When is DOT truck registration and stopping at truck scales necessary?

[Sawyer Rob]

No farm...

I walked into the closest DMV, title in hand and they sold me farm plates, no questions asked nothing needed to be signed about a farm. BUT, you have to stay within 150 miles of your farm and your truck can only be driven for farm use.

My neighbor got stopped by a state trooper and was asked where he was coming from, he told the trooper he was coming from CIH where he was checking on parts for his tractor. (which happened to be true) SO, they do check to see that you aren't "cheating", at least, every once in a while.

SR

 

[chipper1]

Sandhillcrane send me a pm and I can get you set up with a carrier depending on what the load is. Sister owns a brokerage and a good friend hauls cars that way and has many drivers. For 500 he brought me a car from Philadelphia and deliveredit to my driveway. At the time I couldn't do it for that at 10.5mpg.

Also ticket for mud falling off bull, should have faught it. I'd love to know what he wrote it up as. These cops know the #'s for a few tickets when you know the tickets they write, thats all you have to worry about. Driving local helps a lot in this area.
I've been through a scale or two as well and off road for many deliveries and never heard of that. Unsecured load now that's another story, as well as crap coming of the bed of the truck or in the bucket, but a driver ain't responsible for road debris coming of his tires. If that was the case image what would happen when I dropped a big chunk of snow pack from my trailer when hitting the rr tracks or seems on a bridge.

 

[Fourced]

Most large shipping companies have turned to using Quallcomm instead of having to stop at every weigh station.
But DOT also uses mobile inspectors with portable scales, running back roads trying to catch drivers trying to avoid the scales.
I have seen them stop pickup trucks with 16' trailers. Don't know what violation they had going or the cops were just fishing for fines.
During TS Alison, the governor made an announcement that anyone could use any trailer regardless if it was licensed or not to move property out of harms way.

Qaullcomm is a driver management tool, or electronic leash... PrePass is a DOT scale bypass system. Company's use PrePass to not have to go into DOT scales.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I went on line, made some calls, back on line.
Called State Police, some division that doesn't answer their phone.
Called another number, three menus later, spoke with a very nice, helpful woman, again, some division of the State Police, regulatory and credentialing division (?).
Anything over 10,000 lbs needs DOT numbers and registered with UCR, a new interstate registration system...if you cross state lines.
Then I went to a DOT web site with a quiz to see if I need the DOT numbers.
I don't, according to the DOT web site quiz.
I do have a freight quote for three pallets, 4,600 lbs.
I'm leaning that way, verses a very long two day trip.

 

[Philbert]

. . . Anything over 10,000 lbs needs DOT numbers . . . Then I went to a DOT web site with a quiz to see if I need the DOT numbers. I don't, . . .

Similar to what I found in Minnesota. Differences between State and Federal regulations. State guys enforce them.

I have no problem with a safe vehicle, or the hours of service regulations - those are safety based. The log book requirements I found unreasonable for people who are not full-time truck drivers. They told me that someone who incidentally drives a covered vehicle had to have an up to date log book covering unrelated work activities - hard to do if you don't know that you are going to be driving . . . Technically, this can include a volunteer driving a Salvation Army canteen to a fire scene, or an average contractor pulling any kind of trailer, if they want to push enforcement of the regs.

Ironically, they do not apply to a 16 year old kid driving the 40 foot+ family Winnebago, or someone towing their 30 foot powerboat.

Philbert

 

[Fourced]

This is a short simple answer, and yes there is some grey area. If you are driving your vehicle with your stuff in it, you don't need a DOT number. If you haul someone else's stuff you need a DOT number.

For instance, we bought a truck for our business from a guy in WI, it was over 10,000 lbs. We simply went and drove it home, If we found anything on the way home we could have legally hauled it home. Our truck our stuff. We could not have taken a paying load home without DOT numbers on it.

 

[sam-tip]

Funny how states have farm exemptions but the Feds consider farming a business. To sell a cow across state line USDOT numbers required assuming you trailered the cow. Even if just one mile across the state line. Glad I live in the middle of Iowa and don't cross state line with my bigger vehicles. I drive a RAM 5500 licensed for 24000 lbs for wood gathering and a hobby tree farm. Then the trailer is licensed for 21000 lbs. I have gone through the road side inspections from the mobile DOT. I had all the paper work with me. I try to avoid the east side of town. The mobile DOT frequent over there. I don't even like driving a 3/4 ton truck with trailer out of state anymore. Some states you must go through scale if over 6000lbs some are 16000lbs and other are by in motion scale. If the light says go in you go in. But I can drive a 30000 lb RV with a 10000 lb trailer and don't even need a special license. Really.

Sorry for the Rant. I feel better now.

 

[tnflatbed]

AFAIK Here in Tennessee to run a J plate (farm plate) you simply go to the county clerk just like any other plate. Every state differs. People call it a farm plate here, but you don't have to have a farm, it is a weighted plate for non commercial purposes, You pay for what weight classification you will fall into, more weight=higher cost.

 

[Oldmaple]

Years ago Michigan changed their laws for commercial vehicles on DOT numbers. It was changed from GVW of 26,001+ for truck only, 10,001+ for trailer only or 26,001+ in combination of truck and trailer to 10,001+ for trucks or truck and trailer combination.. This put all the lawn guys, many construction vehicles, etc. needing DOT numbers. Then a few years later they switched it back. Some of the pickups with DOT numbers could be left over from that era or they occasionally tow a trailer with a GVW of 10,001+. My chipper truck has DOT numbers on it even though I don't need them anymore.