acdii

A friend and I were talking and he mentioned that WI requires DOT numbers on 3/4 ton and up when towing. I did a search, and sure enough, he was right. If the tow vehicle and trailer have a GCWR of 10,001 pounds, it falls under DOT mandates. What is NOT 100% clear though, where it falls under commercial. What if you are towing a flatbed with your personal tractor on it, and not for hire? Do you now need to post Not for Hire on your truck? Clearly it is not considered an RV, so doesn't fall under that exemption. Talk about a gray area, and apparently Nebraska is notorious for nailing people driving rigs over 10,001 pounds without the DOT number.

http://www.arnoldsafetyblog.com/ligh...s-and-the-dot/

Now the article does state for commercial uses, BUT, it is up to you to prove you are not hauling commercially. Got a gooseneck flatbed with a car on it, or a really long enclosed trailer that puts it over 10,001 GCWR? You could be hauling for someone for a fee, or it is your personal car you just picked up. Doesn't matter, some LEO who is looking to fill his quota just might pull you over. Chance are slim to none, but it does happen.

Now here is something else I ran across, Commiefornia! Wow, better watch the regs closely when towing an RV! https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/co...df?MOD=AJPERES

So those of you in Commifornia towing that 9500 pound trailer with your F150 and a class C license, watch out, they be gunnin for you!

You can search the web all day, you can talk to LEO, and still not find an answer as to what is legal or not when it comes to an RV. However, there is in black and white, mandated regulations for all other trailers, so watch out.


This has been a friendly public service announcement, now back to your regularly scheduled flaming party.

i2oadi2unnei2

You had me at Commifornia

kbroderick

...and if that car you're hauling, or the trailer hauling it, have sponsor logos--even if just for a parts discount or a small time contingency plan--good luck convincing the government that it's non-commercial.

I've heard that rodeo riders can get mailed because even a few hundred bucks here and there in prize money is enough to make it a commercial activity from a legal standpoint.

From the clearly commercial file, a friend of mine got mailed for failure to display a DOT number and business name, not having a DOT physical card, and more driving a beer delivery box van (3500-class, so over 10k but not 16k gross).

South Dakota also requires anyone over 8k gross, except RVs, to stop at their ports of entry. I suspect they're on the lookout for both agricultural commerce that crossed state lines without appropriate paperwork and folks working as independent contractors in the oil patch.

BlackBoost

I doubt anyone can say anything if it's your own personal vehicle and equipment. As mentioned, as long as there's no logos, and whatever you're towing also belongs to you personally and not registered under a business, they can't do squat.

i2oadi2unnei2

Hmmm and so that is why they only make F150 GVWR at 7850 top. I'll keep that in mind when traveling to SD.

SixShooter14

I wonder if they consider a "farm" a business? I own livestock and run a "farm" for tax purposes. I wonder if hauling a tractor would fall under 'commercial transport' I could see it being that way. Certainly hauling cows to the salebarn or buying/selling hay.

BlackBoost

If the tractor is under your name and not the farm, should be fine. Both me and my wife's families come from farms, and the farm is actually registered as a business name for buying and selling goods. Not sure if it's the same where you are.

acdii

Fine line between personal and commercial when it comes to a DOT officer. I got nailed my first day out driving a Semi because D.A.M. forgot to check the tractor for the DOT number. Most states don't give a crap, but there are some that enjoy cracking down on unsuspecting drivers. Nebraska is notorious for this. This also only applies for INTERstate travel and not INTRAstate. The latter deals with the state DOT regs, as some states have a higher GVWR for DOT. Colorado I believe is 16,001 before commercial kicks in.

It's the combination weight that is important, not the trucks weight. If the combination exceeds 10,001 pounds, then it falls under federal DOT for interstate commerce. Only RV are exempt from this, all other trailers could be marked as commercial under these regs, so driver beware. To be safe, adding Not for Hire to either the truck or trailer will exempt you.

acdii

Did you know in Wisconsin that if you have Farm plates on the truck and you drive to the grocery store in it, you can be ticketed and fined? Farm use only means no driving to stores or any other places unless directly related to farming.

storageman

Same thing in Ohio. I had an old truck back then and the plates would cost $350 (More that what I paid for the truck), Farm plates were $5, Guess which plates I had. The clerks at the MVD would always give me the evil eye, because they knew there was no farms where the truck was registered.