Anyone ever actually have their weight checked/ticketed?

[Griffon12]

Well, I just weighed my Ram 2500 with my Lance 825 (lightest model made) and I'm at 9,700ish, combine that with 2 dogs, wife and her rock collection...AT LEAST 10K, 9,000 is gvwr.....It feels and handles great but legally I'm over. Anyone ever actually gotten a ticket? Those poor folks with a short bed half ton cannot possibly be safe:h

[Reddog1]

Reddog1 wrote:

Griffon12 wrote:
Well, I just weighed my Ram 2500 with my Lance 825 (lightest model made) and I'm at 9,700ish, combine that with 2 dogs, wife and her rock collection...AT LEAST 10K, 9,000 is gvwr.....It feels and handles great but legally I'm over. Anyone ever actually gotten a ticket? Those poor folks with a short bed half ton cannot possibly be safe:h

I am considering closing this thread. The OP as a pretty simple question:
"Anyone ever actually have their weight checked/ticketed? "
The posts are not answering the question, and are completely drifting away from the question. Some post are close to flaming. Please get back on track. Your truck build sheet does not answer the question.

Wayne
Moderator

I think those that choose o do so have answered the question.

Wayne
Moderator

[burningman]

Well SideHillSoup I’m 53 and have run trucks if every size from one-ton tow trucks to 105,500 pound crane trucks for a living for over 30 years and I’m from the mountainous Pacific Northwest. I also do all my own work, engines, chassis, body all of it. This subject is kind of in my wheelhouse.

Apparently the answer to the question is in BC it’s not unheard of to scale-check a pickup & camper and enforce it by the sticker ratings (if I lived there I’d remove them!) but in the U.S. it doesn’t happen.
I actually deal with DOT guys in my job, next time I have occasion to talk to one I’ll ask him about pickups with campers.

[DWeikert]

Jknight611 wrote:
I think you guys are missing the point. The manufacturer of the truck certified the vehicle to carry x amount of weight. It doesn’t matter if the manufacturer certified the truck because of door latches or braking performance. It is what it is. In the event of a accident, any trial attorney will discover any factors to establish his case. If it discovered that the accident vehicle had a drunk driver, bald tires, or over manufacturer’s certified gross weight it can and should be a factor in the ultimate outcome of the settlement.
I have added sway bars, air bags, heavier rear springs, drives fine, seems to handle the additional weight. But in the event of a accident the fact remains I have knowingly operated the vehicle in excess of the manufacturer’s certified gross weight.
In a major litigation where money is involved that fact will be more expensive than the savings from cheating on the RV’s weight.

Sigh... Once again, the GVWR sticker is not a certification. I just checked mine, the word certified, certification or any variation thereof is nowhere to be seen. In fact, the word "limit" appears nowhere, only the "rating" for the vehicle and then specifies the tire and wheel size. If you change tires/wheels, those numbers are meaningless. They could go up or down. Then there's the camper load sticker in the glove box. "THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED TO INDICATE THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATION (my highlighting) REGARDING THE USE OF A SLIDE-IN CAMPER WITH THIS TRUCK AS MANUFACTURED" Note also, "as manufactured".

None of these sound like legal limits that would hold up in court.

[Kayteg1]

It is not about sharing road costs. It is about finding state revenue.
In CA 15k lb registration comes with about $500 annual "weight fee"
Same truck in NV has weigh fee = 0
(than NV will hit you with Government Service tax)
The trick is that you can not have truck registered for less than its GVW (you can and should more if you pull trailers).
So the truck doesn't have to be actually scaled to get a ticket.
All it takes is for officer to compare your registration to door sticker.
That again, will be different in different states.

[Bedlam]

It was about paying for your share of wear and tear of the roadway but has nothing to do with your safety - If they pull out portable scales it is to protect the roadway. They do have field performance tests if they feel your vehicle is unsafe. Has anyone had to do one on a personal vehicle?

[notsobigjoe]

wnjj wrote:

notsobigjoe wrote:

Reddog1 wrote:

Griffon12 wrote:
Well, I just weighed my Ram 2500 with my Lance 825 (lightest model made) and I'm at 9,700ish, combine that with 2 dogs, wife and her rock collection...AT LEAST 10K, 9,000 is gvwr.....It feels and handles great but legally I'm over. Anyone ever actually gotten a ticket? Those poor folks with a short bed half ton cannot possibly be safe:h

I am considering closing this thread. The OP as a pretty simple question:
"Anyone ever actually have their weight checked/ticketed? "
The posts are not answering the question, and are completely drifting away from the question. Some post are close to flaming. Please get back on track. Your truck build sheet does not answer the question.

Wayne
Moderator

The answer is yes! I answered the OP's question in an earlier post. I got a ticket.

The OP’s question was about getting a ticket for being over GVWR. There is no such thing, at least in the states. Your ticket is evidence that a weight check may happen, but it was because of registration weight and not safety/liability concerns.

I never thought of it that way but you are correct! It's all about the money.

[wnjj]

notsobigjoe wrote:

Reddog1 wrote:

Griffon12 wrote:
Well, I just weighed my Ram 2500 with my Lance 825 (lightest model made) and I'm at 9,700ish, combine that with 2 dogs, wife and her rock collection...AT LEAST 10K, 9,000 is gvwr.....It feels and handles great but legally I'm over. Anyone ever actually gotten a ticket? Those poor folks with a short bed half ton cannot possibly be safe:h

I am considering closing this thread. The OP as a pretty simple question:
"Anyone ever actually have their weight checked/ticketed? "
The posts are not answering the question, and are completely drifting away from the question. Some post are close to flaming. Please get back on track. Your truck build sheet does not answer the question.

Wayne
Moderator

The answer is yes! I answered the OP's question in an earlier post. I got a ticket.

The OP’s question was about getting a ticket for being over GVWR. There is no such thing, at least in the states. Your ticket is evidence that a weight check may happen, but it was because of registration weight and not safety/liability concerns.

[Grit_dog]

MIght be a good time to close this one......
I think we can agree, well probably not, that IF one was taken to court in an at fault incident where serious damage or injury/death occurred, the prosecuting attorney could/would use vehicle overloading as part of his case against the defendant.
However, what is the likelihood of getting in to that situation? And what else would the prosecutor use? The weight would be only one of many things and the defense could rebutt it with facts.
Otherwise , truck on!

While I’m at it, some of the self proclaimed experts on here crack me up. We don’t know who’s who in real life, but it’s easy to tell who speaks from real experience on topics and who speaks theoretically and calls it fact, or is a weekend warrior with little defining experience.

[notsobigjoe]

Reddog1 wrote:

Griffon12 wrote:
Well, I just weighed my Ram 2500 with my Lance 825 (lightest model made) and I'm at 9,700ish, combine that with 2 dogs, wife and her rock collection...AT LEAST 10K, 9,000 is gvwr.....It feels and handles great but legally I'm over. Anyone ever actually gotten a ticket? Those poor folks with a short bed half ton cannot possibly be safe:h

I am considering closing this thread. The OP as a pretty simple question:
"Anyone ever actually have their weight checked/ticketed? "
The posts are not answering the question, and are completely drifting away from the question. Some post are close to flaming. Please get back on track. Your truck build sheet does not answer the question.

Wayne
Moderator

The answer is yes! I answered the OP's question in an earlier post. I got a ticket.

[soren]

lakeside013104 wrote:

soren wrote:


Hey now, slow down. All those fact things are hurting the feelings of the many expert members here. If we stick to reality, I lose the chance to giggle at claims like, "as soon as your insurance company knows you are overweight, they will walk away, and let you deal with the accident alone". The caliber of some expert posts here on the forum are enough to make Forrest Gump envious, and you want to ruin it with REALITY? Oh, the humanity............................

I believe Mr. Sidecarr was referring to what insurance companies are known to do in the state of Michigan. Unless you have lived in that state, I doubt you are familiar with their finicky insurance laws.


I have never been stopped or ticketed by an LEO for being overweight on the highway. I run a SRW unit and am crowding the weight limits.
Lakeside

"I have never been stopped"

you, and 99.999999% of everybody else who is capable of operating at a safe speed, and still has the steering axle touching the blacktop, have "never been stopped"


Pleeaaseee cite instances where, after an event, any domestic insurer failed to honor their contractual obligation to the insured RV owner, since they were slightly overweight? Or even better, find a company with a few decades of highway towing and recovery contracts with law enfocement, and ask them the following. Exactly how many times they have shoveled up a wrecked RV, took it to a truck scale, pushed it off the rollback, weighed it, then loaded it up again, under the watchful eye of law enforcement. Since said officer had a "hunch" that it might be a touch over the manufacturer's rating? My money is on you getting laughed at, while asking that silly question. The concept of SLIGHTLY OVERWEIGHT is correct, in the context of this forum. This place is full of hand wringing over being a few hundred pounds over a placard, as opposed to obviously reckless behavior. For example, I recently passed a 1990's GM trailblazer, on an interstate, pulling a 1960-70s era, sticks and tin travel trailer, about 26-28 ft long. The set-up had a V profile, and the steering axle was barely making contact with the road. THAT is an issue, all this whining and make believe.............not so much.

[lakeside013104]

soren wrote:


Hey now, slow down. All those fact things are hurting the feelings of the many expert members here. If we stick to reality, I lose the chance to giggle at claims like, "as soon as your insurance company knows you are overweight, they will walk away, and let you deal with the accident alone". The caliber of some expert posts here on the forum are enough to make Forrest Gump envious, and you want to ruin it with REALITY? Oh, the humanity............................

I believe Mr. Sidecarr was referring to what insurance companies are known to do in the state of Michigan. Unless you have lived in that state, I doubt you are familiar with their finicky insurance laws.

As far as judging character on this forum, probably not the most 'friendly' personal characteristic to have unless you are acquainted with the individual. FYI, Mr. Sidecarr reads technical manuals for fun, runs his own commercial machine shop, and has a lifetime of acquired technical information to share on this forum.

I have never been stopped or ticketed by an LEO for being overweight on the highway. I run a SRW unit and am crowding the weight limits. I have driven all across this country, Canada, and into Alaska several times without incident. Oh yes, I am the RVer who drives at 65 mph on a 75 / 80 mph posted highway.

Please pass safely for I am not in a hurry with my heavy truck.

Lakeside

[Jknight611]

I apologize if I carried the thread away from the original question. This is a important topic, no intent to flame.

[Reddog1]

Griffon12 wrote:
Well, I just weighed my Ram 2500 with my Lance 825 (lightest model made) and I'm at 9,700ish, combine that with 2 dogs, wife and her rock collection...AT LEAST 10K, 9,000 is gvwr.....It feels and handles great but legally I'm over. Anyone ever actually gotten a ticket? Those poor folks with a short bed half ton cannot possibly be safe:h

I am considering closing this thread. The OP as a pretty simple question:
"Anyone ever actually have their weight checked/ticketed? "
The posts are not answering the question, and are completely drifting away from the question. Some post are close to flaming. Please get back on track. Your truck build sheet does not answer the question.

Wayne
Moderator

[Jknight611]

I think you guys are missing the point. The manufacturer of the truck certified the vehicle to carry x amount of weight. It doesn’t matter if the manufacturer certified the truck because of door latches or braking performance. It is what it is. In the event of a accident, any trial attorney will discover any factors to establish his case. If it discovered that the accident vehicle had a drunk driver, bald tires, or over manufacturer’s certified gross weight it can and should be a factor in the ultimate outcome of the settlement.
I have added sway bars, air bags, heavier rear springs, drives fine, seems to handle the additional weight. But in the event of a accident the fact remains I have knowingly operated the vehicle in excess of the manufacturer’s certified gross weight.
In a major litigation where money is involved that fact will be more expensive than the savings from cheating on the RV’s weight.