Another reason to have "Tow Vehicles and Trailers" a catagor

Does anyone know of any DOT issues with a 3 car 5th wheel or gooseneck open car trailer on a dooley pick-up truck???

Thanks for your help;

Raymond Blethen
RST Performance Racing
www.rstperformance.com

Not unless the combined GVWR is over 33K pounds and/or you are are doing it as a for hire business.
Some states may require you to buy Commercial or Truck tags due to the higher GVWR of the truck, but otherwise you shouldn't have any troubles at all.

[This message has been edited by 2Many Z's (edited April 29, 2004).]

Raymond,
I have got alot of good info from this site, click on safety info and towing.
Hope this helps.
http://www.equispirit.com/index.htm

Matt Bal

I do think that this rig would get you into that grey "not for hire" category. Probably most important is that you are transporting your own vehicles, and not other folk's. I've never wanted to go that big so I have not researced the various laws which will be somewhat different for each state that you travel thru. YMMV

I second the Tow Vehicle and Trailer category....thanks for the support Raymond http://Forum.ImprovedTouring.com/it/smile.gif

Here's a quick rundown on Fed. DOT regs, (I dealt with this at work for a few years):

- CDL required for any vehicle over 26K, except motorhomes. Straight trucks need a "B", trailers/combinations an "A" license.

- Any vehicle or combination of that has a gross combined RATING over 10K (gross truck rating plus gross trailer rating) and owned by a business doing work for that business is considered a Commercial vehicle. If less than 26k, no CDL rqd, but you must have a current DOT physical and current daily log.

Own the vehicle personally and you're OK. The Federal book has nothing in it about "Not For Hire".

Ray - email me off line for more info about where to get help locally on this. [email protected]

Matt

PS I agree, a transport section might be handy. A while back someone asked for amusing problems w/ racing, 90% of the posts were horror stories about towing.

The whole situation gets terribly complicated. Chris' brother just got nailed pulling a horse trailer (so he's not a car nut and he's got the wrong dog breed) in NW Missouri/SW Iowa. The truck/trailer is owned by an individual and was licensed for 30K lbs, it weighed ~28000 lbs. He got a FULL inspection, and nailed for no log book, could not produce a form showing a current physical, and inspection issues. He is hoping to get the whole rig under 26K by buying a new, smaller truck (dually instead of a topkick truck) and hauling less fuel because they had him jumping through so many hoop$ to get legal that he finally gave up. He will still have to do the log and the physical, but figures it's the lesser of two evils.

Too bad the gov't can get it's act together and make it easier to understand the rules before you get nailed. Oh, darn, that would be an oxymoron.

------------------
Lesley Albin
Over The Limit Racing
Blazen Golden Retrievers

Yikes...a full inspection!

Here in California you need commercial plates if you haul a bag of fertilizer in the back of your pickup!

A freind had the unfortunate luck of getting pulled over for carrying a partially uncovered load to the dump on his open trailer. Mr. Officer just happened to be a Highway Patrol commercial vehicle inspector in an area frequented by big rigs. He was having a bad day, and my freind wasn't very well versed in how to deal with less than freindly cops. Eleven violations later...
the trailer is better than new!

Everyone carries three DOT triangles for their trailer right?

Everyone in CA with a trailer over 96" wide has lights on the corners and center of the rear?

You only have to have a minimum number of clearance lights. You can have 42,000 of them if you want. IF ONE of those 42000 isn't working you can be cited.

All of your tie-down straps are DOT approved and their weight limit is sufficeint and clearly stated on a tag...at least, so far, they don't expire every 2 years!

I am not experienced in that realm of towing, but I think that Soren Loree of Albuquerque uses a multi - car goose neck to haul the Miatas he races and rents. 3 or 4 cars I seem to recall.

It's not always in what the rig weighs, it's what it the GVWR is rated at along with the CGVWR of the entire rig that gets people in trouble such as Les's brother.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of the truck and trailer combination he was operating was probably in excess of the 26K or 33K Combined Vehicle Weight Rating, which would have been above the limit of operating without a Class B CDL? I can't keep up with all the new stupid CDL rules, even though I've been a over the road truck driver for 20 years....Seems like everytime you look, something is changed.

A friend of mine had a one ton Dodge Ram dually and hauled an equipment trailer, and because the Combined weight rating (CGVWR) of the truck and trailer was over 30K, he and his brother both had to go get CDL's to operate it, even thought they never planned on hauling it at its full capacity. Darn cheaters getting their CDL with a pickup.... http://Forum.ImprovedTouring.com/it/rolleyes.gif

Oh, and I've probably got the wrong breed of dog to Les, but I wouldn't trade her for a brand new race car....

"...Soren Loree of Albuquerque uses a multi - car goose neck to haul the Miatas he races and rents. 3 or 4 cars I seem to recall."

That's correct, he hauls four Miatas on an open aluminum goose, towed with an F450. I know he carefully researched weights, and made sure that he wouldn't go over 26K combined. All the vehicles are his; there's no haul-for-hire issues. Even so, he is routinely hassled in Arizona for no CDL. He told me that the Arizona highway patrol cited him a few years ago, he had to go back for a court date a month or so later, the judge dismissed the charges, and to this day he carries a copy of the judges letter. He has to get it out occasionally when he tows to or through Arizona.



------------------
Ty Till
#16 ITS
Rocky Mountain Division