US DOT Numbers

[chemoman]

I was pulled over in IA a few days ago by the Highway Patrol Motor Vehicle Division and cited for a number of violations starting with no US DOT numbers posted on my vehicle.
I drive a F-350 Dually with a ladder rack and ladder.
I was not towing at the time, but he also told me that when I tow my RV that I need to keep a log book.
I have a class C license and the pickup is registered to me personally. No company or moving of commerce involved.
I am contesting the ticket in court, but have very little information to plead my case. I called the DOT and they said that there is no reason for me to need the DOT numbers and referred me to their website FMCSA.dot.gov, but there is little information there. The lady I spoke with said that they do not deal with private vehicles, so there is not going to be much information on there website.
Does anyone here have any other information that I can research to present to his honor?
Oh, let me add that I live in TX, and he stated that out of state tags was one of the reasons that he pulled me over. He said that being from out of state that it appeared that I may be using my vehicle for commercial use. Sounds stupid because it is!

[BurbMan]

Beaker wrote:
Sounds like you're not transporting passengers interstate.
You didn't mention hauling cargo interstate.
You did not mention hauling hazardous materials interstate.

Without qualifying for one of the above three, the rest of the information on the website has nothing to do with you.

And no number needed.

Even if this is correct, you will be cited for something.

Bingo! The fact that he had a ladder rack and a ladder means zip! So if I put a ladder rack on my truck and take a ladder to help my buddy in Iowa fix his roof, I need a DOT#? BS on that. DOT #'s are for guys that haul cargo and/or passengers across state lines for HIRE.

[Beaker]

Do I Need a USDOT Number?




What is a USDOT Number?

Companies that operate commercial vehicles transporting passengers or hauling cargo in interstate commerce must be registered with the FMCSA and must have a USDOT Number. Also, commercial intrastate hazardous materials carriers who haul quantities requiring a safety permit must register for a USDOT Number.

Sounds like you're not transporting passengers interstate.
You didn't mention hauling cargo interstate.
You did not mention hauling hazardous materials interstate.

Without qualifying for one of the above three, the rest of the information on the website has nothing to do with you.

And no number needed.

Even if this is correct, you will be cited for something.

[transamz9]

ricatic wrote:

transam... wrote:

Really and truthfully if they (DOT) wanted to push it, the full timers that work out of their RV's would have numbers on their doors.

If you work for a company that goes out of town and you have them pay for your site so you can stay in your RV instead of a hotel then I'm going to say that you may run into a LEO that might cite you. If you own the company then yes you are probably going to get cited.

...and you do not see this ridiculous view and the sale of your ticket as "revenuing"? ...or just plain harassment of the public...

Your position is one that if I pull my fiver out to BF Idaho to take a job that pays me a per diem, I am now engaged in commercial enterprise with my truck...and need to follow DOT rules...I am not being paid to drive the truck or pull my fiver...where does that overzealous enforcement mentality come from...


This is a screwed up deal that robs the working man of his hard earned money with no tangible results in safety or public good...

Regards

OH! I totally agree with you. That's why you don't see a lot of regular pick-ups and such pulled over. It's kind of like all the people running 5-10 over the speed limit and passing a LEO and nothing happening. They let a lot of stuff slide, whether they just don't want to full with it or told not to sweat the small stuff because it clogs up the courts or they give rope just so people will take it so it makes it easier to get their monthly quota crunches, IDK. Every now and then you get one that wants to go word for word by the book or they just learned a new law to try out.
It's things like the time I got a ticket for tint on my F350 windows when if my GVWR had been 10,000 instead of 13,000 he would have never bothered me makes me angry. While he was sitting on his patrol there were car after car breaking the speed limit going by him. Heck I was doing 8-10 over when I went by him. The only thing he said when he came to the passenger door was he wanted to do an inspection and that I was doing nothing wrong. The only thing he "inspected" was my normal legal tint that had been on my windows for 5 years or so (well over 100,000 miles traveled).

All you can do is say "Yes Sir , No Sir" and take what they give you.:W

[The_Texan]

45Ricochet wrote:

ksss wrote:
What a coincidence, I can see BF Idaho from here.

Yeah I really kind of take offence to the BF remark also, but what the heck it's Ric's opinion so I'll just consider myself lucky to live in such a nice mountain forest setting :B

I agree, the mountains of the west and north beat potato fields, all day long. I too took offense with the BF remark.

[45Ricochet]

ksss wrote:
What a coincidence, I can see BF Idaho from here.

Yeah I really kind of take offence to the BF remark also, but what the heck it's Ric's opinion so I'll just consider myself lucky to live in such a nice mountain forest setting :B

[ksss]

What a coincidence, I can see BF Idaho from here.

[ricatic]

transam... wrote:

Really and truthfully if they (DOT) wanted to push it, the full timers that work out of their RV's would have numbers on their doors.

If you work for a company that goes out of town and you have them pay for your site so you can stay in your RV instead of a hotel then I'm going to say that you may run into a LEO that might cite you. If you own the company then yes you are probably going to get cited.

...and you do not see this ridiculous view and the sale of your ticket as "revenuing"? ...or just plain harassment of the public...

Your position is one that if I pull my fiver out to BF Idaho to take a job that pays me a per diem, I am now engaged in commercial enterprise with my truck...and need to follow DOT rules...I am not being paid to drive the truck or pull my fiver...where does that overzealous enforcement mentality come from...


This is a screwed up deal that robs the working man of his hard earned money with no tangible results in safety or public good...

Regards

[transamz9]

mich800 wrote:

badercubed wrote:

transamz9 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

mpierce wrote:
1. You are out of state.
2. You have a "ladder rack" on the truck.
3. Sounds like you "carry a ladder to the work site for work"
4. Toolbox in the back.
5. 5th wheel hitch in back.

And, you think the cop is stupid for stopping you? Looks to me like he was doing his job!

Looks to me like you need DOT numbers! Ladder rack, with a ladder used for work, out of state, going to a job.

Sure sounds like a work vehicle to me, EVEN if it is registered as a private vehicle.

The USE of the vehicle is what is important, NOT how it is registered or owned.

It wouldn`t matter if he was collecting ladders for a personal ladder collection. if the truck is registered to a private person and used as transportation it is not commercial.

So some of you are saying that anyone that goes to work with a briefcase and laptop in their car is considered commercial and needs a DOT#....don`t think so!

If that vehicle belongs to the company and has a GVWR of 10,001# or a combo with combined GVWR of 10,001# then yes. The gray area the judge has to decide is if the truck being in his name and not his company's name warrants it to be considered Commercial. IDK how the pro fisherman have their trucks titled but the are commercial trucks because they use them for profit. The OP was possibly using his truck for his company that makes money for it's services.

If our suit and ties at my work were driving an F350 company truck then they would have to have the numbers and all the other stuff even though they just haul pins and laptops.;)

Exactly. We aren't talking about a Ford Fusion, we are talking about a F350.

So pretty much any RV'r that is in a skilled trade is screwed. Hardly seems like the intention unless revenue at all costs is the desired outcome.

Really and truthfully if they (DOT) wanted to push it, the full timers that work out of their RV's would have numbers on their doors.

If you work for a company that goes out of town and you have them pay for your site so you can stay in your RV instead of a hotel then I'm going to say that you may run into a LEO that might cite you. If you own the company then yes you are probably going to get cited.

If you are heading to the campground , family in the truck on vacation then you should be good to go. Now if you have a name or something on the door of the truck while doing this then you may get hassled. There are a lot of gray areas in the commercial world, believe me I deal with them every day in my job.

[coolbreeze01]

I see F-150 badges for sale :B

[mich800]

badercubed wrote:

transamz9 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

mpierce wrote:
1. You are out of state.
2. You have a "ladder rack" on the truck.
3. Sounds like you "carry a ladder to the work site for work"
4. Toolbox in the back.
5. 5th wheel hitch in back.

And, you think the cop is stupid for stopping you? Looks to me like he was doing his job!

Looks to me like you need DOT numbers! Ladder rack, with a ladder used for work, out of state, going to a job.

Sure sounds like a work vehicle to me, EVEN if it is registered as a private vehicle.

The USE of the vehicle is what is important, NOT how it is registered or owned.

It wouldn`t matter if he was collecting ladders for a personal ladder collection. if the truck is registered to a private person and used as transportation it is not commercial.

So some of you are saying that anyone that goes to work with a briefcase and laptop in their car is considered commercial and needs a DOT#....don`t think so!

If that vehicle belongs to the company and has a GVWR of 10,001# or a combo with combined GVWR of 10,001# then yes. The gray area the judge has to decide is if the truck being in his name and not his company's name warrants it to be considered Commercial. IDK how the pro fisherman have their trucks titled but the are commercial trucks because they use them for profit. The OP was possibly using his truck for his company that makes money for it's services.

If our suit and ties at my work were driving an F350 company truck then they would have to have the numbers and all the other stuff even though they just haul pins and laptops.;)

Exactly. We aren't talking about a Ford Fusion, we are talking about a F350.

So pretty much any RV'r that is in a skilled trade is screwed. Hardly seems like the intention unless revenue at all costs is the desired outcome.

[carringb]

And that's why they offer the 10,000 GVWR F & E350s which are mechanically identical to their heavier rated counterparts.

[badercubed]

transamz9 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

mpierce wrote:
1. You are out of state.
2. You have a "ladder rack" on the truck.
3. Sounds like you "carry a ladder to the work site for work"
4. Toolbox in the back.
5. 5th wheel hitch in back.

And, you think the cop is stupid for stopping you? Looks to me like he was doing his job!

Looks to me like you need DOT numbers! Ladder rack, with a ladder used for work, out of state, going to a job.

Sure sounds like a work vehicle to me, EVEN if it is registered as a private vehicle.

The USE of the vehicle is what is important, NOT how it is registered or owned.

It wouldn`t matter if he was collecting ladders for a personal ladder collection. if the truck is registered to a private person and used as transportation it is not commercial.

So some of you are saying that anyone that goes to work with a briefcase and laptop in their car is considered commercial and needs a DOT#....don`t think so!

If that vehicle belongs to the company and has a GVWR of 10,001# or a combo with combined GVWR of 10,001# then yes. The gray area the judge has to decide is if the truck being in his name and not his company's name warrants it to be considered Commercial. IDK how the pro fisherman have their trucks titled but the are commercial trucks because they use them for profit. The OP was possibly using his truck for his company that makes money for it's services.

If our suit and ties at my work were driving an F350 company truck then they would have to have the numbers and all the other stuff even though they just haul pins and laptops.;)

Exactly. We aren't talking about a Ford Fusion, we are talking about a F350.

[transamz9]

dodge guy wrote:

mpierce wrote:
1. You are out of state.
2. You have a "ladder rack" on the truck.
3. Sounds like you "carry a ladder to the work site for work"
4. Toolbox in the back.
5. 5th wheel hitch in back.

And, you think the cop is stupid for stopping you? Looks to me like he was doing his job!

Looks to me like you need DOT numbers! Ladder rack, with a ladder used for work, out of state, going to a job.

Sure sounds like a work vehicle to me, EVEN if it is registered as a private vehicle.

The USE of the vehicle is what is important, NOT how it is registered or owned.

It wouldn`t matter if he was collecting ladders for a personal ladder collection. if the truck is registered to a private person and used as transportation it is not commercial.

So some of you are saying that anyone that goes to work with a briefcase and laptop in their car is considered commercial and needs a DOT#....don`t think so!

If that vehicle belongs to the company and has a GVWR of 10,001# or a combo with combined GVWR of 10,001# then yes. The gray area the judge has to decide is if the truck being in his name and not his company's name warrants it to be considered Commercial. IDK how the pro fisherman have their trucks titled but the are commercial trucks because they use them for profit. The OP was possibly using his truck for his company that makes money for it's services.

If our suit and ties at my work were driving an F350 company truck then they would have to have the numbers and all the other stuff even though they just haul pins and laptops.;)

[dodge_guy]

mpierce wrote:
1. You are out of state.
2. You have a "ladder rack" on the truck.
3. Sounds like you "carry a ladder to the work site for work"
4. Toolbox in the back.
5. 5th wheel hitch in back.

And, you think the cop is stupid for stopping you? Looks to me like he was doing his job!

Looks to me like you need DOT numbers! Ladder rack, with a ladder used for work, out of state, going to a job.

Sure sounds like a work vehicle to me, EVEN if it is registered as a private vehicle.

The USE of the vehicle is what is important, NOT how it is registered or owned.

It wouldn`t matter if he was collecting ladders for a personal ladder collection. if the truck is registered to a private person and used as transportation it is not commercial.

So some of you are saying that anyone that goes to work with a briefcase and laptop in their car is considered commercial and needs a DOT#....don`t think so!

[transamz9]

BurbMan wrote:

dougger222 wrote:
I've been pulled over 5 times twice by CVI (commercial vehicle inspections) once by a sheriff and twice by a city cop.

First time was with the 00 Excursion and dump trailer....

Second time was in the dually pulling dump trailer....

Third time was in the SRW and dump trailer....

Sounds like that dump trailer is a cop magnet!

One nice thing about the Suburban is that it's not considered to be a "truck". If you're not looking closely at the 8-lug wheels, it looks just like the millions of other grocery-getter SUVs out there.

Hook a trailer behind it with a skid steer on it. Will look like a commercial vehicle to me , SUV or not. A Ford ranger with a trailer hooked to it with a GVWR added to the GVWR of the Ranger equaling 10,001# can be a commercial vehicle. That's why they are starting to hit the landscapers around here , a lot of with use Rangers and Tacomas to haul their mowers thinking they are flying under the radar. They are wrong.
The biggest thing in my state that save people is the lack of Vehicle Enforcement Officers. Half the time, the scale houses are not open around here because of lack of funds to staff them. The words were spoken directly from the DOT in a compliance meeting I had to attend for work. They are working on this problem here by training local LEO's in the commercial side to do road side inspections and know the basics.