I got a citation hauling firewood!

[ben14826]

I got a ticket from a county sheriff a couple weeks ago for not tarping a load of firewood. I know that there is a law that says you can't have loose cargo uncovered, but how is a piece of firewood gonna fly out? Anyways to makea long story short, the sheriff was a real a$$ hole. He was gonna give me a misdemeanor for having unsafe cargo, a ticket for uncovered cargo, and another ticket for being overweight. I was hauling the load with a 2003 silverado, and was driving safely and slowly. Has anyone else gotten a ticket for not covering a load of firewood? My registration is for 5500 pounds and I probably was over that so he had a valid issue there. But a misdemeanor for unsafe cargo, COME ON?!?! Why is it that he couldn't do something useful with his badge instead of spending the day harassing a guy trying to make aliving, support his family, and do a good thing. Sometimes it just doesn't seem right. I am by no means a cop basher, but this guy is a classic example of what law enforcement shouldn't be. Just felt like ranting I guess. God Bless!

 

[redprospector]

In New Mexico you have to carry proof of ownership when you haul "woody products". It's a joke to me, but not to the cops. They will try to confinscate your wood if you don't have it.
I got pulled over by a USFS Law Enforcement cop the other day, I had a little over 3 cords of 16' logs on my gooseneck, and didn't have any papers on me. He let me go on that but said he had to give me a warning for not displaying a license plate on the trailer. The tag was in the truck (torn off in the woods), what's funny is here there is a law that say's a tag has to be perminately attached (bolts, no wire or tape). I got a warning for breaking one law, by trying not to break another law that I had been cited for before.

Andy

 

[Hired Gun]

How far over the bed rail was your load? Also let me get this straight, you got a $ money citation for one thing and threatened with a criminal citation, meaning you would have to go to court for the other thing? Just checking things are not done the same in every state. If it was a criminal citaion all offenses would go on the same ticket you wouldn't get a bunch of seperate ones

 

[Firewood Guy USA]

Re' Spillage ......

I got a ticket from a county sheriff a couple weeks ago for not tarping a load of firewood. I know that there is a law that says you can't have loose cargo uncovered, but how is a piece of firewood gonna fly out? Anyways to makea long story short, the sheriff was a real a$$ hole. He was gonna give me a misdemeanor for having unsafe cargo, a ticket for uncovered cargo, and another ticket for being overweight. I was hauling the load with a 2003 silverado, and was driving safely and slowly. Has anyone else gotten a ticket for not covering a load of firewood? My registration is for 5500 pounds and I probably was over that so he had a valid issue there. But a misdemeanor for unsafe cargo, COME ON?!?! Why is it that he couldn't do something useful with his badge instead of spending the day harassing a guy trying to make aliving, support his family, and do a good thing. Sometimes it just doesn't seem right. I am by no means a cop basher, but this guy is a classic example of what law enforcement shouldn't be. Just felt like ranting I guess. God Bless!

We got ticketed many years ago for not covering firewood. We even got ticketed for not fully securing the tarp and for not fully covering the firewood. Since then, we solved all of our (tarping problems) by delivering our firewood in fully enclosed vans and its much safer for the people on the hiways.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Here in MI, not only must your load be tarped, but you must be 2' below the sides of your trailer. You can be heaped in the middle, but along all the edges its 2' below. Ive never seen a residential guy get nailed under this law, but seen many singles and trains get pulled over.

 

[A. Stanton]

I would tell ya to contest the ticket. And when you go to court, have a video made of you going over a speed bump with a load of wood. If those puppies don't fly out from a speed bump, they ain't goin to fly out on the highway. The courts always love a good video.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I'd go to court just to make the sheriff show up and call him an idiot in front of the court. You're gonna have to pay court costs anyway, might as well get your money's worth and take some of their time. Just don't too far and get a contempt citation on top of it.

Ian

 

[ktm250rider]

You never know when something could come out of your bed or trailer. I have a trailer with a removable tailgate. I was too lazy to put the snap pins in to keep the gate in place. Its never really moved before so i gave it no extra thought. On the way home, I hit a pavement change (old to new) and heard a loud bang. Fortunately my window was open and no one was behind me. Lost the gate in the middle of the road.
My neighbor picked up his brand new glass top stove and put it in the back of his pickup, no tie downs. They hit the highway and in about 2 miles, the stove hit the pavement.
Amazingly, I was able to drive roughly 15 miles at around 35 MPH with a tarp folded up and placed on my tailgate. We were going to cover the furnature that we were moving. I place the tarp on the tailgage and we just took off. Never moved an inch.
Ive been behind people with wood loads and I would never feel comfortable driving with those types of loads. Split wood piled up over the rails with no tie downs.

 

[NYCHA FORESTER]

If your vehicle (empty PU) weighs over 5,500 lbs then it must be registered as a commercial vehicle. NYS DMV. I was going to but a F-250 a few years back but the deal advised me of that..... so I got the F-150 (5,400 lbs)

Any unsecured load is a serious issue......... if your wood was stacked over the rail then you are out of luck

 

[pacman]

over weight ?

Did he weigh your truck and load ? If he didnt , he cant say that you were over weight .You sould look up your gross vechicle weight rating to see how much you can haul . I think a goose neck trailer might be rated a lil more than a bumper hitch trailer . I would google that info if I were you to find out and be prepared with the paper work when you go to court . If you were in the wrong , just tell the judge you wasnt aware and you have educated your self and that you are complied with law . He might let you slither threw that one ,haha . The video and pictures idea does sound good . I think they like that too . Tennessee Law.....Loose Material — includes any substance that could spill,drop off, or blow away from the open bed when the vehicle is operated. It does not include materials such as sand or salt for weather conditions. ( Oh yeah and you need trailer resgistration , title, and tag mounted on the trailer In Tennessee . )

 

[A100HVA]

instead of tarp for firewood use commercial fishnet

 

[Husky137]

In New Mexico you have to carry proof of ownership when you haul "woody products". It's a joke to me, but not to the cops. They will try to confinscate your wood if you don't have it.
I got pulled over by a USFS Law Enforcement cop the other day, I had a little over 3 cords of 16' logs on my gooseneck, and didn't have any papers on me. Andy

What do they consider proof of ownership? A piece of paper that says this wood is mine might suffice,no?

 

[bigbadbob]

My brother was hauling some 10ft x 8in birch logs in a pickup with the tailgate down. Got stopped by DOT, they made him park and find his own way to the next town and get some rope to tie them down, they didn't care what size or rope, just had to be tied down.

 

[Hired Gun]

I'd go to court just to make the sheriff show up and call him an idiot in front of the court. You're gonna have to pay court costs anyway, might as well get your money's worth and take some of their time. Just don't too far and get a contempt citation on top of it.

Ian

-Good way to spend a night in jail, and have your license plate number passed around to every LE Officer in a 150 mile radius. We do talk ya know! You are also not hurting the Sheriff by making him go to court. Here court is a 4 hour overtime minimum. Even if you are there for 5 minutes, it's 4 hours paid in full. Court days are just fine with me... :monkey:

 

[ropensaddle]

If your vehicle (empty PU) weighs over 5,500 lbs then it must be registered as a commercial vehicle. NYS DMV. I was going to but a F-250 a few years back but the deal advised me of that..... so I got the F-150 (5,400 lbs)

Any unsecured load is a serious issue......... if your wood was stacked over the rail then you are out of luck

5500 what? not true a commercial
vehicle is 26001 and over. Where people get in trouble isss they hook on
a heavy duty trailer with a back hoe then you are a combination vehicle
requires A cdl and overload permit! Yeah you can purchase a permit to haul
a less than safe load then you are legit lol.

 

[ropensaddle]

-Good way to spend a night in jail, and have your license plate number passed around to every LE Officer in a 150 mile radius. We do talk ya know! You are also not hurting the Sheriff by making him go to court. Here court is a 4 hour overtime minimum. Even if you are there for 5 minutes, it's 4 hours paid in full. Court days are just fine with me... :monkey:

I don't agree with abuse of power and would report to bureau of internal affairs and possibly file harassment charges! Law is law and am glad we have enforcement but, law is not some cops idea of it and he should have compassion to be a true peace officer! I have witnessed the ego cop, and the good cop and problem may be the pay they get and what they have dealt with that week.But if it is obviously harassing behavior report to his superiors, get a lawyer and fight for whats right just be sure you were polight with officer and did your part too!!!! Sometimes they have bad days they are human and are capable of a mistake ticket well,! misdemeanor? I do have to ask did you cuss him for ticket, then get misdemeanor most sheriff,s are not rookies and are usually better to be stopped by than rookie! I once came up on a road block this rookie came out shouting hands in the air and scared the help out of me,a bank robbery my car resembled color and such, when more backup and sheriff arrived he said you dummy I know this guy and his father and the perks Spanish!!!! I thanked sheriff told him Barney scared me and drove away!

 

[jrclen]

I ride a Harley. I don't want to hit a chunk of firewood on the road. Tarp the load. Thanks.

 

[wdchuck]

Sounds like a bad day for the both of you, it's anybody's guess what prompted the officer, he may have experienced injurious events some time in the past with the cause being something similiar to what you were doing.

 

[Hired Gun]

I don't agree with abuse of power and would report to bureau of internal affairs and possibly file harassment charges! Law is law and am glad we have enforcement but, law is not some cops idea of it and he should have compassion to be a true peace officer! I have witnessed the ego cop, and the good cop and problem may be the pay they get and what they have dealt with that week.But if it is obviously harassing behavior report to his superiors, get a lawyer and fight for whats right just be sure you were polight with officer and did your part too!!!! Sometimes they have bad days they are human and are capable of a mistake ticket well,! misdemeanor? I do have to ask did you cuss him for ticket, then get misdemeanor most sheriff,s are not rookies and are usually better to be stopped by than rookie! I once came up on a road block this rookie came out shouting hands in the air and scared the help out of me,a bank robbery my car resembled color and such, when more backup and sheriff arrived he said you dummy I know this guy and his father and the perks Spanish!!!! I thanked sheriff told him Barney scared me and drove away!

Contempt of Court charges for calling the Sheriff and idiot in open court would actually be imposed by the judge, and if you think that is abuse of power maybe you should tell a judge that. When you are in their courthouse that is their domain.

 

[Hired Gun]

Bottom line is Ben if you feel strongly about the ticket contest it. It is your right to do so. Just go into your hearing plead your case and hope for the best. Name calling, BS and clowning isn't worth it. Ignorence is bliss especially when it comes to traffic laws, atleast out here. Go in tell them you were unaware of the law, never had a problem in the past and you won't do it again. It sucks having to eat some crow but what is worse, the fine and five years on your insurance?