailers and dont see dot numbers on the side of their trucks, What the difference or what do you do not to get bothered?

Thanks for any info?

[D_and_A_plus_6]

He own truck, goose neck trailer, one bull, no signs on truck. Missouri licence driving through Iowa going to South Dakata.
He ask cop why he pulled him over, the reply was saw Missouri dually with no dot number on the door and wouldn't matter if you had trailer or not.

After learning more, only had 3600 local farm tags. I'm guessing that was the deal breaker.

[mountainkowboy]

Been towing with a dually for over 20 years and never kept a log or have been ask for one.

[GordonThree]

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
in this campground.... last week..

a freightliner single axle tractor.. pulling a Jayco Sismic 5th wheel toy hauler..

painted right on side of tractor ..

'Registered as RV" and under it said "NOT FOR HIRE"..

and there are a lot of dually's here pulling 5th wheel RV's
for private personal use.

I get a smile seeing those modified RV tractors. One frequents the campground near home, carrying a little car on the tractor behind the cab and in front of the fifth wheel.

Really big letters private recreational vehicle not for hire on either side.

[JAC1982]

My father in law just retired from hot shot driving. His trucks all have his business' DOT info on them, along with business name etc. He just throws a Not for Hire sign on it when traveling for personal use, never had a problem.

We've definitely never had a problem with our rig.

[PenMan]

To the OP. You were lied to. No such laws.

[Chuck_thehammer]

in this campground.... last week..

a freightliner single axle tractor.. pulling a Jayco Sismic 5th wheel toy hauler..

painted right on side of tractor ..

'Registered as RV" and under it said "NOT FOR HIRE"..

and there are a lot of dually's here pulling 5th wheel RV's
for private personal use.

[1jeep]

OP...I also went from a F250 to f350 drw. I live in Ma, which models itself to be as bad as cali....so her eis what I know about my state, you should check with your DMV.

IN Ma.
5 tires or more touching the road requires a commercial plate.
commercial plate forces you to commercial vehicle insurance.
My registration renewal is based on GVWR of 14k, which went way up in price.
yearly vehicle inspection I must have wheel chocks, first aid kit and cost is twice what a passenger car is.

My yearly cost to own went up about $800 per year for these items which really sucks, but once my rv is hooked up I feel its worth it!

Also I have never been stopped nor stopped at any scales, even with the commercial plates they pay no attention to me. I have traveled all over New England and as far south as South Carolina.

[allen8106]

4x4ord wrote:
I was hasseled at the border crossing weigh station while towing a gooseneck tandem dually. I was told that because my pickup (not a dually by the way) is owned by my company I am required to keep a log book when travelling outside of my home province even if I'm not towing anything. A personally owned vehicle is exempt from commercial laws while towing an RV.

We had a similar issue with a 1 tom flat bed my company used to make runs between two manufacturing plants in Kansas and Oklahoma. One of my employees got stopped on I35 by the Oklahoma highway Patrol and was ticketed for not having a DOT number, log book, medical card and a couple other things i can't remember. We had to send a flat bed truck to get the pickup because they wouldn't let the employee drive it any further.

[drsteve]

azdryheat wrote:

Last April RIVA asked DOT for permission to alter the 26000 pound limit for CDL drivers. As a result, for the next 5 years, a CDL is not required if the ACTUAL weight (not GVWR) is at or below 26,000 pounds. This was done because CDL drivers for RV deliveries are getting scarce for what they are paid.

Perhaps raising the pay scale to attract certified drivers, instead of lowering licensing standards, would be better for public safety... after all, that's what requiring a CDL is all about, keeping the roads safe... and the RV industry can certainly afford it.

[drsteve]

.

[Cummins12V98]

" My friend was pulling a 5th wheel livestock trailer"

I highly doubt it's a 5th wheel and most likely a gooseneck trailer. Hauling Livestock was considered a commercial venture requiring what the Officer said was lacking.

[john_bet]

D and A plus 6 wrote:
I am thinking about upgrading from a f250 to a f350 Dually. I was told it was a federal law that they are treat like a road tractor/semi, and must keep log book, CDL, med card, dot number on side of truck et. My friend was pulling a 5th wheel livestock trailer, got pulled over in a neighboring state and received several tickets because he didn't have any of this.
I've seen several duallies pulling travel trailers and dont see dot numbers on the side of their trucks, What the difference or what do you do not to get bothered?

Thanks for any info?

Was your friend hauling livestock across state lines, and for hire? If so then the trooper was right. He is a commerical vehicle driver . Now if it had been a 5th wheel RV owned by him and used personally they he is exempt from needing a CDL.

[GordonThree]

newman fulltimer wrote:
was his chains on the horse trailer hooked up?
Was he overloaded?
Does he own a cattle ranch?
Is his truck registered as a farm truck?
lots in play at how laws read

X2 on this. If his farm owned the truck rather than the person, it might be a commercial vehicle. In that case doesn't matter what 1500 or 3500, hauling for commercial purpose means it falls under a different set of laws compared to personal vehicle.

[Travlingman]

D and A plus 6 wrote:
All he told me was the patrolman went back to his car and printed off the law and rules on severals sheets of paper and gave him a copy and it been in effect for several years. This one state seems to be real strict on truck rules.

What state are you talking about?

[azdryheat]

CDL is never required for private, non-paid RV towing. CDL's are required, in the US, when driving for pay if the GVWR of the vehicle or combined weight of the multiple vehicles is over 26,000 pounds. Every Class B, C, and A gassers are all at or under 26,000 so no CDL is ever required when getting paid to drive them. My RV company still requires CDL's for all drivers. I have a Class B with airbrakes for my job.

Last April RIVA asked DOT for permission to alter the 26000 pound limit for CDL drivers. As a result, for the next 5 years, a CDL is not required if the ACTUAL weight (not GVWR) is at or below 26,000 pounds. This was done because CDL drivers for RV deliveries are getting scarce for what they are paid.

A point on logbooks. They are only required for CDL drivers if they are more than 100 nautical miles from home. When I am moving motorhomes to our local shows I do not need a logbook but when I move one from Tucson to San Diego, for example, I need a logbook. BTW for retirees who don't need the money, driving motorhomes part-time is a wonderful job. Kind of like a hobby you get paid for.